Genesis 45:16 – 47:31

Sunday Morning Bible Study

October 21, 2007

Introduction

We’ve seen the saga of the story of Joseph coming to a close. He was his father’s favorite son but hated by his brothers. His brothers kidnapped and sold him as a slave. He ended up going from a slave in Egypt to being sentenced to prison for something he didn’t do. But after 13 years of hardship, things changed for Joseph when he was given the opportunity to interpret Pharaoh’s dream and wound up as the prime minister over Egypt. As Pharaoh’s dream predicted, there were seven years of prosperity and now we’re two years into the seven years of famine. When Joseph’s brothers showed up to buy grain, Joseph kept his identity from his brothers as he began to test them to see if they had changed. We ended last week with Joseph finally revealing himself to his brothers – shocked to find that the man running Egypt was the brother they had betrayed.

And yet instead of being bitter against his brothers, Joseph had learned to see God’s hand. Joseph had come to realize that God had taken what his brothers meant for evil, and had used it to save Joseph’s entire family in the coming famine.

Genesis 45

:16-28 Sending for Jacob

:16 Now the report of it was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, "Joseph's brothers have come." So it pleased Pharaoh and his servants well.

:17 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Say to your brothers, 'Do this: Load your animals and depart; go to the land of Canaan.

:18 'Bring your father and your households and come to me; I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the fat of the land.

:19 'Now you are commanded; do this: Take carts out of the land of Egypt for your little ones and your wives; bring your father and come.

:20 'Also do not be concerned about your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.'"

:21 Then the sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them carts, according to the command of Pharaoh, and he gave them provisions for the journey.

:22 He gave to all of them, to each man, changes of garments; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments.

Joseph goes a bit overboard in loading his younger brother up with treasures.

:23 And he sent to his father these things: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and food for his father for the journey.

:24 So he sent his brothers away, and they departed; and he said to them, "See that you do not become troubled along the way."

(Gen 45:24 NLT) …"Don't quarrel along the way!"

I kind of get the idea that Joseph isn’t sure the trip back home is going to be peaceful.

:25 Then they went up out of Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan to Jacob their father.

:26 And they told him, saying, "Joseph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt." And Jacob's heart stood still, because he did not believe them.

:27 But when they told him all the words which Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived.

:28 Then Israel said, "It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die."

Genesis 46

:1-7 God says to go to Egypt

:1 So Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

Jacob was familiar with Beersheba. His father Isaac lived in Beersheba and this is probably where he grew up. This was where Jacob had fled from when he left to live with Laban (Gen. 28:10).

Beersheba is the “last stop for gas and water” for possibly 150 miles.

Beersheba is also considered the southernmost part of the Promised Land. The land of Israel is often referred to as “From Dan (in the far north) to Beersheba”.

:2 Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, "Jacob, Jacob!" And he said, "Here I am."

:3 So He said, "I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there.

do not fear – in other words, Jacob is afraid right now.

A great nation – Egypt will be a place where Jacob’s family will grow (Ex. 1:7).

Over the four hundred years that the Israelites would stay in Egypt they went from seventy to nearly two million (or, 600,000 men over the age of 20). God would indeed make them a “great” nation.

:4 "I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes."

put his hand on your eyes – the ancient custom was that the nearest relative should close the eyes of a deceased person and give them one last kiss good-bye. God is offering comfort to Jacob that his beloved Joseph will be there to do this.

Could Jacob be making a mistake? I think this is what Jacob is afraid of.

First, the land of Canaan, the land he was leaving, was given to Jacob and his family. It was their “Promised Land”.

Years ago at Bethel, while fleeing from Esau, God promised Jacob:

(Gen 28:13 NKJV) …"I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants.

In later years, after returning to Bethel, God repeated the promise:

(Gen 35:12 NKJV) "The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land."

Second, Jacob’s family has had a history of trouble with famines and going to Egypt.

Jacob’s grandfather Abraham got into trouble when he went to Egypt during a famine (Gen. 12:10). It was in Egypt that the family picked up a slave girl named Hagar.

When Jacob’s father Isaac was faced with a famine, God had this to say:

(Gen 26:2 NKJV) Then the LORD appeared to him and said: "Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you.

God specifically told Isaac that if he stayed in the Promised Land that He would take care of the family. Isaac obeyed and did not go to Egypt.

Third, Grandpa Abraham had a disturbing prophecy:

(Gen 15:13 NKJV) Then He said to Abram: "Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.

Perhaps he is afraid that he’s the one sending his family into affliction.

So here is Jacob facing a famine and now at the border of the Promised Land he begins to wonder if he’s heard correctly. Is he making a mistake going to Egypt? He wants desperately to see his son Joseph, but is that causing him to make a mistake?

Lesson

Seeking God when you’re unsure

Jacob seems confused about what he’s supposed to do. What he does is an example for us all.

Jacob starts by bringing sacrifices to God.

God responds to the sacrifices by giving Jacob the guidance he needs.

I see this as an example of the principle in:

(Rom 12:1-2 NKJV) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. {2} And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

The “sacrifice” God wants from you is not a lamb or a goat, or even money in the offering plate. The sacrifice God is looking for is you. He doesn’t want you dead, he wants you alive. He wants you to give yourself completely to Him.

As we learn to give our lives completely to God, God works out the process of His will in our lives.

As you learn to find God’s will for you, you will prove to yourself as well as those around you that God’s will is good, acceptable, and perfect.

Illustration

It’s well-known that John Newton, author of the hymn “Amazing Grace,” was before his conversion to Christ the captain of a ship that brought slaves from West Africa to Britain and America. What’s not as well known is that Newton continued in the slave trade for some time after becoming a believer—the main difference being that he treated his human cargo more compassionately. Only later did God open his eyes to the horrors of his trade, and Newton became a pastor and zealous spokesman for the outlawing of slavery in the British empire.

The more John learned to yield his life to God, the clearer God’s will became to him.

Understanding God’s will for your life may not come overnight, but I’m convinced that the more I yield myself to Him, the easier it is for God to direct me and show me His will.

(Prov 3:5-6 NKJV) Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; {6} In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

:5 Then Jacob arose from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little ones, and their wives, in the carts which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.

:6 So they took their livestock and their goods, which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and went to Egypt, Jacob and all his descendants with him.

:7 His sons and his sons' sons, his daughters and his sons' daughters, and all his descendants he brought with him to Egypt.

:8-27 Role call of those who went to Egypt

:8 Now these were the names of the children of Israel, Jacob and his sons, who went to Egypt: Reuben was Jacob's firstborn.

At this point, from verses 9-25 we’re going to get a list of all the family members that left Canaan to go to Egypt.

thirty-three

:23 The son of Dan was Hushim.

:26 All the persons who went with Jacob to Egypt, who came from his body, besides Jacob's sons' wives, were sixty-six persons in all.

Note that this number doesn’t include Jacob himself, just his descendants.

:27 And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two persons. All the persons of the house of Jacob who went to Egypt were seventy.

seventy

So why the number seventy?

:28-30 Jacob meets Joseph

:28 Then he sent Judah before him to Joseph, to point out before him the way to Goshen. And they came to the land of Goshen.

Even though Rueben is the firstborn son, Joseph has Judah be the one to establish the family in Goshen. Perhaps it was because of Judah’s offer to take Benjamin’s place that touched Joseph.

:29 So Joseph made ready his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel; and he presented himself to him, and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while.

a good while – ‘owd It wasn’t a quick handshake.

:30 And Israel said to Joseph, "Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive."

:31-34 Joseph’s plans for the family

:31 Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's household, "I will go up and tell Pharaoh, and say to him, 'My brothers and those of my father's house, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me.

:32 'And the men are shepherds, for their occupation has been to feed livestock; and they have brought their flocks, their herds, and all that they have.'

:33 "So it shall be, when Pharaoh calls you and says, 'What is your occupation?'

:34 "that you shall say, 'Your servants' occupation has been with livestock from our youth even till now, both we and also our fathers,' that you may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians."

Genesis 47

:1-6 Pharaoh and the brothers

:1 Then Joseph went and told Pharaoh, and said, "My father and my brothers, their flocks and their herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan; and indeed they are in the land of Goshen."

:2 And he took five men from among his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh.

:3 Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, "What is your occupation?" And they said to Pharaoh, "Your servants are shepherds, both we and also our fathers."

:4 And they said to Pharaoh, "We have come to dwell in the land, because your servants have no pasture for their flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now therefore, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen."

to dwell – guwr – (Qal) to sojourn, dwell for a time; to abide, stay, temporarily dwell. They are letting Pharaoh know that they aren’t planning on being there forever, but only for a while. They haven’t come to conquer the land, just to stay for awhile.

livestock / shepherd – Some have suggested that because Joseph was using different words to describe their occupation (“shepherds”, “feed livestock”), that he’s trying to get them to deemphasize their tending of sheep and to emphasize their work with cattle, and then the brothers ignore Joseph’s advice.

I don’t think there’s any kind of sugar-coating of the family’s line of work here. I think that Joseph is asking his brothers to be honest with Pharaoh and giving his brothers a “heads-up” that their profession isn’t one that Egyptians appreciate.

It is kind of interesting that the Egyptians didn’t like “shepherds”. And yet in our Christian view of things, we think of “the Good Shepherd” and the “Lord is my shepherd”. We think of shepherds in a good light. Our word “pastor” really means “shepherd”. I hope you like that word.

Lesson

Be honest about your occupation

The world doesn’t much like Christians. Don’t be surprised by that. But that doesn’t mean you should hide what you are.

Sometimes Christians can fall into the trap of not being honest about their beliefs. They think that if they hide the fact that they’re Christians, then they will later try and slip in the gospel at work.

The problem is that you end up compromising your walk.

Joseph encourage his brothers to be up front about being shepherds – and that’s the advice they kept. As it turns out, they’re going to get some extra work because of their honesty about their occupation.

(Phil 2:14-16 NKJV) Do all things without complaining and disputing, {15} that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, {16} holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.

Years ago I spent some time at two different secular jobs – as a teller for Bank of Newport, and as a bean counter for McDonnell Douglas.

It was hard to tell people right up front that I was a Christian. You inevitably spend a few lunches alone. People don’t initially include you in their talk about what they did on the weekend. There will be the occasion “preacher” comments.

But that changes as they get to find out that you don’t bite and that you genuinely care about them. When their life falls apart, guess who they talk to? You wind up being the person they go to with their problems. And you have a much better chance to share the gospel with them.

Be honest about who you are.

:5 Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, "Your father and your brothers have come to you.

:6 "The land of Egypt is before you. Have your father and brothers dwell in the best of the land; let them dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know any competent men among them, then make them chief herdsmen over my livestock."

Pharaoh not only gives them land, but is going to have them take charge of his flocks as well.

:7-10 Jacob and Pharaoh

:7 Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and set him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.

:8 Pharaoh said to Jacob, "How old are you?"

:9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, "The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage."

the years of the life of my fathers – Jacob will live another seventeen years to the age of 147. His father Isaac lived to be 180, his grandfather Abraham lived to be 175.

:10 So Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.

:11-12 Israel settles in Goshen

:11 And Joseph situated his father and his brothers, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.

the land of Rameses – It won’t be until the time of Moses that the name “Rameses” will be used. Remember that Moses is the one editing the book of Genesis and one of the things he’s aiming at is reminding the Israelites how they got to Egypt in the first place.

:12 Then Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father's household with bread, according to the number in their families.

:13-26 Famine, property, salvation

:13 Now there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine.

:14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, for the grain which they bought; and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house.

:15 So when the money failed in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, "Give us bread, for why should we die in your presence? For the money has failed."

:16 Then Joseph said, "Give your livestock, and I will give you bread for your livestock, if the money is gone."

Joseph comes up with a new way of allowing the people to pay for the grain, trading in their animals.

:17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the cattle of the herds, and for the donkeys. Thus he fed them with bread in exchange for all their livestock that year.

:18 When that year had ended, they came to him the next year and said to him, "We will not hide from my lord that our money is gone; my lord also has our herds of livestock. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our lands.

:19 "Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants of Pharaoh; give us seed, that we may live and not die, that the land may not be desolate."

:20 Then Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for every man of the Egyptians sold his field, because the famine was severe upon them. So the land became Pharaoh's.

Joseph comes up with another ingenious plan. In the end, Joseph’s boss will own all the land of Egypt, and the nation will have survived the famine.

:21 And as for the people, he moved them into the cities, from one end of the borders of Egypt to the other end.

:22 Only the land of the priests he did not buy; for the priests had rations allotted to them by Pharaoh, and they ate their rations which Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their lands.

:23 Then Joseph said to the people, "Indeed I have bought you and your land this day for Pharaoh. Look, here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land.

:24 "And it shall come to pass in the harvest that you shall give one-fifth to Pharaoh. Four-fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and for your food, for those of your households and as food for your little ones."

Joseph knows that it’s not going to do Pharaoh any good to own all the land and not let it be tended.

In the end, the people become sort of tenant-farmers, they take care of the land and give Pharaoh 20%. They no longer own their own land.

J

:25 So they said, "You have saved our lives; let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants."

The people don’t complain about their taxes. They recognize that Joseph has saved their lives.

:26 And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt to this day, that Pharaoh should have one-fifth, except for the land of the priests only, which did not become Pharaoh's.

:27-31 Israel prospers, Jacob’s burial wish

:27 So Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions there and grew and multiplied exceedingly.

:28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the length of Jacob's life was one hundred and forty-seven years.

:29 When the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, "Now if I have found favor in your sight, please put your hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me. Please do not bury me in Egypt,

under my thigh – we saw this back with Abraham and his servant (Gen. 24:2). This seems to be one of the ways an oath was sworn. Some have suggested that it means, “If you don’t do what you are swearing to me, then may my descendants rise up and deal with you”.

:30 "but let me lie with my fathers; you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place." And he said, "I will do as you have said."

:31 Then he said, "Swear to me." And he swore to him. So Israel bowed himself on the head of the bed.

Jacob is asking to be buried back in the “Promised Land”.

He knows where his family is headed. His request is a step of faith.

:7 Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and set him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.

When the writer of Hebrews talked about how Melchizedek blessed Abraham, he brought out a principle that seems to apply here:

(Heb 7:7 NKJV) Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better.

In other words, Melchizedek was greater than Abraham and so he “blessed” Abraham.

Here we have the most powerful man on the earth standing with this old shepherd. And he lets the old shepherd bless him.

We look back on this and think, “Of course, Jacob was a great man”. But think of what was happening in Jacob’s day – Jacob was just an old shepherd. Pharaoh is the most powerful man in the world.

Lesson

What makes greatness?

It’s not winning an Oscar.

It’s not winning the Nobel Peace Prize.

It’s not winning the World Series.

It’s not getting your name in the paper.

It’s not winning an Olympic gold medal.

It’s not becoming a billionaire like Donald Trump.

It’s not becoming the president of the United States.

It’s learning to follow God.

It’s not been easy for Jacob, but he’s gone from being a “heel-catcher” to being one “governed by God”. And now he is in the place where he as the “greater” is blessing the Pharaoh.

God has specific ideas about what it takes to be great.

I heard this week that Donald Trump has a new book out called “Think Big and Kick (another word for donkey) in Business and Life”.

Apparently some of the concepts in the book are how important it is to be the smartest person in your business, the importance of not trusting anyone, and the importance of getting revenge on anyone who attacks you.

It seems that Mr. Trump lives what he preaches. And he probably has some good ideas if your whole goal in life is becoming wealthy and powerful. But Mr. Trump will be quite surprised when he stands before the King of Kings one day and has to explain his life. Mr. Trump is certainly much smarter and more powerful than I will ever be, but before the King who will one day judge him, he’s barely a speck on the radar.

God has a different idea of what it takes to become great.

(Mark 10:42-45 NKJV) But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. {43} "Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. {44} "And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. {45} "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

We see this principle in the life of Joseph who found his way to the top of Egypt by first going to the bottom as a slave and as a prisoner.

We see it in the life of this old man Jacob. The “deceiving-heel-catcher” who has learned to yield his life to God. He was the one who “prevailed over God” by allowing God to cripple him.

Be careful about what you view as greatness. What are you aiming for? Jesus aimed at being a servant.

Introduction

And yet instead of being bitter against his brothers, Joseph had learned to see God’s hand. Joseph had come to realize that God had taken what his brothers meant for evil, and had used it to save Joseph’s entire family in the coming famine.

Genesis 45

:16-28 Sending for Jacob

:16 Now the report of it was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, "Joseph's brothers have come." So it pleased Pharaoh and his servants well.

:17 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Say to your brothers, 'Do this: Load your animals and depart; go to the land of Canaan.

:18 'Bring your father and your households and come to me; I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the fat of the land.

:19 'Now you are commanded; do this: Take carts out of the land of Egypt for your little ones and your wives; bring your father and come.

:20 'Also do not be concerned about your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.'"

:21 Then the sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them carts, according to the command of Pharaoh, and he gave them provisions for the journey.

:22 He gave to all of them, to each man, changes of garments; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments.

Joseph goes a bit overboard in loading his younger brother up with treasures.

Back in 43:34, Joseph had given Benjamin five times as much food as his brothers during their dinner. I suggested that it might have been another test to see if the brothers would be jealous of Benjamin being shown favor.

I’m not sure this is a test. I thought the tests were over. But Joseph may still be testing a bit.

Could it be that Joseph is simply overflowing with love for his baby brother (who is about 30 years old)?

Why do we need an excuse to show love to our family?

:23 And he sent to his father these things: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and food for his father for the journey.

:24 So he sent his brothers away, and they departed; and he said to them, "See that you do not become troubled along the way."

(Gen 45:24 NLT) …"Don't quarrel along the way!"

I kind of get the idea that Joseph isn’t sure the trip back home is going to be peaceful.

:25 Then they went up out of Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan to Jacob their father.

:26 And they told him, saying, "Joseph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt." And Jacob's heart stood still, because he did not believe them.

Jacob has trouble believing what his sons are saying. Wait a minute. Wasn’t that “governor” the one that was causing them so much grief, had kept Simeon and wanted him to send Benjamin to Egypt?

I wonder at what point Jacob is going to hear about who Joseph got to Egypt. Jacob is no idiot. I think he’ll figure it out.

:27 But when they told him all the words which Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived.

:28 Then Israel said, "It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die."

Genesis 46

:1-7 God says to go to Egypt

:1 So Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

Jacob was familiar with Beersheba. His father Isaac lived in Beersheba and this is probably where he grew up. This was where Jacob had fled from when he left to live with Laban (Gen. 28:10).

Beersheba is the “last stop for gas and water” for possibly 150 miles.

Beersheba is also considered the southernmost part of the Promised Land. The land of Israel is often referred to as “From Dan (in the far north) to Beersheba”.

:2 Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, "Jacob, Jacob!" And he said, "Here I am."

:3 So He said, "I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there.

do not fear – in other words, Jacob is afraid right now.

He’s afraid he might be making a mistake.

A great nation – Egypt will be a place where Jacob’s family will grow (Ex. 1:7).

(Exo 1:7 NKJV) But the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.

Over the four hundred years that the Israelites would stay in Egypt they went from seventy to nearly two million (or, 600,000 men over the age of 20). God would indeed make them a “great” nation.

:4 "I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes."

put his hand on your eyes – the ancient custom was that the nearest relative should close the eyes of a deceased person and give them one last kiss good-bye. God is offering comfort to Jacob that his beloved Joseph will be there to do this.

Could Jacob be making a mistake? I think this is what Jacob is afraid of.

First, the land of Canaan, the land he was leaving, was given to Jacob and his family. It was their “Promised Land”.

Years ago at Bethel, while fleeing from Esau, God promised Jacob:

(Gen 28:13 NKJV) …"I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants.

In later years, after returning to Bethel, God repeated the promise:

(Gen 35:12 NKJV) "The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land."

Second, Jacob’s family has had a history of trouble with famines and going to Egypt.

Jacob’s grandfather Abraham got into trouble when he went to Egypt during a famine (Gen. 12:10). It was in Egypt that the family picked up a slave girl named Hagar.

When Jacob’s father Isaac was faced with a famine, God had this to say:

(Gen 26:2 NKJV) Then the LORD appeared to him and said: "Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you.

God specifically told Isaac that if he stayed in the Promised Land that He would take care of the family. Isaac obeyed and did not go to Egypt.

Third, Grandpa Abraham had a disturbing prophecy:

(Gen 15:13 NKJV) Then He said to Abram: "Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.

Perhaps he is afraid that he’s the one sending his family into affliction.

So here is Jacob facing a famine and now at the border of the Promised Land he begins to wonder if he’s heard correctly. Is he making a mistake going to Egypt? He wants desperately to see his son Joseph, but is that causing him to make a mistake?

Lesson

Seeking God when you’re unsure

Jacob seems confused about what he’s supposed to do. What he does is an example for us all.

Jacob starts by bringing sacrifices to God.

God responds to the sacrifices by giving Jacob the guidance he needs.

I see this as an example of the principle in:

:5 Then Jacob arose from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little ones, and their wives, in the carts which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.

:6 So they took their livestock and their goods, which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and went to Egypt, Jacob and all his descendants with him.

:7 His sons and his sons' sons, his daughters and his sons' daughters, and all his descendants he brought with him to Egypt.

:8-27 Role call of those who went to Egypt

:8 Now these were the names of the children of Israel, Jacob and his sons, who went to Egypt: Reuben was Jacob's firstborn.

At this point, from verses 9-25 we’re going to get a list of all the family members that left Canaan to go to Egypt.

:9 The sons of Reuben were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

:10 The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman.

:11 The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

:12 The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan). The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.

:13 The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puvah, Job, and Shimron.

:14 The sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.

:15 These were the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Padan Aram, with his daughter Dinah. All the persons, his sons and his daughters, were thirty-three.

thirty-three – includes Jacob and Dinah, but not Er and Onan (who had died).

:16 The sons of Gad were Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.

:17 The sons of Asher were Jimnah, Ishuah, Isui, Beriah, and Serah, their sister. And the sons of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel.

:18 These were the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter; and these she bore to Jacob: sixteen persons.

:19 The sons of Rachel, Jacob's wife, were Joseph and Benjamin.

thirty-three

a good while – ‘owd It wasn’t a quick handshake.