seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Genesis 46:1 So Israel set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.
2 And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, “Jacob! Jacob!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
3 “I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. 4 I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.
2 And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, “Jacob! Jacob!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
3 “I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. 4 I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.
5 Then Jacob left Beersheba, and Israel’s sons took their father Jacob and their children and their wives in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to transport him. 6 So Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt, taking with them their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in Canaan. 7 Jacob brought with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters—all his offspring.
There were no churches or synagogues yet, so Jacob [Israel] couldn't go to church to pray about picking up everything and leaving. This was a huge decision. This was not a Dad, Mom, and a couple of kids. There were sons and grandsons, daughters and granddaughters. There was livestock and possessions. This was a caravan! Pharaoh sent carts and I'm sure those carts were loaded down.
So Jacob [Israel] stopped for the night right before leaving Canaan. His father and grandfather had both spent time in Beersheba.
Bible-commentaries.com adds these thoughts.
The sacrifice must also have been a prayer for guidance. Jacob was aware of God's prophecy to Abraham in Ch. 15:13, and he may have been aware of the dangers to which he exposed his descendants by going to Egypt. He had, of course, little choice. Apart from the joy of seeing Joseph again, the trip to Egypt meant staying alive. The alternative would have been starvation in Canaan. But, if Jacob knew his history, he remembered that Abraham had not done well in going down to Egypt (Ch. 12:14-20) and that God had specifically warned Isaac not to go (Ch. 26:2). So in spite of the fact that he yearns to hold Joseph in his arms again, he first asks God if it is all right.
Reading vs. 4 - "I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph's own hand will close your eyes," we would get the impression that God promises Jacob that he would personally return to Canaan. We know this did not happen. Jacob died in Egypt with Joseph at his side and only his remains returned to Canaan to be buried. The promise is given to the people of Israel, so they would have a Word of God to hang on to during the four centuries of slavery. We do not read in the book of Exodus that anyone ever mentioned this promise. Evidently the Word of God was no longer considered relevant at that period of history. Does not this sound familiar in our twentieth century ears?
Remember, now, the Egyptians wouldn't even sit at the same table with these people from Canaan [Gen 43:32].
This could get interesting.
