Scripture Daily

Context No. 4320 of 4322 · Genesis

Context · Reflection

Genesis 46:1-7: in context

1Israel traveled with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father, Isaac. 2God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” He said, “Here I am.” 3He said, “I am God, the God of your father. Don’t be afraid to go down into Egypt, for there I will make of you a great nation. 4I will go down with you into Egypt. I will also surely bring you up again. Joseph’s hand will close your eyes.” 5Jacob rose up from Beersheba, and the sons of Israel carried Jacob, their father, their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. 6They took their livestock, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt—Jacob, and all his offspring with him, 7his sons, and his sons’ sons with him, his daughters, and his sons’ daughters, and he brought all his offspring with him into Egypt.

Old Jacob is about to leave the promised land and go down to Egypt, a daunting move into the unknown at the end of his life. At Beersheba he offers sacrifices, and God speaks to him in a vision of the night: do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make of you a great nation. I will go down with you into Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again. God meets Jacob's fear at this great transition with a promise of his presence.

What stands out is the reassurance God gives for a fearful transition: I will go down with you, and I will bring you up again. Jacob was facing a major, uncertain change, leaving the land of promise for a foreign country in his old age. God did not remove the change, but he promised to go with Jacob through it and to bring him through to the other side. His presence, not the absence of change, was the comfort.

Moving into the unknown, leaving what is familiar, facing a major change late or early in life, can fill us with fear. To such moments God speaks the same assurance he gave Jacob: do not be afraid; I will go with you. He does not always spare us the change, but he promises his presence through it, going down with us into the unknown and bringing us through. We need not face life's daunting transitions alone.

When I face a daunting transition or move into the unknown, do I hear God's assurance to Jacob as spoken to me, do not be afraid, I will go with you and bring you through, trusting his presence to carry me through the change rather than facing it alone?

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