The Story through the Bible Gen 46

The family reunion

So Israel is told his son Joseph is in fact alive in Egypt.

Genesis 45:25–28 ESV

So they went up out of Egypt and came to the land of Canaan to their father Jacob. And they told him, “Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” And his heart became numb, for he did not believe them. But when they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. And Israel said, “It is enough; Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

This prompts him to move everyone to Egypt but he stops in Beersheba.

Genesis 46:1 ESV

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

What significance is this place? Has it come up before in our story?

It’s the place Abraham make a covenant with Abimelech that testified it was the well Abraham dug and peace was made there not to have their men fighting each other over the well. 21:32

Abraham lived here for a while. 22:19

Isaac has some issues in the area with some wells, they dig some and some are contested others aren’t eventually in Ch 26 he goes to Beersheba and there the Lord appears to him and makes the promise given to Abraham to Isaac. 26:23

Jacob makes a stop here and the next day’s journey he has the dream with the ladder to heaven. 28:10

It’s a place in the journey for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - now mentioned as Israel coming here to make sacrifices to God 46:1

But often this place is were troubles are resolved or on the journey to resolve a concern. Here Israel seems to be concerned a bit about going to Egypt. What reasons can you think of that would concern Israel about going to Egypt?

-old age, leaving the promised land, curse mentioned to Abraham (Genesis 15:13 “Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.” ) and Isaac is specifically told not to go to Egypt (Genesis 26:2 “And the Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you.” )

God however re-assures Israel here that He will be with them and it is here that they will become a great nation.

Genesis 46:2–7 ESV

And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again, and Joseph’s hand shall close your eyes.” Then Jacob set out from Beersheba. The sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons that Pharaoh had sent to carry him. They also took their livestock and their goods, which they had gained in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob and all his offspring with him, his sons, and his sons’ sons with him, his daughters, and his sons’ daughters. All his offspring he brought with him into Egypt.

The next section is a genealogy that lists out all the descendants by their relation to Jacob’s wives. Anyone want to guess how many people we get listed? 70 and yes it’s pointed out in Genesis 46:27b “All the persons of the house of Jacob who came into Egypt were seventy.”

But we’re sticking with story so I don’t want to get stuck on genealogies I just find random things interesting like the number 70 showing up here and just want to remember stuff like that for later when it might be relevant like the 70 elders for Moses later, or back with the 70 nations listed in Genesis 10.

So we pick back up the story

Genesis 46:29–30 ESV

Then Joseph prepared his chariot and went up to meet Israel his father in Goshen. He presented himself to him and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while. Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die, since I have seen your face and know that you are still alive.”

Some interesting parallels happen here but a little unknown to us with the obfuscation of English.

First - the word in ESV that’s used is “prepared” some translations have harnessed or hitched but the Hebrew word is often also used in binding up something. In fact the first time the word shows up in the bible is back in chapter 39:20 when Joseph is sent to prison, the place where prisoners are confined. It’s restated that Joseph is confined in 40:3 it’s the word Joseph uses when suggesting one of the brothers remains behind and confined while the rest go back. He does bind Simeon ch42 then we get here the culmination of him being bound, having a brother bound, then him binding a chariot results in reunion. There’s not something special about the word it’s just a thing we might catch and be reminded of the events that led to this moment.

Second - this binding led to an appearing ESV has “He presented himself” is a form of the word to “see” but when it’s used in this form the rest of of the book of Genesis uses the word appeared, and every other time it’s an appearance of the Lord. Guess at how often this word shows up in this way?

Gen 12:7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. Gen 17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, Gen 18:1 And the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. Gen 26:2 And the Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. Gen 26:24 And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham’s sake.” Gen 35:9 God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him.

So if this word is always used for when God appears why do we have it now? It might be that there is a subtle hint at the presence of God in Egypt with the descendants of Israel like God himself promised back at Beersheba.

We tie those with the “went up” phrase that also often ended the visit of God with a patriarch or of the patriarchs return from Egypt later.

Genesis 17:22 “When he had finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham.” Genesis 35:13 “Then God went up from him in the place where he had spoken with him.”

and wrapping up with the “I have seen your face” phrase that reminds us of another reunion Jacob had:

Genesis 33:4–11 ESV

But Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. And when Esau lifted up his eyes and saw the women and children, he said, “Who are these with you?” Jacob said, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.” Then the servants drew near, they and their children, and bowed down. Leah likewise and her children drew near and bowed down. And last Joseph and Rachel drew near, and they bowed down. Esau said, “What do you mean by all this company that I met?” Jacob answered, “To find favor in the sight of my lord.” But Esau said, “I have enough, my brother; keep what you have for yourself.” Jacob said, “No, please, if I have found favor in your sight, then accept my present from my hand. For I have seen your face, which is like seeing the face of God, and you have accepted me. Please accept my blessing that is brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.” Thus he urged him, and he took it.

This families reconciliation point’s to God’s reconciliation - that is the restoring to good order, balancing the books, for His people.

This wild journey Joseph has gone through has brought Israel into Egypt where they will become the great and promised nation before they leave. God is with his people wherever they go. He’s not stuck in some local place like we’ve talked about before back when we were in the minor prophets with Jonah. God isn’t one of these fake gods that’s just regional he’s real and in all places. We see steps in the fulfillment of prophecy here.

No matter where we go, or what journey God calls us to we have to follow faithfully. He will not abandon us to a pit, imprisonment, or famine. He will restore His people for His glory in the ages to come.

Here we’re seeing the threads being tied up as we get closer to finishing the book. There is a future view that continues to run through. Like Paul points out about our salvation from sin and failure to redemption and glorification in heaven - in Ephesians 2:7 “so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” If this story and the redemption of Abraham’s descendants out of famine shows the glory of God it was not just for the the people in that time, not for the people just after, or in Jesus’s time, or ours but for all time that shows the glory of God. From the events in Genesis to His work in us God has a showcase of his grace that will forever be on display.