The Big Move - Genesis 46:1-27

Genesis 46:1-27
The Big Move
INTRO
I was 8 yrs old when I experienced a move for the first time. And it was a Big
Move at that. All I knew of life up till then was that of growing up in Keno. A
small town outside of Klamath Falls, OR. For job related reasons my parents
moved the entire family to Canby Oregon. A rural town outside of Portland.
Three years later, our family moved back to the same home in Keno where I
finished the days of my youth. My next move was a smaller one. I moved out
of my parents home into an apartment shared with two other roommates in
Klamath Falls midway through my freshman year in college at OIT,….where I
remained till the start of my Senior year which was exclusively an Externship. A
year given to apply all that I’ve learned in class in a clinical setting for training
and experience purposes prior to graduating. This took place in Seattle
Washington, another Big Move in LIFE. Biggest yet.
Following the completion of that year,….I found residence in Boise, ID where
I landed my first job out of college. Two years down the road, now married to
my wonderful bride Marcy, an opportunity came up to take a job in Bend, OR.
We agreed to make this,… ‘Big Move’ which involved Marcy staying in Boise
for another 6 mos to finish her LPN degree at Boise State. Once settled in
BEND together,. we had another three separate moves from within the town of
Bend which took place over the course of 10 years. ALL THIS preceded GOD
calling my family and I to Hood River in support and involvement in the church
planting of Pillar Bible Fellowship. This was a Big Move…probably the biggest
of them all because of all that it entailed. Selling of a home, uprooting from a
community and church body we’ve been a part of for over a decade,
employment change…going from a place of seniority to now that of a
newcomer…just to name a few of the things that contributed to the
magnitude of this change in our lives…NOW,….with two children under the ages
of 10 being a part of it.
With each of these moves there was a lot of mixed feelings going on inside.
OFTEN TIMES, feelings that are opposed to one another. And the Bigger the
Move,….the stronger the feelings are.…aren’t they?
I get a sense that
JACOB is in these very waters today as we take a look at Genesis 46. Could
there be any bigger move in Jacob’s life than this one, now at the age of 130
years? HE, also did some moving in his earlier years, but THIS ONE ought to
take the cake for all that it entailed here at the end of his life.

And Big Moves are not just moving to a diﬀerent place of residence.
JACOB’S pursuit of a bride took a couple Big Moves. Other than just a change
in residence. Working seven years for his Uncle Laban to have the hand of
Rachel in marriage was..a….Big Move. A decision he made that took up a
portion of his life and thereby,…..was a part of his life which resulted in being
duped by Laban to marry Rachel’s sister Leah instead. THIS brought about
another Big Move by JACOB in agreeing to commit his life in services to Laban
for an additional 7 years to finally get Rachel’s hand in marriage.
I imagine at this point you may be reflecting on your own moves over the years
of your life. But like JACOB, Big Moves are not just changing the place of
residence. The pursuit of a spouse and ultimately the committing of oneself
to another in the covenant of marriage, same as we saw with Jacob, are all Big
Moves in life. I recall the time when I took ownership of my faith in JESUS
CHRIST. That was a Big - Move. Do I take this gospel seriously and surrender
my life to the Lordship of Jesus or do I not?…And stop pretending as if I had.
Big - Move.
And with Big Moves, whether residential or life changes, they carry with them
wrestlings within. JACOB is no diﬀerent than anyone of us. And we are going
to see from this scriptural account in (verses 1-27) of chapter 46, a Big Move
of JACOB and how GOD is near and working with JACOB through it all. We will
work through these 27 verses in three points. The FIRST ONE has already been
eluded to and that is….Ambivalence. Found in the first 3 verses.
Ambivalence. A place where Jacob finds himself and is common to us all when
we are facing a Big Move.
BODY
1)
FIRST POINT - (Genesis 46:1-3).
Ambivalence
What is Ambivalence?
Google search of the word defines it as the state of having mixed feelings or
contradictory ideas about something or someone.
What should be
emphasized, for it’s not included, is that these mixed feelings or contradictory
ideas about something or someone….ARE STRONG. Not light in the weight
they bear upon someone…and all the more,…THE Bigger the Move that is
triggering them. Do you think JACOB is feeling this right now in Genesis 46?

Since GOD called him and confirmed his covenant with him. The same
Covenant his father Isaac had and grandfather Abraham had. From the
beginning JACOB has been told by God that He (GOD) would make him into a
great nation and that they were to inherit the land of Canaan,.…the promise
land.
SO NOW,….at the end of his life, at the age of 130yrs,…uproot and
leave this land for Egypt. EGYPT, the very place GOD told his father Isaac not
to go during a time God summoned a famine (Genesis 26:2) in the land of
Canaan and ALSO, being the place Abraham went to,…briefly ….during
another time of famine in the land.
Briefly,….because,….once God
made known to Pharaoh that Sarah was not Abraham’s sister…as Abraham’s
story went to save his own neck. When this was revealed to Pharaoh by GOD,
along with the warning to Pharaoh if harm should come to them,…Pharaoh sent
them away…OUT OF EGYPT…. So now, a time of famine once again…and I
am to go,…to Egypt? QUESTION MARK. YET, this is where his long lost son is
whom he hasn’t seen in over 20yrs,.…believing him to be dead…..Only now to
learn that he is ALIVE and JACOB gets to see him face to face and embrace
him. THAT’S EXCITING! And there is promise of abundant provision there TO
BOOT….very good things to be excited for.
WHILE, there is this promise
God made to him that he cannot ignore. A promise that involved him
being….in the and of Canaan.
Do you see how he can be wrestling through this? Not to mention is age.
Travel was diﬃcult in these days…imagine how much more so for the elderly.
JACOB here is 130 years old. We’ll see him leaning on his staﬀ to bless
Joseph’s children in the upcoming chapters in Genesis. The frailty of old age
and the concern that he will die in EGYPT and not in the promised land of
Canaan. The land where he has spent the majority of his life. HE HAS children
and grandchildren now as well to be concerned for. We’ll get the exact number
of descendants towards the end of today’s sermon. THE IDEA BEING
THOUGH… ——— YES, going to Egypt because of the famine and by
invitation of his son Joseph brings with it….life and the joy of reunion and
restoration of a broken family. All very good things…things to be thankful for
and excited about ……but it also brings …..the farewell of what has been
known for so long, what was familiar and comfortable, what has been apart of
God’s promise’s thus far…and therefore it brings with it new questions, and
things to be concerned about. Things that put you in an Ambivalent state.
STRONG mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about The Big Move being
taken.
Ambivalence comes with The Big Moves we make in life. AGAIN, don’t
forget,… we are not just talking about a residential change…as BIG as that is,

but Big Moves….changes in life that come in all diﬀerent forms and along with
them….Ambivalence. It’s NOT an abnormal place to be; IN FACT, one could
argue a common place to be at such times in life.
WELL, in this place, what does ISRAEL do? Does ISRAEL, does JACOB …
same person… Does he provide a good example for us when we find ourselves
in such a place of facing a Big Move decision? New job, New town, Marriage,
Some life altering decision. Does Jacob provide a good example? I believe he
does. HE WORSHIPS. Jacob goes to a place of worship. He goes to spend
time with God. (Verse 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.” He
goes to a place of worship and notably Beersheba to worship God. The same
place his father and grandfather went to commune with God.
(Genesis 21:33). “And Abraham (Jacob’s grandfather) And Abraham planted a
grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting
God.” (Genesis 26:23-25) this time speaking of Jacob’s father ISAAC….“Isaac
went to Beersheba…..And he (Isaac) built an altar there, and called upon the
name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac's servants dug a
well.”
WORSHIP. Go to God, Give attention to God, Give praise, adoration and
Thanksgiving to God, spend time with God. Seek the face of God…INVOKE…
seek counsel from God….ALL a part of Worshipping God. WHEN facing Big
Moves….directing your heart towards your Father in Heaven in Praise,
Thanksgiving and Beckoning for His Help…..is the right action to take. NOTICE
the only thing we have recorded of JACOB saying here in Beersheba is “Here I
am”. He says this in (verse 2) in answering God who “spoke to Him in visions
of the night saying, “Jacob, Jacob.” THIS IS a right response to expect when
one deliberately commits time in worship to God. God will draw near.
It likely won’t be a vision, but you can be confident in God according to
His Word, as (James 4:8)…says. THAT IF YOU “Draw near to God, …..he will
draw near to you…” HE DRAWS NEAR with complete understanding of where
you are at. LOOK at (verse 3). “Then he (God) 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.” Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt. Is that not revealing that
Jacob had fear about doing so and God was fully aware of that? God’s Word
here aﬃrms Jacob’s Ambivalent state in the face of The Big Move before him.
A state that Jacob was fearful over.
DUE to this mixed feelings and
contradictory ideas over this Big Move, the familiar question is perhaps on his
mind. I say Familiar because I believe we’ve all been there.

I know I have. And that is…WHAT TO DO?….. mixed feelings and
contradictory ideas …WHAT - TO DO? In this case here, JACOB knew the
answer….. “Israel took his journey with all that he had and came to Beersheba,
….,He stops here on his way to EGYPT. But even if one knows the answer and
is acting on it….IT doesn’t typically evade them from having the question haunt
them. GOD, aware of Jacob’s fearful state, draws near to him with that much
needed assurance when facing Big Moves in life. Which is our second point
already begun some in (verse 3) and extends into (verse 4).
2)
SECOND POINT - (Genesis 46:3-4)
Assurance
Assurance
I say already begun because of how GOD addresses him.. “I am God, the God
of your father….” Assuring JACOB from the gate of who it is who is speaking to
him. Reaﬃrming His covenant He made with JACOB and with JACOB’S father
and grandfather. The Covenant is still intact…GOD is communicating here.
Nothing has faltered. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will
make you into a great nation.” NOTE the Emphasis? “I will” and “make you”.
Small as you are as a people..Jacob, “I will make you into a great nation.”
Providing that assurance JACOB needed to hear from GOD in this moment.
An Assurance GOD builds upon in (verse 4) “I myself will go down with you to
Egypt, (Isn’t that just fantastic?!) 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.” HOW is
that for a series of promises to provide the needed assurance FOR a frail old
man wrestling with doubts. Abundant provision to be utterly dependent upon
GOD who assures that it is HE - who will do it all.
This is a Big Move, I know,…Jacob, IT is a Big Move, but TRUST me….TRUST
me,.. it is a part of MY plan…I will make you into a great nation while in Egypt,
you will see your son before you die,….you will survive the journey from the land
of Canaan to Egypt,….you will….and I will return you to this land…YOU - as in your remains, your bones ……AND the nation I am making from you..…but
most importantly and above it all….know this JACOB…that I will be with you
every step of the way.
We who have placed our trust and hope in the living God through faith in Jesus
Christ can have this same assurance. ********* The Assurance that rises from
time with God….don’t miss the connection between the two Saints. Time with

God in His Word, in Prayer and Sacrificial living in accordance to it…along with
other believers.
Fellowship with other believers fits right in there….whereby assurance comes.
(Romans 1:11-12) “For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual
gift to strengthen you—that is, that we may (here it is) that we may be mutually
encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine..” This is Paul,…writing
to the church in Rome. The strengthen of one another’s FATIH by one another’s
FAITH should never be thought light of. And ALL OF THIS works together to rise
to the forefront of our hearts the blessed assurance we can have as Christians
…as children of God. That GOD will be with us through every step in life.
ALL through every low valley,…through every mountain top experience
and everything in between. GOD will be with you through it all. The Son of
God, JESUS, who went with us unto death, will he not be near to you through
all of life,…..all the way to the day he raises us up together with him where
forever we will be?
(James 4:8). Again “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you…”. ALL
THROUGH LIFE…and most especially when facing Big Moves in LIFE. Jacob
does so here and serves as a great example of not only what we ought to do
…. but what comes from GOD when one does so.
BEAR in mind also. Just because God provides this assurance that He is with
you doesn’t mean ambivalence is removed. JACOB is still old. The trip will be
diﬃcult and even painful for old JACOB. The sadness of leaving the promise
land will remain as we’ll as all the unknowns the lay ahead. YOU SEE, the
assurance that GOD is with you doesn’t remove these things but it does supply
the strength and peace of mind to remain faithful and obedient to God who will
be with you and is trustworthy every step along the way.
YOU are not tossed to and fro by them…GOD who is with you is your anchor,
your rudder and your sail.…ALL IN ONE. He meets every need of yours to keep
the ship of your life sailing in accordance with His Will…with not one iota of your
LIFE unaccounted for. Which is both comforting and sobering…along with
being our 3rd and closing point.
3)
SECOND POINT - (Genesis 46:5-27)
Accounting
Accounting

GOD will keep a detailed account of our lives.
We see a picture of this in the remaining verses in consideration this morning,…
(verses 5-27) which lists the names of Jacob’s family….who would multiply
into the Nation Israel over the next 400 years while in Egypt. THERE is an
accounting of every person moving from the land of Canaan to Egypt… (Verse
26 & 27) SUMS it all up…. “All the persons belonging to Jacob who came into
Egypt, who were his own descendants, not including Jacob’s sons’ wives, were
sixty-six persons in all. And the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt,
were two. ALL the persons of the house of Jacob (that would be everyone of his
descendants…the entire family tree). ALL the persons of the house of Jacob
who came into Egypt were seventy.….”
70…whom God would multiply greatly into a Nation while they lived in Egypt.
There may be one here who recently read through the book of ACTS and
recalls Stephen’s speech in chapter 7 where he says (Acts 7:14)…while
recalling this very move from the land of Canaan to Egypt…STEPHEN states it
as being 75 persons in all. 75….Didn’t we just read in (verse 27) of Genesis 46
that it was 70? YEP. Well, so which is it?
What I can assure you is that it was,…all of them…not one was missing. ALL
-was - accounted for. Why it’s stated to be 70 persons in all in Genesis …as
well as in (Exodus 1:5) and (Deuteronomy 10:22),….three times in the Old
Testament stated as being 70 persons in all, while in the New Testament, in the
book of Acts it’s 75 persons in all. Why is this the case?…..THERE are scholar
explanations oﬀered to reconcile the perceived discrepancy…one of them
being simply diﬀerent computation methods used in which both 70 or 75,
depending on which method used, are accurate. Another possibility for the
perceived discrepancy having to do with the copying of the scriptures. Small
variations in Hebrew characters can cause significant deviation. So while the
Bible is inerrant in it’s original autograph, minor transmission errors caused by
copying are not disputed. YET, though such errors exist, none has removed or
altered any doctrine of the Scriptures. NOR aﬀect any prophecy or fulfillment.
And LASTLY, as summarized by an article I researched online…. “…the very fact
that seventy five is retained in all the New Testament manuscripts and no
attempt was made to harmonize it with the Old Testament renderings, which
obviously diﬀered, show that it was the number intended by the author, faithfully
recorded and transmitted to us. With certainty we can accept it as correct.
Stephen cited it with a purpose and his intent in using this given number is firm.
It was to show that God took a very small number of people and turned them
into a great nation for His own glory.” - end quote.

THEREFORE, We can be confident in God’s Word that every person is
accounted for in Jacob’s family,….AS IT IS with GOD when it comes to our
lives. He knows the number of hairs on your head along with every word before
it is on your tongue, The Lord knows it altogether. (Matthew 10:30, Luke
12:7,Psalm 139:4)
“The LORD who keeps you, who never slumbers or sleeps,” but keeps His
watchful eye on your life continually will be sure to preserve you to the end. IF
you belong to Him through faith in Jesus Christ….He is faithful to bring you
home… “He will surely do it.” There is an accounting of everything. This
brings both great comfort to our souls…but it also has a sobering aﬀect does
it not? Comfort, as just noted… (1 Peter 1:5) “….we…by God’s power are
being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last
time”….kept by the power of God. Very comforting to know.
Every detail of our lives will undergo the watchful oversight of our Heavenly
Father (Matthew 10:29-31). “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not
one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of
your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than
many sparrows.” What a sweet rest this brings to our soul…while it cannot go
without a soberness of mind right along with it. AMEN?
(Matthew 12:36 & 37) For every idle word will also go under the watchful eye
of Christ of which we will give an account….let alone true motives of the heart
and every unrighteous deed done. “All is naked and exposed before the eyes of
Him whom we must give a….a what?….an account.” (Hebrews 4:13)
We will give an account. The reality of this ought to have a cage rattling,
Sanctifying eﬀect upon one who fears God. Just because you know you are
forgiven and washed clean by the blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross
doesn’t mean you can now think lightly of these things. Quite the opposite.
Because of what Jesus has done and the new heart given you by the work of
the Holy Spirit, it is your delight to reflect the life of Christ in your life in both
word and deed. And when anything to the contrary occurs, you are grieved by
it …..knowing “ it ” breaks the heart of your Father in Heaven who loves you
with a nonstop, never-ending love.
CONCLUSION
A love that we see pointedly in the life of Jesus who set his face towards
Jerusalem to fulfill the rescue mission His Father put in place for Him to
accomplish. A love that when Facing the reality of this Big Move resulted in

JESUS sweating droplets of blood when He went to the FATHER asking
(Matthew 26:38-42). “…..My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me;
nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”
By this nonstop, never-ending LOVE…..JESUS glorified GOD by following
through in obedience to His Father that we may glorify God with our lives with
the blessed assurance of God being with us through every step along the way
and for all eternity.
PRAY
What Big Move decisions are before you right now?
COMMUNION - ()
BENEDICTION
(?)

