Genesis 46.1-Israel Worships God at Beersheba and Seeks His Guidance

Sunday March 18, 2007

Genesis: Genesis 46:1-Israel Worships God at Beersheba and Seeks His Guidance

Lesson # 298

Please turn in your Bibles to Genesis 46:1.

This morning we will begin a study of Genesis 46, which is divided into five sections: (1) IsraelJacob worships God at Beersheba and seeks His guidance (46:1). (2) IsraelJacob receives a theophany, divine reassurance and promises (46:2-4). (3) Israel’s family migrates to Egypt (46:5-7). (4) Genealogy of the Israelites who migrated to Egypt (46:8-27). (5) Joseph reunites with his father and prepares his family to meet Pharaoh (46:28-34).

This morning we will begin to note the first section of this chapter, which presents to us the record of Israel worshipping God at Beersheba and receiving a theophany and receiving reassurance from God regarding his move to Egypt as well as promises.

Genesis 46:1, “So Israel set out with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.”

Genesis 46:2, “God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, ‘Jacob, Jacob.’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’”

Genesis 46:3, “He said, ‘I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there.’”

Genesis 46:4, ‘I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will close your eyes.”

Notice that in Genesis 45:25 and 27, the name “Jacob” is used by the narrator but in Genesis 45:28 and 46:1-2, the name “Israel” is employed, which is significant.

The name “Jacob” means, “heel catcher” (yah-ak-ove) (bq{u&y^) implying someone who is a “deceiver” and a “supplanter,” which is a person who takes the place of another by force, scheming or strategy.

“Israel” is the proper noun yisra’el (la@r*c+y!) (yis-raw-ale), which means, “one who fights and overcomes with the power of God” and memorializes the historical event of Jacob wrestling the preincarnate Christ, and which wrestling match symbolized Jacob’s struggles in life with men, which in reality were with God.

Just as the name “Jacob” reflects character produced by the function of the power of the old sin nature so the name “Israel” reflects character produced by appropriating the power of the Word of God by claiming the promises of God in prayer.

However, in Genesis 46, the name “Jacob” does “not” signify that the patriarch is living in his old Adamic sin nature since he sought God’s guidance on the move to Egypt but rather the name signifies the patriarch’s weakness and dependence upon God’s power and provision and protection.

It indicates that the patriarch is living according to the spiritual principle taught by the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:1-11 that God’s power is manifested in human weakness or impotence.

2 Corinthians 12:9, “And He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”

Genesis 46:1, “So Israel set out with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.”

“Journeyed” is the verb nasa` (us^n*) (naw-saw), which means, “to pull up” stakes that stabilize a tent and is a technical term for “breaking camp.”

Genesis 35:27 and 37:14 reveal that Israel and his family departed Hebron, which is 20 miles northeast of Beersheba.

The name “Beersheba” means, “well of seven” or “well of oath” and bears witness to the treaty between Abraham and Abimelech and Abraham’s right to the well (See Genesis 26:26-33).

“Beersheba” was located in the flat southern part of the Negev, which extends roughly from a line drawn from Gaza through the modern political boundary of the southern West Bank, extending south to the mountain ranges of the Sinai and through the Arabah to the Red Sea.

“Beersheba” is the end of the Promised Land and was the place that Jacob departed when fleeing from Esau (See Genesis 28:10).

Genesis 26:23-25 records that Isaac built an altar at “Beersheba” in order to worship the Lord in prayer.

Therefore, we see Israel offering sacrifices to God at this altar at “Beersheba” in order to worship the Lord in prayer and seek out confirmation that it is according to the will of God that his family migrate to Egypt and if so, ask for protection during the journey to Egypt while residing there.

“Offered” is the verb zavach (jb^z*) (zaw-vakh), which means, “to sacrifice, slaughter,” which portrayed the crucifixion and death of the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross.

“Sacrifices” is the noun zevach (jb^z#) (zeh-vakh), which refers to the animals that were slaughtered or sacrificed, which portrayed the impeccable human nature of the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The animal sacrifices that Israel offered to God portrayed the Lord Jesus Christ and His death on the Cross, which Israel looked forward to in faith.

The death of Christ on the Cross made possible Israel’s eternal covenant relationship with God as well as fellowship with God and worshipping God.

Therefore, Israel presented these animal sacrifices to God indicating that he recognized and accepted by faith that his eternal covenant relationship with God and his privilege in approaching God in prayer to worship Him was based solely upon the merits of Jesus Christ and His death on the Cross.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.”

When, we as church age believers pray “in Jesus name” we are acknowledging that we can only approach the Father boldly in prayer based upon the merits of Jesus Christ and His death on the Cross and our eternal union with Him (John 14:13-14; 16:23-24; Eph. 5:20; Col. 3:17).

John 16:23, “In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.”

In Genesis 46:1, Israel is approaching God the Father in prayer since all prayer must be addressed to the Father (John 14:13-14; 16:23-27; Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6; Eph. 2:18; 3:14; 5:20; Col. 1:3, 12; 3:17; 1 Pet. 1:17; Rev. 1:6).

Prayer must be made in the name or Person of or through intermediate agency of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 14:13-14; 16:23-24; Eph. 5:20; Col. 3:17).

Prayer must be made by means of the power of the Filling of the Spirit (Eph. 2:18; 6:18; Jude 20).

Prayer is an expression of the believer’s worship toward God, as well as an expression of his confidence and total dependence upon the character and integrity of his heavenly Father to meet both the spiritual and temporal needs of himself and others.

In Genesis 46:1, Israel is worshipping God the Father in prayer in response to the revelation that his beloved Joseph is not dead but alive in Egypt and is in fact, the ruler over all the land of Egypt.

There are four English words, “reverence,” “respect,” “awe,” and “wonder,” which express the concept of worshipping God.

Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary defines the noun “reverence”: “A feeling or attitude of deep respect tinged with awe; veneration.”

Therefore, paraphrasing this definition we would say that Israel’s response to the fact that Joseph was not dead but still alive as the ruler of Egypt was to possess an attitude of deep respect and awe for the Lord.

Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary defines the noun “respect”: “esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or trait, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or trait.”

Israel’s response to the revelation that Joseph was still alive was to esteem the excellence of the Person of God as manifested through His personal qualities or attributes such as love, faithfulness, mercy, compassion, justice, righteousness, truth, omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience, immutability, and sovereignty.

Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary defines the noun “awe”: “an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, etc. produced by that which is grand, sublime, extremely powerful or the like.”

Israel’s response to the revelation that Joseph was not dead but in fact was still alive as the ruler over all of Egypt and was going to see him again was to possess an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration for the Lord.

Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary defines the noun “wonder”: “to be filled with admiration, amazement or awe; marvel.”

Israel’s response to the revelation that Joseph was not dead but alive as the ruler of Egypt was one of being filled with admiration, amazement and awe.

Warren Wiersbe writes, “True wonder reaches right into your heart and mind and shakes you up. It not only has depth, it has value; it enriches your life. Wonder is not cheap amusement that brings a smile to your face. It is an encounter with reality, with God, which brings awe to your heart. You’re overwhelmed with an emotion that is a mixture of gratitude, adoration, reverence, fear-and love. You’re not looking for explanations; you’re lost in the wonder of God” (Real Worship, page 43, Baker Books).

Therefore, paraphrasing this comment by Wiersbe on wonder we would say that Israel’s response to the revelation that Joseph was not dead but alive as the ruler of Egypt reached right into his heart and shook him up and enriched his life.

The revelation that Joseph was in fact alive and not dead brought awe to the heart of Israel and overwhelmed him with an emotion that was a mixture of gratitude, adoration, reverence, fear and love for the God of his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac.

Israel wasn’t looking for explanations since he was lost in the wonder of God.

Therefore, Israel offered sacrifices to God in order to approach God in prayer to worship Him in the sense that he was manifesting an attitude of deep reverence, respect and awe of God for the fact that Joseph was not dead but alive.

Psalm 68:35, “O God, You are awesome from Your sanctuary. The God of Israel Himself gives strength and power to the people. Blessed be God!”

Therefore, when Israel offered sacrifices to God, he was worshipping God and expressing his thanks to God for the fact that he was going to see Joseph once again.

Colossians 3:17, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”

Colossians 4:2, “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.”

Hebrews 13:15, “Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.”

Worship is adoring contemplation of God as He has been revealed by the Holy Spirit in the Person of Christ and in the Scriptures and is also the loving ascription of praise to God for what He is, both in Himself and in His ways and is the bowing of the soul and spirit in deep humility and reverence before Him.

Warren Wiersbe defines worship, “Worship is the believer’s response of all that they are –mind, emotions, will and body-to what God is and says and does. This response has its mystical side in subjective experience and its practical side in objective obedience to God’s revealed will. Worship is a loving response that’s balanced by the fear of the Lord, and it is a deepening response as the believer comes to know God better” (Real Worship, 26).

If we paraphrase Wiersbe’s definition, we could say the following:

Israel is worshipping the Lord in that he is responding in his mind, emotions, and body to what God is and did in keeping Joseph alive and allowing him to see his beloved Joseph once again.

Psalm 2:11, “Worship the LORD with reverence and rejoice with trembling.”

John 4:24, “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

“God” is the noun Elohim (<yh!Oa$), which emphasizes the sovereignty of God, thus indicating God sovereignly intervened in the life of Israel/Jacob and his family by preserving and protecting them from famine and the corrupting Canaanite influence.

The noun Elohim, also expresses that God is omnipotent and was able to bring to pass that which He has determined to take place, thus the noun implies that Israel/Jacob requested that God use His omnipotence to protect him and his family from harm while making the journey to Egypt and while residing there.

Israel’s actions in offering sacrifices to God implies that he was seeking confirmation from God that the move to Egypt was in accordance with His will and if so, that He would protect him and his family during the journey to Egypt and while residing there by means of His omnipotence.

Therefore, not only was Israel worshipping God in prayer, giving thanks for the fact that Joseph was alive and that he would see him again but also, Israel was seeking guidance as to whether or not it was according to the will of God to leave the Promised Land, the land of Canaan and migrate to Egypt.

The divine reassurance and promises to make Israel’s descendants a great nation while residing in Egypt, which are recorded in Genesis 46:2-4 confirms that Israel was seeking guidance from God on this move to Egypt.

The phrase “the God of his father Isaac” demonstrates that Israel worships the same God as his father Isaac by worshipping at the same altar his father built at Beersheba.