Joseph Brings His Family to Egypt

Story:  Joseph Brings His Family to Egypt

Passage: Genesis 46:1-27

Characters:  Joseph, Joseph’s whole family

Summary:  Jacob took his family and traveled to Beersheba where he offered sacrifices to God.  God appeared to him in a dream and told him to not be afraid to go to Egypt for God would turn him into a great nation there.  He also heard he would die with Joseph.  So Jacob took his family and went to Egypt.  The passage then lists all seventy of Jacob’s descendants who moved to Egypt.    

Notes:  Jacob was apparently afraid of something considering God had to explain that He was the reason they were going to Egypt.  He probably knew his father and grandfather had some history in Egypt and it wasn’t good.  Both Abraham and Isaac had sacrificed to God in Beersheba.  In fact, Jacob was probably using an altar built by Isaac.  God promised to make Jacob into a great nation while in Egypt.  The racial segregation in Egypt along with the ample amount of food there made it a perfect place to grow into a nation set apart for God.  In the list of people who traveled to Egypt, most of the people are sons or grandsons of Jacob.  However, Judah’s son Perez also has his sons listed.  This is significant because Perez is in the line of Jesus.  Asher’s son Beriah also has his sons listed.  Overall, seventy people came to Egypt.  Jacob’s faith is evident in the fact that he brought his entire family to Egypt.  He left no one behind in case something went wrong.  He trusted God and followed Him into Egypt. 

Questions:  Why was Jacob afraid?  How did Jacob’s family perceive Egypt at that time?  Did Jacob believe that Joseph was really alive until God told him?

Lessons:  We can learn from Jacob’s trust and obedience in God.  He felt like God wanted him to move his entire family to Egypt so he packed up and brought all seventy members of his household to Egypt.  If God tells us to do something radical and dramatic, are we willing to obey?