There is one small matter that we might risk overlooking but would have been muvh more on Jacob’s radar. Departure from the land has tended and especially to Egypt has tended to be seen as negative in Genesis.
Read Genesis 46
Jacob begins the journey down to Egypt. He pauses at Beersheba to offer sacrifices. Notice again the interchange of names. It is Israel that goes down to Egypt (v1). It is worth recalling that we are still in the “these are the generations of Jacob” part of the story. We have been focusing on Jospeh but it is Jacob’s story, what became of “Israel” that the writer is concerned with. The Father and son’s lives are bound up together.
So, when we find Jacob pausing, building altars and particularly when we hear about him dreaming, then we should be reminded of his night encounters with God. Perhaps it was as much because Joseph was the heir of the dreams that Jacob loved him as any other reason. God speaks to Jacob/Israel and this is a form of covenant renewal. He promises that He is going with them into Egypt, it is his plan. This is important because first it reminds us that God had promised this back in Genesis 15. Secondly, it would be reassuring that this was God’s will, after all, there were question marks over the way that his grandfather Abraham had gone down to Egypt and left the promised land during a previous famine . Even more importantly, God promises that the people will be brought back from Egypt (v2-4).
It’s at this stage, that the author lists out the genealogy or family tree for Jacob but note that this keeps focus on those who are living, this isn’t a family tree that will come to an end, its story is still to run (v5-27).
Judah goes ahead of his father to meet Joseph and get specific directions or instructions on where they are to head for. Judah is now a trusted representative (v28). Joseph goes to meet them and there is an emotional reunion between father and son. Jacob states that he is now ready to die in peace (v28).
Joseph recommends that they live in Goshen and says that he will arrange this. He tells them to emphasise their livelihood as shepherds because the Egyptians and shepherd people don’t get on. This probably reflects tensions with other semitic rivals such as the Hyksos (v31-34).
Digging a little deeper
Exile from the land of Cannan is presented negatively throughout most of Genesis and then in Kings/Chronicles and the prophetic literature. So, at one level, we should be surprised to see it treated positively here. Yet, going back to God’s word to Abraham in Genesis 15, there is still a negative element to it. There is safety and salvation, but it is real exile. The Israelites were meant to long for home and this will become clearer as we move to the close of Genesis. Absence from the land was not good. We might describe it as death. However, it is death with promised resurrection.
A look at ourselves
Israel, both in terms of the person and the family could experience a form of death and resurrection by going down to Egypt because Joseph had preceded him/them and because God was going to be with him.
We can think in terms of Christ preceding us and God being with us in death and resurrection. This is seen in conversion/baptism. We die and rise in and with Christ (Romans 6). It is also there in our mini experiences of death and resurrection. Finally, it is there in the sense that we are a people in exile, longing for home in this now and not yet age.
Faithroots 