Israel Comes to Egypt, Part 2

Genesis chapter 46 is where we are. Jacob is in the process of gathering his family, leading them down to Egypt. It's the day that Israel moves from the land of Canaan down to Egypt. We've been looking at the life of Jacob for several months now, examining his life in light of what God has been doing. And we have seen a man go from stubbornness to a man going to surrender to a man going to satisfaction. We will see him fully satisfied this day in Genesis chapter 46. It's because of a life of surrender to his God.

Before that he was a stubborn man. But we will note that he is going to receive assurance from God before he embarks the land of Egypt. He knows in the back of his mind the pitfalls of walking out of the will of God. Jacob knows all that, see? That's why he stops at Beersheba, the last outpost in the land of Israel. He wants to make sure that he's doing the right thing. Believe me, he wants to go to Egypt because Joseph's there. He wants to be there with Joseph. But to make sure this is God's will for his life and for the life of his family, he calls upon the name of the Lord.

He offers sacrifices to God, and God will come to him and speak to him and assure him that this is the right thing to do. Jacob's come a long way, a long way. And we will see a highlight of this man's life in Genesis chapter 46, and just how far this man has actually come. Let's read the narrative together. Chapter 46 down through chapter 47, verse number 10. So Israel set out with all that he had and came to Beersheba and offered sacrifices to God of his father Isaac. And God spoke to Israel in the vision of the night and said, Jacob, Jacob.

And he said, here I am. And he said, I am the God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again, and Joseph will close your eyes. Then Jacob arose from Beersheba, and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob and their little ones and their wives in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. And they took their livestock and their property which they had acquired in the land of Canaan and came to Egypt.

Jacob and all his descendants with him, his sons and his grandsons with him, his daughters and his granddaughters, and all his descendants he brought with him to Egypt. Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, Jacob and his sons who went to Egypt. Reuben, Jacob's first born, and the sons of Reuben, Hanak, Palu, Hezron, Carmi, and the sons of Simeon, Yamuel, Yamin, Ohad, Yaqin, and Zohar, and Sheol, the son of a Canaanite woman, and the sons of Levi, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, and the sons of Judah, Ur, and Onan, and Shelah, and Perez, and Zerah, but Ur and Onan died in the land of Canaan.

And the sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul, and the sons of Issachar, Tola, Puvah, Job, Shemron, and the sons of Zebulun, Sered, and Elan, and Yalael. And these are the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram with his daughter Dinah, all his sons and his daughters, numbered 33. And the sons of Gad, Zephion, and Haggai, Shuni, Esbon, Eri, Erodi, and Erili, and the sons of Asher, Emna, and Ishva, and Ishvi, and Bereah, and their sister Sarah. And the sons of Bereah, Eber, and Macheo, these are the sons of Zopal, whom Laban gave to his 16 persons.

The sons of Jacob's wife, Rachel, Joseph, and Benjamin. Now to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphar, a priest of Onan, bore to him. And the sons of Benjamin, Bela, and Becker, and Ashbel, and Gera, and Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Mupim, and Hupim, and Ard, these are the sons of Rachel who were born to Jacob. There were 14 persons in all. And the sons of Dan, Hushim, and the sons of Naphtali, Ezeal, and Guni, Ezer, and Shilam, these are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel, and she bore these to Jacob.

There were 7 persons in all. All the persons belonging to Jacob, who came to Egypt, his direct descendants, not including the wives of Jacob's sons, were 66 persons in all. The sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt, were two. All the persons of the house of Jacob, who came to Egypt, were 70. Now he sent Judah before him to Joseph, to point out the way before him to Goshen. And they came into the land of Goshen. And Joseph prepared his chariot, and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel.

As soon as he appeared before him, he fell on his neck and wept on his neck a long time. Then Israel said to Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen your face, and you are still alive.

And Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's household, I will go up and tell Pharaoh, and will say to him, My brothers and my father's household, who were in the land of Canaan, come to me. And the men are shepherds, for they have been keepers of livestock, and they have brought their flocks and their herds and all that they have. And it shall come about, when Pharaoh calls you and says, What is your occupation? That you shall say, Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth even till now, both we and our fathers, that you may live in the land of Goshen.

For every shepherd is loathsome to the Egyptians. Then Joseph went in and told Pharaoh and said, My father, my brothers, and their flocks and their herds and all that they have, have come out of the land of Canaan. And behold, they are in the land of Goshen. And he took five men from among his brothers, and presented them to Pharaoh. Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, What is your occupation? So they said to Pharaoh, Your servants are shepherds, both we and our fathers. And they said to Pharaoh, We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants' flocks.

For the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now therefore, please let your servants live in the land of Goshen. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, Your father and your brothers have come to you. The land of Egypt is at your disposal. Settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land. Let them live in the land of Goshen. And if you know any capable men among them, then put them in charge of my livestock. Then Joseph brought his father Jacob and presented him to Pharaoh. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh.

And Pharaoh said to Jacob, How many years have you lived? So Jacob said to Pharaoh, The years of my sojourning are 130. Few and unpleasant have been the years of my life, nor have they attained the years that my fathers lived during the days of their sojourning. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from his presence." Lord willing, we'll cover four points with you this morning. Number one is the assurance for the trip.

We talked to you a little bit about this last week, helping you understand that it's important for you to receive assurance from the Lord. It's important for you to call upon the name of the Lord. Jacob, not having the written word of God, would wait upon God to reveal himself to him. And sure enough, God did. He says, Jacob, Jacob. And what's Jacob saying? Here I am. Here I am. You know, it's so important to understand that God knows your name. You're not a number in the mind of God. That's why we read through the names of the genealogy.

That's why we read through the names of the people that went down with Jacob to Egypt. Because God knows them all by name. He knows you by name. He calls you by name. But you've got to call. You've got to call upon my name, and I will reveal myself to you. So here Jacob offers his sacrifices to God and waits for God to reveal himself. And as God reveals himself, he is going to give all the assurance that Jacob needs. And as God reveals himself to Jacob, I want you to see how God wants to give you assurance in your life as well when you call upon his name.

Listen to what God says to him. I am God, the God of your father. I'm the same God that worked miracles in the life of your father and grandfather. It's me, Jacob. That's who I am. That's important. Why? Because you see, Jacob would be able to recollect in his mind how God had worked in his father and grandfather's life. And isn't it good to know that when God works in someone's life, maybe your parents, maybe your grandparents, and you're able to see those things, that that same God wants to work the same way in your life.

Just as God worked in Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob's life, so He wants to work in your life and in my life because we are the children of God. Deuteronomy chapter 26 says this, verse number 5, And you shall answer and say before the Lord your God, My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down to Egypt and sojourned there a few in number, but there he became a great, mighty and populous nation. See, the nation of Israel knew that it was the will of God for Jacob to go down to Egypt. And then He says this, Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there, and I will go down with you to Egypt.

Listen to what it says, And I will also surely bring you up again. I'm going to bring you back. And then He says this, And Joseph will close your eyes. That's a very important statement. Because you know what that means? That means Joseph's going to be with you when you're dead and when you die. He's going to close your eyes, Jacob. Think about that. Jacob hears I'm going to bring you back again, but he knows he's not coming back because Joseph's going to close his eyes. He's going to die there. But the nation Israel is going to come back to that land.

It's going to be several hundred years, but they're going to come back because God's going to give or keep His promise. That's the way God is. And Jacob would receive all the assurance he needed. Jacob got up. He rallied the family together, and they made their way on that long, arduous journey. That would take them weeks, but they would finally arrive.

And before we get to the apex of that trip, I want you to notice the attendance during the trip. We've seen the assurance for the trip. Now I want you to look at the attendance during the trip.

But there are a few things I want you to see, two particularly. One is I want you to see with me the reliability of the revelation of God, the reliability of the revelation of God. The Bible says, verse number 26, all the persons belonging to Jacob who came to Egypt, his direct descendants, not including the wives of Jacob's sons, were 66 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 who came to Egypt were 70. Which is it, 66 or 70? You say, well, that's no big deal. Really? Listen to what Stephen says in Acts chapter 7, verse number 14. And Joseph sent word and invited Jacob his father and all his relatives to come to him, 75 persons in all. Could expect to read that and say, hmm, 66, 70, 75? Which is it? Can't the Bible get it right? Listen, if you can't trust the Bible in its historical accuracy, you can't trust it for its doctrinal accuracy or its moral implications.

But you know what? You can trust the Bible. You can believe the Bible. 66 persons, it says. And then it says 70. And then it says 75. Which is it? It's really not a problem. How do y'all know? Well, 70 people. But you've got to subtract Manasseh and Ephraim because where are they? They're already in Egypt, right? And Ur and Onan, they're dead. So you subtract four from 70, what do you got? 66. So why does it say 70? Simply this, Jacob, Leah, Bill and Zilpah. 66 and four is 70. You say, wait a minute, Stephen says 75.

No problem. First Chronicles 7 verse number 20, Jacob had five of the grandsons already in Egypt. So it's 75. It's not a big deal. It all adds up. It's all part of the accuracy of God's word in helping to understand something. You see, this is so important. Why? Because Abraham was given a promise that his descendants would be as the sands of the sea, yet he only had one kid. We had two, but he had one that was the man of promise and that was Isaac. And Isaac was given the same promise, but he had Jacob, yet they had the promise.

Now Jacob, he has 70. The promise is beginning to swell. I say that because Abraham believed in what God said, even though the son of promise was Isaac. Isaac believed in what God said, even though the son of promise would be Jacob. And they saw no other fruits of that, but they believed. Why? Because God said it. This is what faith is all about. Faith is believing in what God has already said. That's faith. Faith is not believing what God hasn't said. It's believing what God has already stated. And that's what faith is, even though you never see it.

Abraham had faith. Isaac had faith because God said something to them and he made a promise to them and they believed it. And they lived by it, even though they didn't see the end result of it. Jacob was beginning to see the results of it. He might not have completely understood it, but he understood what God had said. Faith is believing in what God has already said. So important. You can trust the revelation of God's holy Word because what He says, He will do. Faith is not saying, I believe that God is going to make me better.

He's going to make me well. He's going to heal me. Why? Because God never said He would heal your body. He never said that. That's not faith. Faith is believing what God's already said. God didn't say, I'm going to heal your body. I'm going to make you well. I'm going to make you so physically fit, you'll be better than you ever were before. God never said that. Now, you can pray that God would heal you. You can pray that you would be better. And you can pray believing that God would do a great work coupled with, nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done.

That's true faith. That's true belief, right? You see, faith is believing in the written revelation of God and what He's already said. It's not believing in some pie-in-the-sky dream that I have that this might happen in my life. That's not faith. Faith is believing in the Word of God. And Jacob believed it. Isaac believed it. Abraham believed it. And that's why they are in the hall of faith in Hebrews chapter 11, because they believe what God said. Do you? Do you believe what God said? And so you see the reliability of God's revelation.

You also see the identity of each individual, the identity of each individual, because God calls them all by name. That is so good. He knows them all. I just think it's interesting to note the attendance during the trip. If time would permit, we could go on and talk about all these different people. You notice that the wives of the sons of Jacob are not mentioned.

Asenath is the wife of Joseph. The others are not. I wonder why. I wonder why. But you know what? They align themselves with the messianic promise. They align themselves with the men who carry on the name. And even though their names to us are unknown, they made an impact in the world because of their commitment to their husbands. And God would use them to birth a nation. That's important, isn't it? God will use you, no matter who you are or where you are, because that's how God is. Point number three, the apex of the trip.

Here's the highlight. The highlight is when Joseph and Jacob are reunited. It has been over 20 years, and they're going to be together. Listen to what it says. Verse number 30, Then Israel said to Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen your face, that you are still alive.

This man went from stubbornness to surrender to satisfaction. He says, I've seen it all. I've seen your face, Joseph. I can die now.

He doesn't. He lives another 17 years. He lives to be 147 years of age, but he lives a life of satisfaction. And Joseph being that perfect type of Christ, right? Is it not true that the ultimate satisfaction will be when we see Jesus Christ face to face? Remember Simeon, Luke chapter 2, when he held baby Jesus in his arms? What did he say? He said, Now let that servant depart. I have seen the salvation of the Lord. I can die now.

It's over. I've seen the salvation of the Lord. Nothing else compares to this. Nothing. Isn't that the way it ought to be with us? Lord, I've seen your salvation. Nothing else can compare to that. I'm ready to go home. The other day, our second to the youngest son, Cade, came in and said, Hey, Dad, can you wait to see Jesus?

Can't you wait to see Jesus as if this is the most exciting thing in life? I said, No, son, I can't wait to see Jesus. He's smiling at me. Of course, my wife's thinking, Oh no, he's going to die now.

He's thinking, I can't wait to see he's going to die. I said, No, no. The point being is that even at a young age, the most exciting thing in your life should be to see Jesus, right? The most exciting thing in all the world should be able to look upon my Savior's face, look into his eyes, behold him for who he is. That's satisfaction. And Joseph would go on and tell his brothers what they needed to say when they saw Pharaoh. And they would go in and they would tell Pharaoh that they were shepherds.

And that was important because they had to maintain their identity. Just because they went to another part of the world, another part of the country, didn't mean they could forfeit their identity. They were sojourners. They were sojourners. They weren't permanent land dwellers. So much more I'd like to say about that. I'm not going to do it this morning, but listen to the audience after the trip. That's our last, our last point. When Joseph and Pharaoh meet. Now you think about it. Jacob is 130 years old.

The man is crippled. Remember? God touched his thigh. He walked with a limp, weather beaten face like leather because the sun there in the land of Israel, 130 years old, walking in that palace to meet the Pharaoh. And it would be Jacob who would bless Pharaoh. It says twice that Jacob blessed Pharaoh because he would be a blessing to that man. And he would ask God's blessing upon that man. But I like how the text says it. Here is Jacob. And look what Pharaoh says. Verse number 8 chapter 47. How old are you?

How many years are you? He looks at this man thinking this guy, he can hardly make it here. He's an old man. How old are you Jacob? And listen to what Jacob says. This is so profound. Verse number 9. The years of my sojourning. Stop right there. Notice that I've never had a home.

I've lived in certain places, but I've never had a home. I'm a soldier. I'm a pilgrim. The man understood his identity. The years of my sojourning are 130. That's what he says. Are you ready? Few and evil are my years. What a way to describe your life. Few and unpleasant. The text says few and evil. I'm not that old. I'm only 130 years old, Pharaoh. Come on, man. I'm a young guy. I got years left. But you know what? Of the few that they are, they've been filled with evil. Wow. That's not a pessimistic statement.

See, what a downer. Jacob's just a big downer. Oh, yeah, I've lived these years, and oh, they've just been nothing but heartache for me. Nothing but evil. Nothing but unpleasantness. No. It's a statement talking about the God of his life who has brought him through one tragedy after another to bring him to this point. It's a testimony to God. It's a testimony to God. Listen, when young he battled to win his father's favor and antagonized his hot-headed brother in the process. After stealing Esau's blessing he was forced to flee for his life never again to see his mother, Rebekah.

He labored 20 years for the ungrateful and deceitful father-in-law in whose land he had taken refuge. And after leaving Laban to return to Canaan his ship was permanently crippled in an appointment with God and he faced a potentially dangerous confrontation with Esau the next day. Not long afterward he watched with heartache as some of his sons proved themselves ill-tempered, cruel, and unworthy in the incident at Shechem. And he also buried his beloved wife, Rachel. Years later his favorite boy was ripped from his arms at age 17, the victim apparently of a hideous death in the jaws of a wild animal.

Twenty-two years following that tragedy the stomachs of his grandchildren shriveled with the pain of hunger as a severe famine blanketed his homeland. That's the life of Jacob. Oh, they've been few and they've been unpleasant. They've been filled with evil. Remember what Job said? Man's life, man's life is few in number yet full of trouble. That's a great perspective on life. That's a real perspective on life. Jacob had it. He goes, I haven't lived as long as my, as my grandfather did. Abraham lived to be 175.

And it was, it was Isaac lived to be 180. Jacob would live to be 147. He lived 17 more years before his death. And yet he would bless Pharaoh. Notice something about this man, Jacob.

He was stubborn. Because he was stubborn, he was selfish. And because he was selfish, he was scared. But one day he was scarred. And when he was scarred, he surrendered. And now he's fully satisfied. The scarred life is the surrendered life. The surrendered life is the satisfied life. The selfish life is the stubborn life. And that's the life that runs scared at every turn. And Jacob has come so far. Listen to the commentary on this. Book of Hebrews, 11th chapter. By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance.

And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith, he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob. It says in verse number 13, all these died in faith. All of them did. All believing in what God said. They all died in faith without receiving the promises, but having seen them, and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things, make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.

And indeed, if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country than is the heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. Jacob says, I'm a soldier. I'm a pilgrim. I'm a man in exile. I got a better city. I got a better place. The boys would say, we're shepherds. We're nomads. We have no home here. We're just passing through, because God has given us a land.

God has given us a promise. Isn't that the way our attitude should be? This earth is not our home. Now, we've come down to Los Angeles, like Jacob went down to Egypt, but we're going to be out of here. We're not going to be here forever. We're just soldiers. Be careful not to sink your roots down too deep, so that when it's time to go, you're ready to go. And Jacob, what a testimony, a testimony to the power of God in his life. And with those old weathered, beaten, frail, wrinkly, suntanned hand, he would raise his hand.

He would put out some blessing upon Pharaoh, the prince of Egypt, the ruler of Egypt, being blessed by this sojourner. How could he do that? Because this sojourner was a child of God, who, because of his relationship with the living God, could be a blessing to anybody, anywhere, under any circumstance, because of God's call upon his life, just like you. And that's what God wants for you. Let's pray.