Genesis 46

Two Talks With Jacob

"And Israel said to Joseph, 'Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive" (Genesis 46:30)

The chariots of Joseph gave proof to his aged father in 45:27 that Joseph was alive. Contrary to all his expectations, and greater than all his hopes, was the realisation that the son whom he imagined to have been mauled to death by a wild beast had in fact been spared. God had drawn the covenant line carefully, and the promises made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, were to issue in the preservation of the chosen seed from whom the Messiah, the Saviour of the world, would ultimately come.

It is important to bear in mind that that is the large story of the Book of Genesis. We have learned of the entrance of sin into the world, but we have also been promised a Saviour from the line of Eve, who would be a descendent of Shem, of Abraham, of Isaac, of Jacob. Through the remarkable providence that brought Joseph to Egypt, the sons of Jacob are to be spared, and their descendants, the tribes of Israel, will form the church of the Old Testament. They will give birth to priests and Levites, to singers and prophets, to judges and kings. And ultimately, they will provide the world with the Saviour, the Second and Last Adam, who will restore men to a right relationship with God.

And the remarkable thing about Genesis is that it emphasises the principle that where sin was in the ascendancy, grace abounded all the more. In spite of sin, grace rules, and life wins! In spite of Jacob's deception, when he took the birthright and the blessing for himself, as a result of which his own sons deceived him in turn, God's power and grace are at work, and the saving line of his grace is drawn deep in the history of the world.

Now Jacob is beginning to realise for himself the wonder and the glory of God's great designs. Joseph is to be restored to him once more. In order to meet with him, Jacob must make the journey to Egypt, which is what chapter 46 recounts. It does so by telling us of two conversations with Jacob.

God and Jacob

In verses 2-4, we read of God speaking directly to Jacob in night-time visions. There is an interesting connection with the earlier chapters of Genesis in verse 1, where we read of Jacob offering sacrifices to the God of Isaac. That is an important link-up, and underscores the theme of covenant continuity which runs through these narratives and links them together.

But more than that, it is a reminder to us that blessing and mercies ought to awaken in us praise and worship. How often we fail, like the one leper in the parable, to return with thanksgiving to God for his goodness and kindness to us! We are reminded in Psalm 103:1 of the importance of blessing the Lord and praising him for his goodness. Jacob sets a good example for us here, by honouring God for the renewal of his hope and the encouraging of his life.

Then God spoke to Israel. The use of the name 'Israel' for Jacob links back to 32:28, when God renamed Jacob a "Prince with God". This, too, is an echo of covenantal themes, a reminder of the continuity of God's grace and the fulfillment of God's promises. These promises are the very stuff of God's night-time talk with Jacob on the eve of his departure for Egypt.

God promises Jacob that his exodus to Egypt will be the beginnings of a new and great work. God will go down to Egypt with him, and bring the great nation back from Egypt again. He promises that he and Joseph will meet again, and will enjoy each other's company.

These promises encourage Jacob to assemble all his family and all his possessions and to move to Egypt. Sometimes the call of God on our lives is so strong and so powerful that there is no question about the direction we must take. It must have seemed impossible for Jacob, in his old age, to contemplate the long journey to Egypt -- and to bring his whole household with him was a logistical nightmare of planning and of preparing. Yet when God points us to go in a certain direction, he will give grace for the journey and enable us to walk the way.

Echoes of the same promise come to us in Isaiah 45:2-3: "I will go before you and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I the Lord, who call you by your name, am the God of Israel". These words, delivered in the first instance to Cyrus, King of Persia, are a reminder to us that God does not fail in accomplishing his purpose. Ways which seem difficult to us, he is able to make easy, and roads that are crooked he is able to make straight. Nothing is too hard for the Lord.

There is something quite touching about verse 5 of this chapter; Jacob's sons, who had been the cause of so much of his sadness and distress, now carry him into the chariots of Pharaoh which had been sent to convey him to Egypt. God has a way of conquering sin and accommodating our failings into his purposes of grace. The hands that once carried Joseph's bloodstained coat to Jacob, now lift Jacob into the chariot on the first step of his journey to see Joseph once again.

Joseph and Jacob

Joseph, we are told in verse 29, met his father at Goshen, in order to prepare him for his entry to Egypt. The meeting between estranged father and son is one of the most moving in all of the Bible -- Joseph presented himself to Jacob "and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while". We can just imagine the scene, and it is beyond words.

The joy of this reunion was made all the sweeter by the length of the separation. Indeed, it was sweetened because Jacob had not expected to see Joseph again. A resurrection could not have been more welcome than the presence of Joseph at this point. George Lawson may be going far in his commentary when he sees here a foretaste of the glory to come, when there will be a great reunion with friends and loved ones, from whom we have been separated by death. But if our earthly reunions can be so full of joy, mingled with tears, what will it be like to assemble with all the company of the redeemed in that place where there will be no more crying, or sorrow, or any more pain?

Jacob said that he was now ready to die. The Old Testament states that love is strong as death (Song of Solomon 8:6), and it removes the sting and the fear of death. It was with that intensity of devotion that Jacob and Joseph were now re-united.

The rest of the conversation seems rather strange, as Joseph gave specific instructions on how Jacob and his brothers should address Pharaoh, given that the Egyptians had a dislike for shepherds (v34). There is almost a hint that Joseph was now trying to deceive Pharaoh. But that was not the case; Joseph was, in fact, exercising his prerogative as governor to prepare the way for his father and brothers to settle in Goshen, in spite of the fact that their occupation was not one which the Egyptians would readily accept.

The story, therefore, has come full circle. The brothers who had once despised Joseph and who had gladly left him to be sold into slavery in Egypt are now totally dependent on him for their very life in Egypt, and for their sustenance there. The Gospel too points us to one who was despised by his brothers, and hated by all men, and yet upon whom men must rely for their spiritual life. May we learn to love the Joseph-Jesus of the New Testament and place all our confidence in him!