Welcome to today’s Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation covering Genesis 46:1-4 wherein we see retirement-aged Jacob set out for one last adventure under the blessing of the Lord.
So Israel took his journey with all that he had and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here am I.” Then he said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again, and Joseph’s hand shall close your eyes.”
Remember Bilbo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings who at the end of his long, full, and exciting life was ready for that one last adventure? Well, the elderly Jacob was probably about ready for retirement when he found out that Joseph was still alive in Egypt. His dear wife Rachel had died many years ago, his sons were grown and able to carry all the load of manual labor that shepherds knew, and despite the hardships and sadness he had encountered, he was at least in the land that God had promised to him and his fathers. Can you hear the deep sigh of acceptance for the way that everything had turned out? Little did he know that another adventure was about to begin and that he would enjoy an entirely new set of blessings and great provision for he and his family. Surprises can come to us at any stage of life’s journey.
But even with the excitement of knowing that Joseph was alive, and the questions that he may have had about how such could even be possible, Jacob did not forget who he was in the Lord. God had brought him to this point, spoken personally to him along the way, gotten in his face in an all night long wrestling match, and now responded with favor to his worship in Beersheba. God had another message for his servant that couldn’t have come at a better moment: “Don’t be afraid; I will be with you.” It had to seem strange to Jacob (and all seventy members of his family) that he was leaving his home that God had specifically promised to him and placed him in. As he set out on this journey that all wisdom and desire seemed to indicate was good for both survival and joy, the questions must have arisen. “How does this fit into the big plan?” “What if the journey is too much for me?” “Am I really being obedient in heading to Egypt?” Enter God. Jacob was reminded from the present encounter that he was neither leaving God nor his faith back in Canaan by taking this trip. God wasn’t done with Jacob, and He wasn’t done with His people’s possession of the land Israel was heading out of either.
Has life taken any interesting turns for you in recent days? You don’t have to be at retirement age for that to happen. Are you trusting that God is with you wherever you go, whatever the stage you’re in? Are you taking time to worship, as Jacob did, in the midst of whatever path or journey you’re on? If such moments of devotion have fallen by the wayside, it might be good to evaluate whether or not you’re headed in the direction you should be. Just as Jesus (who was Himself in every way a sojourner during His ministry) took time to get away from everyone and reconnect with His Father, pause in the adventure and seek the Lord today.
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