The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 46:2,
"God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, 'Jacob! Jacob!' 'Here I am,' he replied. 'I am God, the God of your father,' he said. 'Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again.'"
Being forced by famine to send his sons to Egypt to get grain to survive, Jacob is finally persuaded by them that his son Joseph is alive and is second in command only to Pharaoh in Egypt. Now that Jacob is en route to Egypt, leaving behind the land promised to him and his fathers by God, Jacob has a visit from God to assure him of this move. It is God's plan to move his chosen people to Egypt and he wanted Jacob to be reassured that in spite of promising him the land in Canaan, he would be with Jacob in Egypt and would bring him (his household) back to Canaan. God didn't just tell Jacob to go down to Egypt. He reassured him that there was nothing to be afraid of and that he would bless him by making a great nation of him in Egypt. He reassured Jacob he would go with him into Egypt.
As I reflect on this passage I am reminded of the many times God has provided reassurance. In my mind I don't know that anyone has any claim on God that God is indebted to reassure any of us of anything. Mankind has rebelled and sinned against God. Mankind has gone his own way, turning its collective back on God. God has reached out to us, he has provided his Son as a propitiation for our sins, he has imputed us with the righteousness of Jesus Christ. God has already done it all for us. And yet, having done it all he goes beyond his great acts of kindness, mercy, and forgiveness with expressions of love in the reassurance he provides us.
He provides us his indwelling Holy Spirit as a seal guaranteeing our inheritance in the resurrection, Ephesians 1:13-14. He ensures we know this inheritance is a certain hope for us that can never perish, spoil or fade-kept in heaven for us, 1 Peter 1:4. In so many ways our loving heavenly Father has provided us reassurance of things to come, and for things present many of us have experienced those times of reassurance from our God, often with just a soft nudge on the shoulder letting us know he is with us - through the encouragement of some brother or sister or circumstance that we know in our hearts is from him just for us.
What a wonderful God this is!!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
"God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, 'Jacob! Jacob!' 'Here I am,' he replied. 'I am God, the God of your father,' he said. 'Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again.'"
Being forced by famine to send his sons to Egypt to get grain to survive, Jacob is finally persuaded by them that his son Joseph is alive and is second in command only to Pharaoh in Egypt. Now that Jacob is en route to Egypt, leaving behind the land promised to him and his fathers by God, Jacob has a visit from God to assure him of this move. It is God's plan to move his chosen people to Egypt and he wanted Jacob to be reassured that in spite of promising him the land in Canaan, he would be with Jacob in Egypt and would bring him (his household) back to Canaan. God didn't just tell Jacob to go down to Egypt. He reassured him that there was nothing to be afraid of and that he would bless him by making a great nation of him in Egypt. He reassured Jacob he would go with him into Egypt.
As I reflect on this passage I am reminded of the many times God has provided reassurance. In my mind I don't know that anyone has any claim on God that God is indebted to reassure any of us of anything. Mankind has rebelled and sinned against God. Mankind has gone his own way, turning its collective back on God. God has reached out to us, he has provided his Son as a propitiation for our sins, he has imputed us with the righteousness of Jesus Christ. God has already done it all for us. And yet, having done it all he goes beyond his great acts of kindness, mercy, and forgiveness with expressions of love in the reassurance he provides us.
He provides us his indwelling Holy Spirit as a seal guaranteeing our inheritance in the resurrection, Ephesians 1:13-14. He ensures we know this inheritance is a certain hope for us that can never perish, spoil or fade-kept in heaven for us, 1 Peter 1:4. In so many ways our loving heavenly Father has provided us reassurance of things to come, and for things present many of us have experienced those times of reassurance from our God, often with just a soft nudge on the shoulder letting us know he is with us - through the encouragement of some brother or sister or circumstance that we know in our hearts is from him just for us.
What a wonderful God this is!!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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