And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beer-sheba; and he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.
Joseph is alive in Egypt, and the old man sets out with everything he owns — but he does not head straight for the border. He stops at Beersheba, the last town in the south, and offers sacrifices to the God his father Isaac had worshipped.
The record does not call him Jacob here. Commentators note that the name changes with the man. His heart had failed through unbelief. Then his faith revived — and the man who acts on it is called Israel.
The way in which Jacob's new name of Israel is introduced in the record is worthy of note. Jacob's heart had fainted because of unbelief, and then his spirit revived. But when his faith had revived, it is Israel who said, "It is enough." Again, at the start of Genesis 46 the faith in his heart turns into action. It is Israel who gathers his possessions together and sets out, stopping at Beersheba to sacrifice to the God of his father Isaac. In all this he was acting in a way that suited his new name, "Prince of God," better than his old one, "Supplanter."
He had set out for Egypt at once, on natural feeling alone. The stop shows a different mind at work in him.
Nature had acted in Jacob at Mamre, as soon as he believed the report about Joseph, and set him at once on the road to Egypt. But now his spiritual senses have woken up, and they are challenging what nature had decided and how it acts. This is very common. The believer now feels a holding back where the father had felt none. Jacob had not talked with the Lord about this journey when he set out. But the mind of Christ in him, his conscience in the Holy Spirit, so to speak, is now taking the lead. It goes back over what nature had judged, and weighs it in the light of the Lord.
Something came back to him at that spot — a word God had once spoken to his father.
Many years before this the Lord had said to Isaac, "Do not go down to Egypt" (Gen. 26:2). He said it to Isaac in a time of famine, like this one. Jacob remembers this as soon as he reaches Beersheba. That was the last place in the south of the land, on the road to Egypt. From there he could look out over the very country Isaac had been warned not to enter.
Beersheba was not a random stopping point. Its name carried the memory of what God had sworn.
On his way he stopped at Beersheba, which means "the well of the oath." The name shows that he remembered the promise of God he was leaning on. It is good to see him offering sacrifices there.
It also held his own history, including the worst of it.
Here Jacob had deceived his father and stolen his brother's blessing. But now he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. Now he knew God's only way to deal with sin. He remembered his cheating, his faults and his sorrows. But at Beersheba he remembered even more deeply that through a sacrifice God could be merciful, righteous and kind. He knew God's grace; and that the God who was for him in the past, would be for him in the future.
Scripture does not say what animals he brought. But the plural word tells us something, and so does the timing.
We are not told how many sacrifices he offered, or what kind. Clearly he did not give with a stingy hand, for he must have killed more than one animal that night. Yet, though blood flowed freely, it seems he brought no drink-offering on that occasion. He sacrificed at Beersheba before God spoke to him; he raised up the pillar at Bethel after God had appeared to him.
So the sacrifices trace back to a change inside him.
All this accounts to me for Jacob's sacrifices at Beersheba to the God of his father Isaac. And all this has great moral meaning in it. It was a mighty stir in Jacob's soul, and it was very acceptable to the Lord... This waking up in Jacob pleased the Lord so much that He came to him at once with words of comfort.
The verse begins with movement, and the movement costs something.
To reach Joseph, Israel had to make the journey (Gen. 46:1). He had to leave behind everything he naturally loved. And so with ourselves, if we are to reach Christ where He is, we must forget the things that are behind.
- Journey — The man who sets out is called Israel, the name of faith in action, not Jacob the supplanter.
- Halt — Affection started the trip; conscience reviewed it. At the edge of the land, a word once given to Isaac about Egypt came back to him.
- Place — Beersheba, "the well of the oath," held both God's promise and Jacob's old deceit; he met both at an altar.
- Sacrifice — More than one animal died that night, and Jacob worshipped before God had spoken a word to him.
- Answer — That stirring in his soul was very acceptable to God, and He came at once with words of comfort. Reaching Joseph still meant leaving everything familiar behind.
And God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night and said, Jacob, Jacob! And he said, Here am I.
Jacob stands at Beersheba, the last town of the promised land. Egypt lies ahead, and there, at night, God calls his name twice. Why did God speak only now, at the border? And why did He call him by the old name, Jacob?
Jacob had set out for Egypt the moment he believed Joseph was alive. One writer sees two forces at work. Natural feeling started the journey; conscience spoke up later.
Nature had acted in Jacob at Mamre, as soon as he believed the report about Joseph, and set him at once on the road to Egypt. But now the spiritual sensibilities have woken up, and are challenging the conclusions and ways of nature. This is very common. The saint is now feeling reserve, where the father had felt none. Jacob had not dealt with the Lord about this journey as he was beginning it. But the mind of Christ in him, his conscience in the Holy Spirit, so to speak, is now taking the lead. He reviews the judgment of nature, and reviews it in the light of the Lord... It was a mighty stir in Jacob's soul, and it was very acceptable to the Lord... so acceptable that He comes to him at once with words of comfort.
Egypt was not neutral ground for this family. Two earlier stories hung over it.
But Jacob seems to tremble a little at the thought of Egypt. There Abram had sinned, and there God had warned Isaac not to go. Jacob might say, "Joseph is still alive, I will go and see him before I die." But he seems to start his journey with some godly fear, because it was carrying him toward this Egypt. So when he reaches Beersheba, he pauses on his way and offers sacrifice to the God of his father. But now the hand of the God of his father will show itself to Jacob, to give him full confidence. He comes to him in a vision of the night, and adds His encouragement to that of Joseph's invitation and Pharaoh's desire.
The verse names him Israel, then records God calling him Jacob, Jacob. The place had its own history too.
Beersheba also belonged in a special way to his father Isaac, and Jacob's wanderings had begun from that spot — see Genesis 28:10. Jacob had now come full circle, if we may say so, and was back at the point of departure. So we find God Himself stepping in and dealing directly with him. Jacob had responded in faith. Yet God knew that the old Jacob nature was still strong in him, and He addressed him as such. The repetition of his name added emphasis to the revelation God gave.
The old name fits the man who was afraid. God spoke to him there and steadied him.
But now God spoke to Israel in the vision of the night, after he had offered sacrifices to his father's God. He called him by his name of natural weakness, and told him to go down into Egypt without fear... God entered into the anxieties of His feeble servant and knew how to strengthen his tried heart.
Jacob's answer is three short words. Others answered God the same way — and later so did the Lord Himself.
God's greatness and majesty produced a striking response when He spoke in grace to saints of old. When He called, "Abraham, Abraham," the answer came at once: "Here am I." When He said, "Jacob, Jacob," the reply came at once too: "Here am I." To Moses He spoke, "Moses, Moses!" and Moses answered at once, "Here am I." When, however, the Lord Himself should come, Isaiah 52:6 says — more correctly translated — "I am THE SAME, that says, HERE AM I." Yes, indeed, He is "the same"... The same One is heard speaking as before, in the same manner, but as come down in lowly grace, "Martha, Martha!" and "Simon, Simon!"
God spoke to Jacob in a vision at night. One writer weighs that against what we have now.
And God has often used visions of the night. It is true that we have something far better. We have the vision of the day. We have the great vision of Christ shown in flesh. We have the vision of God showing Himself, speaking and acting for us in this world of sin and death.
- Pause. Jacob's conscience woke at the border. He reviewed nature's decision "in the light of the Lord" before he crossed.
- Place. Beersheba was where his wandering began. Back at the starting point, God stepped in and dealt with him directly.
- Name. God called him by his name of natural weakness, twice over. He met the anxious man, not the ideal one.
- Answer. "Here I am" is the quick reply of Abraham, Jacob and Moses. Later they are the words of the Lord Himself, come down in lowly grace.
- Progress. Jacob had the vision of the night; we have the vision of the day, God showing Himself in Christ.
And he said, I am God, the God of thy father fear not to go down to Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation.
Jacob reaches Beersheba, the last stop on the southern edge of Canaan, and pauses there before leaving the promised land. God answers with a word that names Himself, forbids fear, and turns the move into a promise — yet God had once told Jacob's father to stay out of Egypt.
Jacob's hesitation had a history behind it. God gave his father the opposite instruction in the same kind of famine. Jacob remembered it at the very spot where Egypt came into view.
Many years before this the Lord had said to Isaac, "Do not go down into Egypt" (Gen. 26:2); and He said it in a time of famine, like this one. Jacob remembers it as soon as he reaches Beersheba. That was the last place in the southern part of the land, on the way to Egypt. From there Egypt lay stretched out before him — the country the Lord had warned Isaac not to enter.
God's permission here stands out all the more against Abraham's own failure in Egypt.
What grace on God's part! Abram had gone down into Egypt under the pressure of famine, and failed badly there, whatever riches he gained. … Israel needed God to tell him not to fear going down there — and God did. He would make of him a great nation there, with special comfort nearer still to his heart.
God speaks to a man whose faith has just revived, yet He does not address him as Israel. The doubled call, "Jacob, Jacob," is deliberate.
Beersheba too was closely tied to his father Isaac, and Jacob's wanderings had begun from that spot — see Genesis 28:10. Jacob had now come full circle, if we may put it that way, and was back at his point of departure. So we find God Himself stepping in and dealing directly with him. He had responded in faith. Yet God knew that the old Jacob nature was still strong in him, and addressed him as such. The repetition of his name added emphasis to the revelation God gave.
The message does two things at once. It settles his dread of Egypt, and it answers his old longing over his lost son.
When we think about this for a moment, we may well say, what a communication this was! How fully it let Jacob know that the Lord had read his whole heart! The Lord knew his present fears and his older affections. He knew the mind of the father and the mind of the believer, the desires of nature and the sensitivities of the spirit. "Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt" calmed the present uneasiness of his renewed mind. "Joseph shall put his hand upon your eyes" satisfied the earlier longing of his heart over his long-lost child. How full all this was!
The same tenderness is heard in the choice of name and the plain command that follows it.
God spoke to Israel in the vision of the night, after he had offered sacrifices to his father's God, who called him by his name of natural weakness and told him to go down to Egypt without fear… God entered into the anxieties of His feeble servant and knew how to strengthen his tried heart.
"There I will make you into a great nation" fixes the location. The making would happen under pressure.
First, God so ordered the stay in Egypt that Jacob's family and descendants would grow there and be welded into a great nation… The troubles of Egypt worked like a furnace of iron and welded them into a nation that God took for His own. The hour had now come for them to face that testing, though at the start everything looked favourable.
Egypt also supplied conditions Canaan could not.
Without doubt the Lord directed this move to Egypt. He meant to guard the family from scattering, and from mixing with strangers. The important period had now come in which the family was to grow into a nation. In Canaan both of these harms would have been unavoidable. In Egypt neither could happen. Goshen gave ample room for their growing numbers, and the Egyptians' dislike of shepherds (46:34) prevented ties of intermarriage between them.
The words to Jacob are not a fresh plan. They line up with what had been told to Abraham long before.
Jacob was leaving the land of promise, and he might have felt some anxiety. However, God told him, "I am God, the God of your father," and gave him the encouragement of knowing that God approved of his trip to Egypt at this time (vv. 2-3)… This confirms God's word to Abram in Genesis 15:13. Abram's offspring would be a stranger in a foreign land, and there, as servants, they would be afflicted 400 years.
- Fear had reasons. Abraham failed badly in Egypt, and God told Isaac to stay out of it. Jacob's hesitation at Beersheba came from memory, not superstition.
- Fear got an answer. God named Himself the God of Jacob's father, told him not to fear, and called him by his old name — the name of the nature still strong in him.
- Fear and longing. One short message calmed his dread of Egypt and satisfied his longing over Joseph. God had read his whole heart.
- Fear became a nation. In the land he dreaded, God kept his family from scattering, kept them from intermarriage, and welded them into a people.
- Fear met an older promise. Jacob heard God confirm His word to Abraham — the great nation, and the affliction that would come first.
I will go down with thee to Egypt, and I will also certainly bring thee up; and Joseph shall put his hand on thine eyes.
Jacob is old, and he is leaving the land God promised him, because the son he thought was dead is alive in Egypt. He stops at Beer-sheba to sacrifice, and God answers his fear with four short promises: presence, a nation, a return, and Joseph's hand at his death.
Egypt had been a dangerous word in this family.
What grace on God's part! Famine drove Abram down into Egypt, and he failed badly there, whatever riches he gained. Famine could have drawn Isaac away too, just as it drew his father. But God forbade him to go there, and told him to stay in the land under the assurance of His blessing. Israel needed God to tell him not to fear going down there — and God did tell him. There He would make of him a great nation, with a special comfort nearer still to his heart.
The same God who once barred the road now points down it:
In Genesis 26:2, we read of God appearing to Isaac and saying, "Do not go down to Egypt." Because of this command, Egypt drops out of the picture until we find Joseph carried there. Now, however, the divine direction is exactly opposite, and Jacob was not to be afraid to go. God's word to him was brief, but it contained four distinct promises.
Take the second promise first. It explains what kept a small family from dissolving into Egypt.
But, in the second place, this would only happen because God Himself would go down with them. Had He not done so, the many evils of that land would quickly have swamped them. As it was, those evils did infect them, as their later history showed; but the presence of God with them secured the testimony to Himself among them.
Egypt is where the family grows, and the hardship there does part of the work.
First, God would so order the stay in Egypt that Jacob's family and descendants would increase there and be welded into a great nation... The troubles of Egypt acted like a furnace of iron, and welded them into a nation that God took for His own. The hour had now come for them to face this hard experience, though at the start everything looked favourable.
The third promise looks past the whole stay in Egypt.
So in the third place, God promised that in His own time He would bring them up out of Egypt. Then they would be back in the land that was theirs according to His word. God never swerves from His declared purpose, though to reach it He may take ways that seem to contradict it. So verse 4 shows the difference between God's purpose and His ways. We need to keep that difference in mind in God's dealings with us today.
But Jacob never made that journey home himself:
God promises His own presence with Jacob, and that He would surely bring him back again. This return of course referred to Jacob's descendants, the nation Israel. For as to Jacob himself, Joseph would close his eyes, that is, in death, though he was buried in the land of Canaan. He would not personally experience the sufferings his children would.
The final clause is not about nations at all. It is about a father and the son he had lost.
What a message this was! How fully it showed Jacob that the Lord had read his whole heart — his present fears and his earlier affections, the mind of the father and the mind of the saint, the desires of nature and the feelings of the spirit. "Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt" calmed the present unease of his renewed mind. "Joseph's hand shall close your eyes" satisfied the older longing of his heart for his long-lost child... The groan he never uttered in any human ear had reached, in all its meaning, the ear of Him who searches the heart.
The promise reaches beyond the exodus, to the end of Israel's story:
Jacob's wanderings are the picture of Israel's sad history, and the pledge of their future and blessed restoration to the promised land, as God announced in Gen. 46:4 and predicts in Jacob's last words (Gen. 49). The burials of his body and Joseph's in that land point the same way.
- Down — Abram went down and failed. God forbade Isaac to go. Jacob is told to go without fear: the same step can be sin or obedience, depending on who sends you.
- With — the family survives Egypt only because God goes down too. His presence, not their strength, keeps the testimony alive.
- Through — the furnace is not a detour; the pressure of Egypt is what welds a household into a nation God calls His own.
- Up — God's purpose never changes, though His ways to reach it can look like the opposite. He kept the promised return in Jacob's descendants, not in Jacob's own feet.
- Home — the last promise is personal. A son's hand closes a father's eyes, proof that God had heard the groan Jacob never spoke aloud.