Visions of the Night

So Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, “Jacob, Jacob!”

And he said, “Here I am.”

So He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of 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 put his hand on your eyes.” (Genesis 46:1-4)

God had it all arranged. Israel (Jacob) and his large family found refuge from a widespread famine as Israel took all that he had and went south. He came to Beersheba – the southernmost outpost of Canaan on the way to Egypt, and there he honored God with sacrifices.

Beersheba was an important place. Both Abraham (Genesis 22:19) and Isaac (Genesis 26:23) stayed there. Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba many years before and there he called on the name of the Lord (Genesis 21:33). There, Isaac received a special promise from God and built an altar, calling on the name of the Lord (Genesis 26:24-25). Here Israel sacrificed, remembering what God had done before. As Israel connected with what God did in the past (by sacrificing at Beersheba), he was assured of God’s plan for the future.

At that time, God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night. More than 40 years before, when Jacob was about to leave the Promised Land, God spoke to him in a dream (Genesis 28:12-17). Now, when he was about to leave the land again, God again brought assurance through visions of the night.

As Jacob led his family into this foreign land, he did not know what the future held. At the same time, he knew the future was in God’s hands. God had a promise for Israel: I will make of you a great nation there. God told Israel what His purpose was in bringing this large family or clan down to Egypt. Because of the exclusive, segregated nature of Egyptian life, Israel’s descendants could grow as a large, distinct nation there. Egypt became like a mother’s womb to Israel as a nation, where they grew from something small to something full size.

God also promised, I will also surely bring you up again. The great reason Jacob did not need to fear the journey to Egypt was that God promised to bring him back to the Promised Land. This would be fulfilled after Jacob’s death, but it would be fulfilled – Egypt would never be the permanent home for Israel and his children.

We can learn from this. Connect with what God has done in the past, especially at the cross of Jesus. Then, receive God’s assurance for both the present and the future. You don’t need a special vision in the night – just receive what God has already done.

Click here for David’s commentary on Genesis 46