God often asks us to do things we don’t understand. Often, we fear where we must go, or what we must do. We worry for our own lives or the lives of our loved ones. This fear is not irrational; our lives may truly be at stake to obey God’s commands. But at the same time, we must obey. How can we doubt the LORD? He has fulfilled every promise He has ever made, and He will protect those who serve Him. How do we know this? Let us look at the example of Jacob.
He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there.”
– Genesis 46:3, NASB
When God said this to Jacob, He offered three points: a declaration of identity, a reassurance, and a promise.
God declared Himself to be the God of Jacob’s father, Isaac. Elsewhere in Scripture, we often hear God spoken of as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Even in Jacob’s time, this familiarity between Jacob’s line and God was an identifying feature for the people of Israel (Israel was the other name God gave to Jacob). God has been with Jacob’s family from the beginning. This identification alone is a reassurance that things will go well for him, because he has not been abandoned by the God of his forefathers.
God also reassured Jacob not to fear traveling to Egypt. Egypt was a daunting place at the time; when the rest of those lands suffered from famine, Egypt’s preparedness – thanks to Joseph’s interpretations of Pharaoh’s dreams – gave them a lot of power. It was clearly daunting to Jacob, who had resolved to see his son Joseph, but stopped in Beersheba to offer sacrifices to the LORD. It is possible that he was doubting his decision. Perhaps he was worried for his other sons and their families, because of the journey or because he did not trust the Pharaoh in Egypt. Perhaps, too, he knew that his other sons did not get along with Joseph, and he worried that Joseph might punish them. Whatever the reason, he stopped and prayed to the LORD for guidance, at which point, God gave him these words: “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt.”
In other words, take courage. Do not fear what troubles you. The LORD will protect you and preserve you, even in a distant land. (This was especially notable because many gods in the polytheistic understanding of the time were tied to certain places. Even thousands of years later, in Greek and Roman theology, praying to a god often involved identifying a particular location associated with that god, such as Delphian Apollo. Unlike these other gods, the LORD was free to travel with Jacob, as He promises in verse 4.)
In the third place, God offers Jacob a promise – that He would make a great nation of Jacob there. This is the same promise offered to Isaac and Abraham before him. The creation of the nation of Israel hinged upon this event. Of course, God could have done it a different way, but He chose to feed and grow the nation of His people in the wealthy lands of Egypt, and free them from that captivity when it came time to do so. The faith and courage of Jacob in this moment, as he questioned his journey to Egypt, helped the promises of God to come about in God’s design. Safe from the famine around them, the Israelites would grow and multiply until the new king over the Egyptians compelled them into slavery, for “the people of the sons of Israel are more and mightier than we” (Exodus 1:9).
Historically, we can see the Jacob’s decision to travel to Egypt was one of significant influence. This decision led to the creation of the nation of Israel, which in turn led to their salvation by God’s hand through Moses – ultimately, the Savior of the world was born of a descendant of Jacob, who might never have been born if Jacob had turned around and let his sons die in the famine.
All this raises the question: Where is your Egypt? Where has God called you to go? What has He called you to do? It could be frightful. It could be dangerous. You could be risking hatred from those around you, enslavement, even death. But if He – the God of your forefathers, the Creator of the world, Who has never abandoned you – has shown you this path, then do not fear to go down to Egypt. God will use your actions to advance His plans, to build His kingdom among the people on earth.
It’s true that God could complete His plans another way. He did not necessarily need Jacob. He does not necessarily need you. But you need Him. And He wants to use you. He designed you to fill this role. He gave you everything you need to do His will. You’re a perfect fit for the job, and He’s offering you the position. Perhaps you will be remembered the world over for generations to come for your sacrifice. Or perhaps you will lead only one soul to salvation – but God desires that none should perish, but that all should come to repentance, so even that one soul was sufficient that Christ should die.
By that token, we can take courage that God will care for us that His will may be done, and when it is done, He will lead us home. Don’t you want to be a part of the greatest plan ever devised? Don’t you want to be a part of that plan whose primary purpose is to save every person in the world?
So take courage. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt.