Bring them all

DEVOTION

GENESIS

BRING THEM ALL

Gen 46:1-7

46:1 So Israel set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 2 And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, "Jacob! Jacob!" "Here I am," he replied. 3 "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. 4 I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph's own hand will close your eyes." 5 Then Jacob left Beersheba, and Israel's sons took their father Jacob and their children and their wives in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to transport him. 6 They also took with them their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in Canaan, and Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt. 7 He took with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters — all his offspring.

NIV

Gen 46:26-27

26 All those who went to Egypt with Jacob — those who were his direct descendants, not counting his sons' wives — numbered sixty-six persons. 27 With the two sons who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob's family, which went to Egypt, were seventy in all.

NIV

We have left out verses 8-25 which are all the names of each descendant according to the wives of Jacob. It is not that they are not important, it is just at this time they are not germane to the narrative for our lesson. The point being that Jacob brought everything and everybody associated with him. He set out with all that was his. He left nothing or nobody behind. On the way the Lord God called to him during one of his nights on the road to Egypt. When he heard the Lord call, he responded, “Here I am” It is always a good thing to keep our words short when God wants to speak to us. It seems, at times, we want to wax on in prayer using hundreds of words, thinking that is a good thing. But the most important part of prayer is listening to the words spoken by God. Here he tells Jacob to not be afraid to go down to Egypt. The reason he gives Jacob is that he will make him a great nation there. This was the way God determined he should go. Jacob was following the directions of the Lord. He was also told that it would be Joseph, his beloved son, who would be with him when he died. What more could a man ask for? But our point here is that Jacob brought everyone who was his with him. When we find the lord, or rather we should say, when the Lord finds us, we need to bring everyone with us. Today, life is way different than in the time of Jacob. Then the whole family or clan lived in the same general area. Their encampment may have encompassed several acres of land or maybe even miles. The herds and flocks needed much land. But the family members were all in the same general location. Sons would bring their wives to the family area, build their own tents, or shelters around the main camp. A small community of sorts. Today our families may be spread all over the globe. Some may live thousands of miles away from the family patriarch. Most families have descendants. Some may not, but they still may have a family, a spouse. Whoever accepts the Lord as their Lord and Savior has a responsibility to bring everyone with them. God has called our name, just as he did to Jacob. We have responded just as Jacob did, “Here I am”. God has also told us not to be afraid to go where he has sent us. He may not have promised us to become a great nation, but he has promised us a whole lot more, eternal life. Following the example of Jacob, we should take all we have and all who are in our family and follow the directions of God. We certainly can do this with those who live within our household, but for those who have traveled afar off, the only way we can bring them with us is in a spiritual sense. With all the modern methods of communication we have at our disposal today, there should be no reason we cannot attempt to bring them all with us. It is true each person must make their own path, their own choice to follow God. We cannot make them come with us, but we should bring them with us. The members of Jacob's clan had no choice in the matter, he was the patriarch and his word was law. This seems to have gone by the wayside in our modern age. However, God has still continued to see the family head of the household as accountable and responsible for the family. We have been instructed to provide for our family. The best provision we could ever hope to give, is Jesus. Surely Jacob had provided for his in a material sense, but even that was hopeless in a famine. There was no material provisions available. What he could provide was taking them to a land of prosperity, where they could live rather than die in their present place. This too is our story. If there is a spiritual famine in our family, a place where they will die, should we not take them to a place they can live? Should we not make every effort to bring them all?