CERTAINTY IN THE MIDST OF UNCERTAINTY

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

So Israel set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. And 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. And Joseph's own hand will close your eyes."

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. They also took with them their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in Canaan, and Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt. He took with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters—all his offspring.

These are the names of the sons of Israel (Jacob and his descendants) who went to Egypt:

Reuben the firstborn of Jacob.

The sons of Reuben:

Hanok, Pallu, Hezron and Karmi.

The sons of Simeon:

Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman.

The sons of Levi:

Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

The sons of Judah:

Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez and Zerah (but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan).

The sons of Perez:

Hezron and Hamul.

The sons of Issachar:

Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron.

The sons of Zebulun:

Sered, Elon and Jahleel.

These were the sons Leah bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram, besides his daughter Dinah. These sons and daughters of his were thirty-three in all.

The sons of Gad:

Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.

The sons of Asher:

Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi and Beriah.

Their sister was Serah.

The sons of Beriah:

Heber and Malkiel.

These were the children born to Jacob by Zilpah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Leah—sixteen in all.

The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel:

Joseph and Benjamin. In Egypt, Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.

The sons of Benjamin:

Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim and Ard.

These were the sons of Rachel who were born to Jacob—fourteen in all.

The son of Dan:

Hushim.

The sons of Naphtali:

Jahziel, Guni, Jezer and Shillem.

These were the sons born to Jacob by Bilhah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Rachel—seven in all.

All those who went to Egypt with Jacob—those who were his direct descendants, not counting his sons’ wives—numbered sixty-six persons. 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.

Genesis 46:1-27

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As Genesis, chapter 46, begins, we find Jacob setting out for Egypt with "his sons and grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters—all his offspring." The irony in all this is that his grandfather, Abraham, had also had left his homeland to go where God would lead and part of that journey was spent in Egypt, after a famine had struck Canaan. You can read about that in Genesis, chapter 12.

Unlike Abraham, we know that Jacob’s journey would end up reuniting him with a son he had thought dead, his son Joseph. It had been many years since Jacob had seen his favored son and I wonder if Jacob didn’t have just a little anxiety before the reunion, wondering if their relationship had now changed.

Indeed, there was probably more than a little uncertainty, laced with anxiety, coursing through Jacob’s veins and we all should be able to relate. I say this because life brings more than a fair share of uncertainty to anyone who lives it.

Maybe we experience job issues where loss of employment is a real possibility.

Perhaps we’re in a relationship that has begun to go a bit sour, ushering in thoughts of brokenness and potential breakup.

Possibly illness has struck and left you with the prospect of losing either mental or physical abilities that were needed to have a proper quality of life.

Or any number of events can occur that place stresses on our finances, leaving us wondering where we’re going to get the funds to meet our expenses.

Indeed, there is one truth that is absolutely certain about life and that is its utter uncertainty.

With this in mind, let’s return to the scriptures where we find Jacob stopping at Beersheeba on his way to Egypt. There, we read where he "offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac."

Now, you should recall that Beersheba was the place where a treaty was made between Abraham and King Abimelech, and reconfirmed by his father, Isaac, and the same king later (Genesis, chapters 21 and 26 respectively). And so what we see here in chapter 46 is Jacob paying tribute to God at Beersheba and as he does, God enters in through a vision, saying:

"I am God, the God of your father. 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. And Joseph's own hand will close your eyes."

What an awesome assurance this must have been for Jacob as the Lord spoke into the midst of his uncertainty! For we find God providing immediate comfort, seeking to remove Jacob’s fear while letting him know that Egypt is just the place He wanted him (Jacob) and his family to be. It would be there that he would make him into a great nation.

In other words, God is essentially saying to Jacob, “Be at peace and don’t let your soul be troubled for I am with you and will make everything work out."

Well, armed with this promise from God, the scriptures tell us that Jacob and his entourage "left Beersheba” with “Israel's sons” taking “their father” and “their children and their wives in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to transport him”. We read where “they also took with them their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in Canaan, and Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt."

God’s amazing plan in developing and establishing His nation of Israel was in full swing as His blessed assurance for Jacob (Israel) and his family was playing out.

Friends, the good news for all believers today is that they have the same blessed assurance that Jacob had well over 2,000 years ago. For when they find themselves in the midst of uncertainty, they can know with absolute certainty that the Lord is with them and for them, ready to guide them through.

In the midst of our own fears and anxieties, we need to hear God speaking to our hearts, saying:

"Don’t be afraid. I’ve got this and all you need to do is trust Me.”

Thanks be to God that He is always there to calm our troubled hearts and souls. We just need to seek and receive Him in faith.

Are you reading this today in need of peace and surety?

I encourage you to turn to the Lord, the only One who always offers us certainty in the midst of uncertainty, the certainty that He is always with us and will never leave us nor forsake us.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.