Dave Burnette's Commentary

Genesis Chapter 46

Written By: God through Inspiration
Penned By: Moses
Date Penned: (1450-1410 BC)
Overview: The Record of God's Chosen People (c 23-50)
Theme: The Story of Joseph (c 37-50)
Message: Jacob's Family Moves to Egypt (v 1-34)

Genesis 46 Commentary

(46:3-4) A Great Nation Forms - The Israelites did become a great nation, and Jacob's descendants eventually returned to Canaan. The book of Exodus recounts the story of Israel's slavery in Egypt for 400 years (fulfilling God's words to Abraham in 15:13-16), and the book of Joshua gives an exciting account of the Israelites entering and conquering Canaan, the Promised Land.

(46:3-4) God Takes Care of Jacob - God told Jacob to leave his home and travel to a strange and faraway land. But God reassured him by promising to go with him and take care of him. When new situations or surroundings frighten you, recognize that experiencing fear is normal. To be paralyzed by fear, however, is an indication that you question God's ability to take care of you.

(46:4) God Keeps Jacob's Family Together -  Jacob never returned to Canaan. This was a promise to his descendants that they would return. "Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes" refers to Joseph being at Jacob's side and attending to him at his death. It was God's promise to Jacob that he would never know the pain of being separated from loved ones again

(46:31-34) Jacob Keeps His Family From Egypt - Jacob moved his whole family to Egypt, but they wanted to live apart from the Egyptians, in part to help keep their identity as God's chosen people intact. To ensure this, Joseph told them to let Pharaoh know they were shepherds. Although Pharaoh may have been sympathetic to shepherds, the culture would not allow the Egyptians to willingly accept shepherds among them. The strategy worked, and Jacob's family was able to benefit from Pharaoh's generosity as well as from the Egyptians' prejudice.


Dave Burnette's Life Application

What a Day that will Be


Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter, making application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. There are many applications we can make from each day's text. Today we Continue in the book of Genesis with Chapter 46, and in today's text, we see Jacob, now named Israel, reunited with his son, whom he thought was dead many years ago, Joseph. What a feeling that must have been. As they hugged and wept, no doubt, the filling of the void of a child presumed dead must have been overwhelming. It reminds me of what we will feel when seeing Jesus face to face. The one who loved us died for us and sought us will be visible to our physical eye versus an eye of faith. It reminds me of the lyrics of that old hymn," What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see. When I look upon his face, The One who saved me by His grace; When He takes me by the hand And leads me through the Promised Land, What a day, glorious day that will be." Amen. It makes all our problems, trials, and heartache seem so small when we have our eyes on that day. Let us be encouraged here now, for if we have been saved, we will experience a reunion like Israel and Joseph did in our text. Yes, "What a day that will be."

 

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Genesis 46


Genesis 46

 1And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.

 2And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I.

 3And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation:

 4I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes.

 5And Jacob rose up from Beersheba: and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.

 6And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed with him:

 7His sons, and his sons' sons with him, his daughters, and his sons' daughters, and all his seed brought he with him into Egypt.

 8And these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob's firstborn.

 9And the sons of Reuben; Hanoch, and Phallu, and Hezron, and Carmi.

 10And the sons of Simeon; Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman.

 11And the sons of Levi; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

 12And the sons of Judah; Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Pharez, and Zarah: but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Pharez were Hezron and Hamul.

 13And the sons of Issachar; Tola, and Phuvah, and Job, and Shimron.

 14And the sons of Zebulun; Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel.

 15These be the sons of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob in Padanaram, with his daughter Dinah: all the souls of his sons and his daughters were thirty and three.

 16And the sons of Gad; Ziphion, and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli.

 17And the sons of Asher; Jimnah, and Ishuah, and Isui, and Beriah, and Serah their sister: and the sons of Beriah; Heber, and Malchiel.

 18These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter, and these she bare unto Jacob, even sixteen souls.

 19The sons of Rachel Jacob's wife; Joseph, and Benjamin.

 20And unto Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, which Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bare unto him.

 21And the sons of Benjamin were Belah, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh, Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard.

 22These are the sons of Rachel, which were born to Jacob: all the souls were fourteen.

 23And the sons of Dan; Hushim.

 24And the sons of Naphtali; Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shillem.

 25These are the sons of Bilhah, which Laban gave unto Rachel his daughter, and she bare these unto Jacob: all the souls were seven.

 26All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which came out of his loins, besides Jacob's sons' wives, all the souls were threescore and six;

 27And the sons of Joseph, which were born him in Egypt, were two souls: all the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt, were threescore and ten.

 28And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to direct his face unto Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen.

 29And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, and presented himself unto him; and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while.

 30And Israel said unto Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou art yet alive.

 31And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his father's house, I will go up, and shew Pharaoh, and say unto him, My brethren, and my father's house, which were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me;

 32And the men are shepherds, for their trade hath been to feed cattle; and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have.

 33And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your occupation?

 34That ye shall say, Thy servants' trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and also our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.