Genesis 45:25-46:7, 26-30: Jacob Reunited With Joseph
Genesis 45:25-46:7, 26-30: Jacob Reunited With Joseph
Bible Essentials: Set 3, Lesson 31
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Opening
Individuals: Take time to think back about your past week. Where have you seen God work in your life or answer prayer? Write down any prayer requests you have.
Group: Open the study by sharing life updates, reviewing highs and lows of your past week, or sharing prayer requests and praises.
Icebreaker: What was the most significant move you’ve made in your lifetime?
All: Begin the study with a word of prayer, asking God to open your heart for today’s study. You can also pray for any prayer requests now, or save that for the end.
Study
Read today’s passage: Genesis 45:25-46:7, 26-30.
25 So they went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. 26 They told him, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.” Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them. 27 But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. 28 And Israel said, “I’m convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”
46 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 So Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt, taking with them their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in Canaan. 7 Jacob brought with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters—all his offspring.
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.
28 Now Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen. When they arrived in the region of Goshen, 29 Joseph had his chariot made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. As soon as Joseph appeared before him, he threw his arms around his father and wept for a long time.
30 Israel said to Joseph, “Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are still alive.”
What is the context for this passage?
It’s been a long journey for Joseph. After being sold into Egypt as a slave, being falsely accused of adultery and being thrown into prison, and then rising to a place of authority and honor with Pharaoh, Joseph is once again united with his family, including his brother Benjamin.
Once Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, Joseph and Pharaoh loaded up some carts with gifts and provisions for the brothers’ journey, and the brothers went back home with the intent of convincing Jacob to move to Egypt and be reunited with Joseph.
Read the passage again.
Explore a different version if you have one available. If you are online, here is Genesis 45 and Genesis 46 in NIV through Bible Gateway. You can change the version by using the dropdown menu at the top right of the page.
Try to summarize the passage in your own words.
Answer these three questions about the passage:
1. What does the passage say about God?
God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. When God spoke to Jacob, he identified himself as the God of Jacob’s father, Isaac. We see throughout Genesis that God is the God of this whole family line, starting with Abraham and then being passed down to Isaac, Jacob, and Jacob’s 12 sons.
God speaks to his people. When Jacob was in Beersheba, God took the opportunity to speak to him in the place that he had spoken to Jacob’s forefathers. When God has a specific message for his people, he always makes sure they hear it.
God does not want his people to be afraid. Jacob is getting old at this point in life, and moving to a new place far away from everything he knows, including moving to a new culture, would likely be a bit scary. When God speaks to Jacob, he assures Jacob that he should not be afraid of this new chapter in his life.
God keeps his promises. Over and over again through the stories in Genesis, we see God keep his promises and confirm his promises to his people. God promised Abraham that he would become a great nation, and he promises Jacob that he will make Jacob into a great nation in Egypt. Jacob has a good start on this already, as he’s moving all his offspring to Egypt with him—70 in all, including Joseph’s sons, plus all the in-laws and grandchildren.
God remains with his people. In his promise to Jacob, God promises to be with him even in the move to Egypt. Jacob doesn’t have to be in the “Promised Land” in order for God to remain with him. God will be with him wherever he goes. The same promise is true for all Christians everywhere.
2. What does the passage say about people?
People rejoice with good news. Once Jacob got over his disbelief that Joseph was alive, he was overjoyed. His spirit revived and he was immediately ready to travel to go see Joseph.
People who follow God worship him. Once Jacob and his family set out for Egypt, he worshiped God once he reached Beersheba. Beersheba is where Abraham worshiped God in Genesis 21 and settled in Genesis 22. That’s where God confirmed his covenant with Isaac in Genesis 26. Jacob himself had stopped in Beersheba on the way to his uncle Laban’s house when he was running from Esau in Genesis 28. It makes sense that he would stop to worship God again in Beersheba.
People who follow God recognize his voice. When God spoke to Jacob in a dream, Jacob recognized God’s voice and responded, “Here I am.” When people truly follow God and remain connected to him, they will recognize God’s voice when he speaks.
People are eager to meet those they haven’t seen in a long time. Just as Jacob was eager to leave his homeland to go see Joseph, Joseph couldn’t stand to remain at home and let Jacob come to him. Instead, he watched and waited and prepared, and as soon as he knew his father was close, he went out to meet him.
People find peace when old hurts are healed. Once Jacob was reunited with Joseph and knew for himself that Joseph was a live and well, Jacob felt peace within. He now knew that he would die in peace because he had been reunited with Joseph.
3. What does the passage say about God’s plan?
God’s plan was to move the entire family of Israel to Egypt. From the beginning when Joseph was sold into slavery, God’s plan was that eventually, the entire family of Israel would move down to Egypt. He sent Joseph before them to prepare the way.
God’s plan was to make Israel into a great nation in Egypt. Since the time of Abraham, God had promised to make Abraham’s descendants into a great nation. In this passage, we see that God plans to fulfill this promise while they are living in Egypt.
God’s plan was for Jacob to reunite with Joseph. God sent Joseph to prepare the way for his family during a time of famine, but his intent was never to break up the family forever. His plan was that when the time was right, Jacob would be reunited with Joseph.
How does the passage fit into the overarching story of the Bible?
Sometimes it’s easier to understand a passage if you have a little outside knowledge from other passages in the Bible. This section will help provide that outside perspective.
Throughout the Bible, there’s a theme of God remaining with his people. Whether it was Noah or Abraham or Jacob or David or the prophets or the disciples or Christians in general, God has promised to remain with those who follow him. Because God is with us, we don’t have to be afraid. When hardships or changes come, we can have peace and hope because we know that God is with us and he has a plan. We can be assured of this because the Bible tells us over and over again that God keeps his promises. It’s an essential part of his character. He cannot go back against his word.
Another theme we see throughout the Bible is that those who know God and follow him will recognize his voice. I’m reminded of the story of Samuel in 1 Samuel 3. He was young, and when he first heard God’s voice, he didn’t recognize it. He thought it was his mentor, Eli, calling to him. Eli finally realized that God was speaking to Samuel, so he told Samuel to respond, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” From then on, Samuel was in tune with God’s voice.
We see the same theme in John 10. Jesus says that he is the good shepherd, and just like sheep know their shepherd’s voice, so God’s people will know his voice. If you believe in Jesus, do you recognize his voice? God’s voice can speak to you through his word, through other people, through creation, and any other means that he wants to use. Do you know him well enough to discern his voice from other voices around you?
Discussion
Individual: Answer the following questions thoughtfully for yourself.
Group: Pose these questions for discussion.
All: If you are willing to share, I’d love to hear your thoughts to these questions. Feel free to use the comment section to start a discussion about this passage.
What else strikes you about this passage?
How does the passage affect how you view God? How you view yourself?
How does this passage affect how you will live your life?
Additional Study
For additional study related to this topic, read Genesis 46:8-25, 31-34; Genesis 47:1-12.
Premium Resources
For Bible Essential studies, you can use my thoughts as your devotional, or you can download and use the journaling sheet to work through the passage on your own. If desired, you can then compare your thoughts to mine. Journal sheets can be downloaded and used now or later. They can be printed and filled in by hand or saved and filled out electronically. Journal sheets are available for individual or group use.
If you plan to lead a group study, a PowerPoint presentation is also available.
You can access these resources by clicking here: Genesis 45-46 Resources
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