Do Not Fear

it would be easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one jot or tittle of God's law to fail.

And God's faithfulness is right at the heart of Genesis 46 because in the background of everything going on here is his covenant. When God speaks to Jacob in this vision of the night, it's to reaffirm his covenant. When Jacob's 70 sons are enumerated here, is to show God's covenant people have been multiplied just as God said. When Jacob and Joseph are reunited, it's not just a happy ending or a random act of God's kindness. It's a demonstration of the faithfulness of the covenant-keeping God. And my prayer for you this morning is that you would leave here today more convinced and more amazed by God's faithfulness. So that fear would lose its grip on your heart. Put simply, the message for us this morning is this, God is faithful, so don't be afraid. God is faithful, so don't be afraid. And we're going to see that in each of the three major scenes in today's passage. The three scenes are, number one, Jacob seeks God in Beersheba. This is verses one through four. Jacob seeks God in Beersheba. Number two, Jacob takes all his family to Egypt. That's verses 5 through 27. Jacob takes all his family to Egypt. And then number three, Jacob sees Joseph. That's verses 28 through 30. Jacob sees Joseph. And these three scenes correspond to three main ways that we see God's faithfulness to us. Through his word, his people, and his Savior, his Word, his people, and his Savior. And we'll be considering each of those as we walk through the three scenes. So first, let's look at scene number one. Jacob seeks God in Beersheba. This is verses one through four. Verse 1 begins,

so Israel took his journey with all that he had and came to Beersheba.

Now, as far as we know, since the end of chapter 35, Jacob has lived in Hebron. He's been there for over 30 years, and he's now about 130 years old. Hebron is where Abraham had died. It's where Sarah had died. It's where Isaac had died. It's where Rebecca had died. It's where Leah had died. And they're all buried there in the cave of Machpelah. So no doubt this is where Jacob intended to live out the rest of his days and die as well. I mean, no famine, no difficulty, no grief, nothing Jacob could think of would have been a reason for him to ever leave this spot. Certainly not to go outside the promised land. And yet now, in the excitement of hearing and believing that Joseph is alive, that he was inviting him to Egypt, and that Joseph had sent these wagons, Jacob had made ready the wagons. He'd gathered all his family, they'd packed, and they'd left. And they traveled about 30 miles south to Beersheba. Now, Beersheba is also a familiar place to Jacob. It's actually where he grew up. This is where he stole Esau's blessing. This is the spot, as Jack read earlier, from which he departed on his first journey when he traveled north to Haran. As far as we know, this is the first time he's returned back there. So you can imagine the memories. You can imagine the sentimental feelings rushing back as he remembers the place of his youth, a place he had left young and strong, and now he returns to old and frail. But as familiar as this place was, it's also the furthest south Jacob's ever been. This place is familiar, but it's right on the brink of the unknown. He's traveled all around to the north, but here, He doesn't know what lies beyond. He doesn't know where the wells are. He doesn't know the customs. He doesn't know the people. He doesn't know the dangers. To travel on from here is for him to leave all that he's ever known, to commit to this long journey to Egypt. It's sort of like when you go on your first big international trip. It's often easier to leave your house than actually get on the airplane. It was easier for Jacob to leave Hebron than to travel on from Beersheba. The reality, I'm leaving, is sinking in. This is the point of no return. And so think for a moment about the fears that Jacob's experiencing. Fears for the journey. I mean, he's old and frail. This will be a grueling journey for an old man. Fears for his family. He can no longer protect them physically. He doesn't know the dangers to warn them about. Fears have changed. He doesn't know what's before him. He doesn't know the customs of this unfamiliar land. Fears because returning probably won't be possible. He needs these Egyptian wagons just to get around. He's not sure how much strength he has left. I mean, this is like a desperate leap. It's not realistic that he will ever be able to come back. And probably most of all, his fear is there because this means leaving the promised land, leaving the inheritance God has promised him, leading his family into a place of idolatry and temptation. I mean, surely he's wondering, am I putting my family in spiritual danger by doing this? Will my sons become idol worshipers like the Egyptians? Will my sons lose their affection for the promised land as they enjoy all the treasures of Egypt? Perhaps he remembered how adamant his grandfather Abraham was that his own father Isaac never leave the promised land. Remember when Abraham wanted to find a son for Isaac, he tells his servant,

see that you do not take him back there.

In fact, even God himself had told Isaac not to leave. This was the days of another famine. And Isaac is wondering what to do. And God came and spoke to him saying,

do not go down to Egypt. Dwell in the land of which I shall tell you.

So is leaving the promised land really right? I mean, Providence seems to be leading him there, but he has no direct word from God. He fears this could be a big mistake. And then, after all this, when he gets there, is his son really alive? I mean, can it really be true that Joseph is there ruling over Egypt? Or is this not all just too good to be true? Friends, can you relate to any of Jacob's fears here? I listed lots of fears at the beginning, so I won't repeat them all here, but are you at a kind of crossroads in your life? Are you feeling the weight of A big decision that's going to have huge consequences, not just for yourself, but for your family, for your loved ones. Maybe you feel like Providence is just leading you down a path you never would have expected, you never would have chosen. And you're asking, is this right? Is this really wise? Or especially if you're aging, I mean, can you relate to Jacob here? Meditating on this passage this week has got me thinking about the way that we tend to fear different things as we age. When we're little kids, it's the monsters under our bed. When you're a teenager, it's, what do my classmates think of me? How much we care about the perception of others. Then as young adults, I mean, I think it tends to be our careers, our futures. There's these big life decisions. As parents, it's often fears related to your kids. But what about as we age? What about in those waning years of life? Well, if the things that we ask prayer for are any indication of what we tend to fear, as a pastor, I would say that it seems like it tends to be health, the safety of our families, and change. And I think that makes sense. I mean, age brings fragility. It's hard to know how precious health is until you start to lose it. Age brings an awareness of just how many dangers there are in life, just how much can go wrong. And with it, there's all the less ability to do anything to protect your loved ones from it. It's natural to worry for the safety of your families. You know, age also tends to bring a resistance to change. I guess as young people, life just forces one big change on you after another. But then as you get older, finally, you can settle down. Finally, you can get set in your ways. And change becomes so unfamiliar. And at the same time, you feel so much less capable of adapting to it. And I mention all that because maybe some of you can especially relate to Jacob's fears here. But even if not, even if you're someone who's like, you know, this adventure just sounds thrilling. Well, the point is, God may call you to go where your fears lie. This isn't just about moving to a new place. This is about God leading him where he's afraid to go. And God will do that for all of us. And the question is, what do we do about that? How do we face fear? Well, look at what Jacob does here. It says,

he offered sacrifices to the God of his father, Isaac.

I mean, he does the very best thing we could ever do when we're afraid. He sought and worshiped the Lord. Now, unlike us, he didn't have a Bible. He didn't have a church. He didn't have a pastor. But he knew that this was a place where God had met with his father. And so he seeks God in the best way he knows how. Now Beersheba had great spiritual significance for his family. Abraham had first dug a well here and named it Beersheba, which means well of seven because of the seven new lambs he gave to Abimelech there. Abraham had also planted a tamarisk tree and called on the name of the Lord here. So I think Jacob's probably beside that tree now. Also Jacob's father had come to this very spot and re-dug the wells of his father. It was actually here that God had appeared to Isaac, which was during a different famine. And God said,

I am the God of Abraham, your father. Fear not, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham's sake.

And so here Jacob is seeking the God of his father in the very spot where that God had spoken into his own father's fears. And the sacrifices that Jacob offers here would have been an expression of thanksgiving. He's acknowledging that all that he has was a gift of God. They also would have been an appeal for forgiveness. His sacrifices were a way of confessing that he was a sinner in need of grace, that he needed atonement, that the blood of these sacrifices was needed to cover and purify his sin. And finally, they were an appeal for God's favor and God's blessing as he prepares to make one of the biggest decisions of his life. In offering these sacrifices, Jacob's saying, Lord, I want to please you. I want to serve you. I want to do what's right. He doesn't know if God will speak to him, but he offers these sacrifices and he waits. He's setting his heart on God. He's trusting God to guide him. He's asking God to lead him in the way, whatever way God would choose to do so. Brothers and sisters, is this what you do when you're afraid? Do you worship the Lord? Did you fill your mind with high thoughts of God and remember who he is? Do you offer to him the sacrifices of thanksgiving, reminding yourself of his goodness, reminding yourself of his faithfulness, reminding yourself of his provision and giving him the thanksgiving he deserves because of it? Do you go to him in prayer as the God of your fathers? The God who has demonstrated his faithfulness to your spiritual ancestors throughout the millennia. And do you seek him where you can expect to find him? Not like Jacob beside a tamarisk tree, but here in the company of his people, in his church, in his word, in prayer. Friends, like Jacob, may we go to the Lord and seek him when we're afraid. And then look at how God responds. It says, in the visions of the night, so as Jacob is sleeping there in Beersheba, God comes to him and says, Jacob, Jacob. And he says, here I am. And he says,

I am God, the God of your father.

And we see here that this great and awesome almighty God calls his people by name. He's a personal God. He knows Jacob. He knows his father. And when he says, I am the God of your father, he's not only emphasizing, you know, I'm the one who spoke to your father here so many years ago. He's also saying, I'm the covenant God. I'm the God who has pledged myself to Abraham, to Isaac, and to their descendants, including you. I'm a God who's faithful to my promises. And then God says, do not be afraid to go down to Egypt. He knows Jacob's heart. He knows what's on his mind. He's compassionately reassuring him, don't be afraid. And then he gives him four promises to ease his fears. First, God says,

for there I will make you into a great nation.

And this is a reiteration of his covenant promise. But the surprise is that this promise isn't going to come to fulfillment there in the promised land. They will be multiplied to become a great nation down there in Egypt. Secondly, God says,

I myself will go down with you.

I will be by your side. Just as we saw God was with Joseph in Potiphar's house, God was with Joseph in prison, well now God will be with Jacob in Egypt. Number three, God says,

I will also bring you up again.

And this refers not only to the fact that Jacob's body will be brought out and buried in Canaan, but to the fact that his descendants will be brought up as well. It's speaking of a great exodus to come. And fourthly, God says,

and Joseph's hand shall close your eyes.

In other words, Joseph really is alive. You will see him before you die. And then he will be the one who closes your eyes. He will be at your side when you die. And friends, isn't the compassion of God here amazing? I mean, he didn't have to appear to Jacob. He didn't have to tell him all these things. I mean, he could have just said, go to Egypt. That would have been enough. But God knows our frame. He remembers that we're dust. He sympathizes with our fear. He reassures us, I am faithful. You can trust me. I haven't forgotten my promises. He assures Jacob this is the right thing to do. God directs us with all that we need to know so that we can serve and please him. Now maybe this morning you're thinking, yeah, but God's never spoken to me in a night vision. Life would be so much easier if he would just do that. If it's this big decision I have to make, if he would just come and tell me, don't be afraid to do this. But I want you to ask yourself this question. Do you think Jacob would have preferred the few random sporadic times that God spoke to him or the Bible God's given us. I mean, think about it. In Jacob's day, there was no written word of God. There was no pastor, no church, no sermons he could go to listen to, no Bible he could open up. He never knew when or if God would choose to speak to him. But we can hear from God whenever we want. We can just open up his word. And we don't just have a select few promises, a select few things that God has said over the course of our lives. We have the whole counsel of God. We have all these things that God said to Jacob and so much more. God has given us his living and active word to guide us in every aspect of our lives. Listen to this excerpt on the sufficiency of Scripture from the Westminster Statement of Faith.

The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man's salvation, for faith in life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture, under which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit or traditions of men.

" What they're saying is Scripture is enough. I mean, for us just to know and study and meditate on this book will tell you everything you need to know for life and godliness.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness so that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Friends, we don't have to worry that there's some hidden code, some secret sign that we have to find that's the key to solving the mystery of God's will. No, we can know Him. Through His Word, we can have our minds transformed and renewed through Scripture so that we may approve what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. I mean, the Bible either tells us what decision to make, how to go about making the decision, or that this is an area where you can choose between lots of things, but this is what you need to do when you get there. It tells us everything needed for life and godliness. And friends, when you combine the direction that God gives us through his word with the fact that he's always faithful, we have every reason not to be afraid. In other words, just as much as Jacob didn't need to fear going to Egypt in spite of all the dangers because he knew the will of God and he knew the faithfulness of God, the same is true for us today. You know, I love how John Bunyan illustrates this in Pilgrim's Progress. There's a stage in the story where Christian is walking on the narrow way, and he's on the path to Celestial City, and suddenly these two men come running the wrong way down the path, screaming in fear, and their names are Timorese and Mistrust. And they're saying, it's too dangerous, turn back, there's lions ahead. And so Christian sort of Moves along, you know, wondering what this could mean. And then suddenly he freezes and he sees these lions on either side of the path. And he's terrified. I mean, should I turn back? He's freezing in fear. How can I go forward on this path with these lions here? Surely they'll devour me. But then he hears a voice.

Fear not the lions, for they are chained. Stay in the center of the path and they shall not hurt thee.

Now Christian cannot see the chains, but he trusts the voice. And so timidly, but faithfully, he begins to inch down the path, staying right in the center. And sure enough, the lions can't reach him because they're chained. And friends, the point of this is that there's no safer place to be than in the will of God. I mean, sometimes God leads us down a path that seems to go right between lions, but the lions are chained. Even the devil himself roams about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour, but even he is chained. As with Job, he cannot touch you any more than God allows. And because God is faithful, because his promises are sure, you can go forward, standing in the will of God, knowing that there's nothing to fear. As the hymn writer says,

trust and obey. For there's no other way to be happy in Jesus than to trust and obey.

There's no other way for Jacob to see his son's face again. Just like there's no other way for us to be happy in Jesus than to trust and obey. Because God is faithful and he's given us his word. Well let's now turn to the second scene. So scene number two. Jacob takes all his family to Egypt. This is verses 5 through 27. Jacob takes all his family to Egypt. And here we see Jacob responding to this divine encouragement that he received the night before. Verses 5 through 7 says that Jacob arose and he went. And notice how stress is laid on the fact that he took all his family and all his stuff. It says, verse five,

then Jacob set out from Beersheba. The sons of Israel carried Jacob, their father, their little ones, and their wives in the wagons that Pharaoh had sent to carry him. They also took their livestock and their goods, which they had gained in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob and all his offspring with him, his sons and his sons' sons with him, his daughters and his sons' daughters, all his offspring he brought with him into Egypt.

Now, why is there this emphasis on all? Well, first of all, I think it shows the decisiveness and the commitment of this action. Jacob is leaving no foothold in Canaan. He's making no arrangements to return. He's making everything on this trip to Egypt. But second, it shows that the whole family is sticking together. None is left behind. None wanders off to go his own way, to do his own thing. God is keeping his people together. This is the family out of which God is going to make a great nation. He's not allowing them to fracture apart. He is seeing to it that this nation will include every last one of them, that not one of his people is lost. And so the faithfulness of God to this family is being emphasized here. Further, notice that Moses then takes the next 20 verses to actually list all these names. Now why does he do that? Why is this genealogy important? Well, let's first note a few things about it. First, the twelve sons are grouped and listed according to Jacob's wives. So Leah's six sons are listed first, then the two sons of Leah's maidservant, Zilpah, then the two sons of Rachel, then the two sons of Rachel's maidservant, Bilhah. Now, second, there are some interesting little tidbits that you notice along the way. For example, Rachel is the only one called Jacob's wife. That's in verse 19, and perhaps a reminder that she was Jacob's favorite, and in a sense, the only one he ever intended to marry. Only Joseph's wife, Asenath, is mentioned out of all the son's wives. Simeon's called out in verse 10 for having a son with a Canaanite woman. Only two daughters are mentioned. Dinah, since she was mentioned before, and then Sirah, a daughter of Asher. Er and Onan are listed, but then it's noted that they had already died. And Ephraim and Manasseh are also listed, but then it's noted that they were born in Egypt. And it's also a bit striking just how varied the fruitfulness of the different sons is. For example, Dan has only one son. Benjamin has ten. But the main thing I want you to pay attention to is the sum of all the counts, because that's really what Moses seems to be making a big point of. You'll notice he has all these subtotals of 33 from Leah, 16 from Zilpah, 14 from Rachel, 7 from Bilhah, and then when you add all the numbers up, you get the number that he concludes with, which is that the house of Jacob numbered 70. Now why is this number 70 important, and how exactly does Moses get there? Because even when you add up all the names, at first it doesn't quite work out, and you have to think, okay, how is he counting? Well, I think the simplest and probably the correct solution is that Air and Onan are counted, even though they're dead, and Ephraim and Manasseh are counted, even though they were born in Egypt, but the two daughters, Dinah and Sirah, are not. And that makes all the subtotals work out. And the subtotals are then consistently the number of sons who've come from Jacob's body. So that would be how Moses gets the number 70. But then, if you subtract Air and Onan, and you subtract Manasseh and Ephraim, because they didn't actually make the journey, you get the 66 persons referred to in verse 26. Okay, so 66 sons come down into Egypt, But the representative number for those belonging to the house of Jacob is 70. Now, hopefully by now it should be clear that Moses is not simply trying to tell us the historical detail of the number of people in the caravan. There's something about this number 70. He's actually making a theological point related to it. And this number is important because it's the number from the table of nations in Genesis chapter 10. So in Genesis 10, it lists Noah's sons, their children and their grandchildren, who formed the various nations that are scattered across the face of the earth. And the number there is 70. And so Moses is trying to show that Jacob's offspring now correspond to that. Now, why is that important? Well, two reasons. First, it's because if the whole earth was populated by going from one man, Noah, to his 70 offspring, and then to the vast multitudes across the face of the earth, I think Moses is saying this is a sign that God is about to do the same thing through Jacob. God has now taken Abraham, who is old and childless and as good as dead, and God has multiplied his seed through Isaac and now Jacob to be 70 strong. And just as God used 70 men to populate the whole earth, he will multiply these 70 into a great nation as numerous as the sands by the sea. They may seem small, but the number is already signifying God's faithfulness. As Moses later says in Deuteronomy chapter 10,

your fathers went down to Egypt 70 persons, and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven.

Okay, so there's a first reason. Now, a second reason that this number 70 is significant is because it's a sign that like the repopulation of the earth after the flood, Israel is like a fresh start and a new humanity after Babel. You see, in the flood, God wiped everything out to start fresh. But after Babel, he scattered the nations so that he might choose one man through whom he would eventually bring salvation to them all. Remember his promise to Abraham,

through you, I will bless all the families of the earth.

But in all of this, The hope that's behind all of God's promises, that's behind all of God's working, is the hope of a new creation. The hope of a return to Eden. Remember Genesis chapter three verse 15. God promised that a seed would come of the woman who would crush the serpent's head. And that means a reversal of the curse. That means a restoration of blessing. And ultimately, that means a restoration of Eden. And the purpose of God choosing Abraham was both to say that it is through you, Abraham, that this seed who will bring this blessing will come, as well as to prepare a people from Abraham who would be the heirs of that new creation. You see, just as the 70 of Israel here represent the heirs of a new creation, just like the 70 from Genesis 10 inherited this creation. And I think all this also starts to make more sense when you think about the importance of genealogies in Genesis. We see genealogies in chapter 5, chapter 10, Chapter 11, then chapters 12 through 50 is just following the story of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob's families. And throughout all of this, we're supposed to be asking the question, who is the seed from Genesis 3.15? Where will they come from? And the genealogies are answering that question. In fact, we can trace the seed, just amazing, we can trace it from Adam to Seth, to Enosh, to Kenan, to Mahalalel, to Jared, to Enoch, to Methuselah, to Lamech, to Noah, to Shem, to Arpachshad, to Shelah, to Eber, to Peleg, to Reu, to Sarug, to Nahor, to Terah, to Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob, and now to these 70. I mean, it's amazing the detail that Moses is tracing the line of the seed all the way through. And it leads us to the point where we should see that now in these 70, lies the hope of the whole world. These are the ones from whom the Messiah will come. They together represent the people who will inherit the new world when God brings his promises to pass. We should be able to see in this 70 the faithfulness of God to his promise. And think for a moment about what all this means for us. I mean, if The 70 of Jacob testify to God's faithfulness and God's promise of a new creation. How much more should we be able to look around at God's people now and see that today? I mean, if Jacob could see just the seeds of the fulfillment of God's promises in his day, we can see the flower in ours. We can see that this promised Messiah has come. That Jesus was born, that he lived, that he died, that he rose again. And by doing that, he has crushed the serpent's head. We can see that his church is being built, that the gates of hell have not prevailed against it. That in spite of all the persecutions, all the false teachings, all of our sin and our failures, the church has in fact spread among all the nations of the earth. That God has in fact made a great nation out of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And he's made an even greater nation out of us. That we are the true sons of Abraham who are of faith, just like Abraham, the man of faith. That through Abraham, God has indeed blessed all the families of the earth. And not only that, but we can see the very dawning of this new creation in the transformation of God's people's lives. This is why the Bible says things like,

therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is new creation. The old is gone, the new has come

, that already the Holy Spirit has come to begin this regenerating work in our hearts, to make us new. And even though our outward man is perishing, even though the creation around us still groans with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God, even though there is such a large way in which the curse of sin and death still looms over this world, the resurrection power of Christ is breaking through. The reality of the coming new creation is already dawning around us. We see people who were dead in trespasses and coming alive in Christ. We see lives transformed. And the Bible assures us that this is not just an outward moral reform. I mean, this is a supernatural work of God. This is the beginning of God's new creation. And friends, just as God brought all of Jacob's family into Egypt, we can be assured that God knows how to keep and preserve all of us. That not a single one of Jesus' sheep will remain missing. That he is the good shepherd who has come to seek and save them all. And that when he saves us, no one can snatch us from his hand. Friends, how we can look back at our brothers and sisters in Christ, at faithful saints of old, and we can see how God kept them in the most intense persecution, in martyrdom, in all manner of trials and tribulations. And we can take heart knowing that God is the God who is faithful to keep us. And just as Jacob and his offspring would die in Egypt, Well, God himself is the one who brings us to the promised land. We may die in this world, but we can look forward to a land better than Canaan, a land better even than the Eden of old, an altogether new heavens and a new earth. And so friends, no matter what you face, no matter what fears are before you, look at God's people. Look at the church throughout the world. Be reminded that God is utterly faithful, that God is always true. Look at the 144,000 from the book of Revelation. Sealed from every tribe of Israel. The 70 has multiplied and it's still this perfect number, not a single one is missing. And know that this perfect number, this 144,000, is at the same time the great multitude. whom no one can number, from every tribe and tongue and people and nation, who together stand before the Lamb crying,

salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.

Oh, friends, this is why it is so good for us to come together and sing the Lord's praises. We come together so that as we see one another, we would be encouraged by the faithfulness of God, his faithfulness to save each and every one of his people. and why we don't need to live in fear. So we've seen God's Word, we've seen God's Savior, we've seen God's Word, we've seen how he shows his faithfulness to his people. Now thirdly and finally, let's turn to scene three, which points us especially to God's Savior. So scene number three, this is Jacob sees Joseph. Verses 28 through 30, Jacob sees Joseph. Now in verse 28, we read that as they got closer, Jacob had sent Judah on ahead. So Judah is going both to tell Joseph they're coming and also to find out the way to Goshen so he can come back and lead them there. And once again, we see Judah emerging as the new family leader. So he leads the family into Goshen, Joseph prepares his chariot, and Joseph comes to see his father. Ever left to imagine what the scene was like when Jacob saw the chariot in the distance, when their eyes first met, when Jacob sees his son who was 17 and now he's 39, clean shaven, dressed like an Egyptian. How surreal it must have been for Jacob. But he can tell this is really him. And Joseph so overcome with emotion that

he presented himself to his father and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while.

They're just embracing, weeping, shedding tears of happiness and joy. What a beautiful reunion it is. And then Israel says, now let me die since I have seen your face and know that you are still alive. Now, at first that may sound strange to you. What do you mean, let me die? I would understand you wanted to die from grief, but doesn't this give you a reason to live? But I think the point is Jacob is expressing his complete satisfaction, the full joy and contentment he feels, which means now I can die in peace. You know, I commented at the beginning of chapter 42 that when Jacob first sent his sons to Egypt, it seems like he felt like a failure as a father. Joseph is gone. His family is falling apart. This is spoken like a proud father. Like a man who knows his race is complete. His son rules over Egypt. His whole family is in Goshen. He has safely delivered them to the place that God has for them. He can now deliver them and trust them to the care of Joseph, the savior of the family, the one who is already saving them from a famine and the one who now rules and protects them for their good. In other words, Jacob speaks here as a man whose fears are overcome. He finally sees Joseph with his own eyes. He knows it's really true. He's experiencing the fulfillment of God's promises. God had said, Joseph will close your eyes. And he knows finally he is reunited with his son. God has been faithful to his word. He knows that he has now finished his race. He's done all that God has asked of him. He can die in peace. Friends, I think the question this presses us to ask is, can you die in peace? Are you fully satisfied in Christ? I mean, if seeing Joseph's face and just knowing he was alive was enough for Jacob to be ready to die in peace, was fully satisfying to him, how much more should that be true of us in Christ? Is seeing Jesus enough? This is reminiscent, I think of Simeon. who after years of waiting for the birth of Messiah, finally went into the temple and got to take baby Jesus in his arms. And he said,

Lord, you are now letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation.

I think of the words of Paul, when he said,

for to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

He goes on to say,

what things were gained to me, these I've counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed, I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I've suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in him. Not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, But that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith, that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and may share his sufferings, being like him in his death, if by any means I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

And the point Paul's making there is that knowing Christ is enough. Knowing Christ is everything. I mean, we shouldn't think, oh, but I need to get married. I have to have kids. I need to fulfill my career. I need to have this experience. I need to accomplish that thing. Christ saved me, but not yet. Christ, come back, but not yet. And Jesus, whatever you do, don't let me die. Oh, what fears fill our hearts when we concern ourselves with all those things, with all those extra agendas, those secondary goals. And we think of all these things that we need besides Christ, in addition to Christ. But if we see him rightly, then with Jacob we can say, now let me die since I have seen your face and know that you are still alive. Now let me die that I've seen your face and know that you are risen. Now let me die that I've seen your face and know that you have died on the cross for my sins. I'm justified by your blood. Now, let me die since I have seen your face and know that even if I die here in Egypt, I will be with you in paradise. And until I die, may I live for Christ and know that to die is gain. See, friends, Jesus is our hope. He's our savior. He's our all. And if you're here today without Christ, if you're not a believer, you don't know that your sins are forgiven by his work on the cross. Would you look to him? Trust in him, believe in him. He is the one and only way of salvation, and he is the perfect way of salvation. He saves to the uttermost all who come to him. And friends, as we look to him, may our fears fade away. because he's the one who's called faithful and true. In the face of Christ, may whatever is upon you, no matter where you are, whatever you're facing, may you be assured that in him all the promises of God are yes and amen. He is the faithful witness. He's the one who loves us, who died for us, who lives for us, who intercedes for us, who's with us wherever we go, and who is coming back. See, right now, we see him through eyes of faith. But one day, just like Jacob finally getting to see Joseph, we will get to see our Lord and Savior face to face. No, friends, what an antidote to fear. That should be in our lives. Just to know that God is faithful, so we don't have to be afraid. That just as God spoke to Jacob in a night vision, God speaks to us through his word that just as Jacob could look around at his family 70 strong and know that God was faithful, we can look around at God's people and be reminded of his faithfulness through the ages. And just as Jacob was able to look at his son Joseph's face, we can look into the face of Christ so that our fear may give way to joy. Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for this time to study your word. We praise you because you are the faithful God. We praise you because you have given us so much to look forward to. We praise you that in the here and now, you will always provide. Oh God, may you free us from fear. May you strengthen our faith. May you give us grace to live for your glory. We ask this in Jesus' name, amen.