“Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation.” Genesis 46:3
God promised Abraham that He would make him into a great nation (12:2). That was years ago, and not much progress had been made. Abraham had Isaac. Then Isaac had Jacob and Esau, but Esau despised his birthright, so now it was up to Jacob.
Do the math. If Abraham had ten sons, Isaac had ten sons, and Jacob had the same, they would have a thousand descendants in just three generations. But that did not happen. Abraham was one, Isaac was one, and Jacob was one. That’s three generations and zero progress.
Then God appeared to Jacob and gave him the same promise. God said, “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body” (35:11).
Jacob had twelve sons, so it appeared something was happening. But remember, for twenty years he believed Joseph was dead. Simeon was in prison, and Jacob feared Benjamin would be next. The rest of the family was in serious danger of being wiped out by famine.
But now everything was changing. Jacob left the land God had promised. And God told him not to be afraid to go down to Egypt, “for there I will make you into a great nation.” God was saying, “Jacob, I have not forgotten my promise. In Egypt I will fulfill the great purpose for your life.”
And that is exactly what happened. God fulfilled His promise for Jacob’s life, not in Canaan but in Egypt. From this small group of about seventy people who came to Egypt, God created a great nation (Gen. 46:27). Fast-forward to the time of the exodus, and Israel would have become a nation of more than two million people.
Is there a promise of God that seems unlikely to you now? Why? Instead of giving in to fearful circumstances, will you trust Him because of His faithfulness?
