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Now let's get into today's teaching from Pastor Skip Heitzig. This particular worship service was exciting. Because Joseph is alive. I haven't seen him for 22 years. There's going to be a reunion.
He's cautious. But he's excited. And he calls upon the Lord, and the Lord speaks to him. As he calls his name, he says, Here I am. He said, I am God, the God of your Father.
Do not fear to go down to Egypt. For I will make of you a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt. I will also surely bring you up again, and Joseph will put his hand. on your eyes.
Just a side note.
Okay. The patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, those are the patriarchs. The patriarchs had a very simple Uncomplicated relationship with God. God Would speak audibly to them.
Sometimes God would appear to them in some form or fashion. They would build an altar. They would sacrifice to God. And they would move on. It's interesting, Joseph does not have the same experience with God.
That they do. There is never a record that God speaks directly to Joseph. It's a very different relationship.
Now before you say Well, Joseph maybe wasn't as spiritual. Really? As Jacob Like he was some spiritual dude? No, not that at all. In fact, sometimes, because we're dense, perhaps, God has to use more obvious methods.
Didn't have to do it with Joseph. The way God spoke to Joseph was simply. to the dreams that he had. Or other people's dreams, even a pagan. King's dreams, pharaohs.
No direct speaking, no apparition, but God is speaking to him through dreams. Every relationship with God is different. Enjoy the one you have with the Lord by faith. Don't try to copy somebody else's. God speaks to Jacob.
Gives him these promises. And notice what he says. It's almost the same thing he says to Abraham in verse 3: for I will make of you a great nation there. Do you remember that promise that was given? To Abraham, chapter 12.
It's funny then because Abraham Was married, but had no children at all. His wife was infertile, and God says, I'm going to make you into a great nation. Really? I don't even have a kid.
Now it's the same promise. Children later, grandchildren later. Great-grandchildren later. It's the same promise. I'm going to make you, Jacob, into a great nation.
And boy did he. Today, within the borders of what is called the modern state of Israel, 7.2 million people live. Five point six million are Jewish. The offspring. of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
In the last several years, the State of Israel has seen a 43% increase. due to immigration alone. They have presently a ten billion dollar per year economy. That's pretty good. Very strong.
economy. Per year, the state of Israel. is the size of New Jersey. And that's their national economy. The State of Israel today is the world's fourth leading exporter of citrus fruit in the world.
The third largest exporter of flowers. In the world. When I was in Israel this last time, I was talking to friends of mine. I said, hey, how's the economy here in Israel? Because the rest of the world, it's pretty bad.
He said, actually, it's never been better.
So now I'm curious, I go, why is that? Our housing market has gone bad. And he goes, well, it's interesting in your country, you were able to buy a house if you could put 10 or 20 percent down. You can't do that in my country of Israel. Our law requires you have to put down, the down payment has to be 80% to 90% down.
The bank will then carry the 10 or 20 percent max.
So we grow up. from our youth being people who save money, not spend money. We save it and save it and save it until we have enough money to put that much down, so their economy is stronger and stabler. Here's the promise: I will make you a great nation. Boy, did the Lord make good on that one.
Mm-hmm. 70 souls will go down to Egypt. By the time Moses, the deliverer, takes them into the land of Canaan once again. There will be at least, and these are conservative estimates. 2,100,000 conservatively.
From 70 to that number by the time this great nation. Is ready to inherit the land of Canaan once again.
Now, God makes three promises in verse 4. I will go down with you to Egypt. You can do anything. As long as God is with you. When God was sending Moses.
And said, go. He said, I won't go unless you go with us. That's a good way to proceed. I won't go, Lord, unless you're coming.
So here's Jacob leaving the land of God. but not leaving the God of the land. God says, I'm coming with. You won't be down there alone, that's the first promise. And I will also surely bring you up again.
Now, when will that promise be fulfilled? Because he's going to die in Egypt, but his body will be carried back. To the land of Israel, the land of Canaan, he'll be buried in the cave of Machpelah. In Hebron, where Abraham, Isaac are buried. But probably the fulfillment is you're coming back as a nation.
The whole of you, 2.1 million plus people. In the future, will all be coming out when you multiply back to this land again to inherit the land. And the third promise is, and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes. When people die, you know, in the movies, at least in the old movies, people die like this. take their last breath and then they close their eyes and go.
Hmm. That's not how it is in real life. Usually, when a person dies, and I've watched a number of people die, their eyes remain open. And it's the privilege of the nearest of kin to gently put the hand on the face and close the eyes. Joseph will do that for you.
You're going to see Joseph and the honor and the privilege that is typically reserved for the firstborn. will be the privilege of Joseph to close your eyes.
Now, I imagine that these promises are coming to Jacob because Jacob is feeling a little bit ambivalent about going down to Egypt. Would you think he is? I think he is. And here's why I think he is. Aside from the fact that grandpa and dad went down to Egypt and it was a real bad thing to do.
There's a promise that God made my grandpa, and he knew about it. Genesis 15. He says, Abraham, your descendants. are going to be slaves In a land not theirs for 400 years. They're going to be in Egypt 400 years and they're going to be slaves.
I'm going to bring them back with great possessions, but they're going into slavery. I'm sure Jacob isn't too excited about leaving the land, knowing that this is the beginning of the fulfillment of the prediction that Grandpa had. that they were going into slavery.
So he really wants to make sure it's God's will.
Now here's an important principle. In Romans 12, Verses 1 and 2, I think you know this well. Paul said, I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. That you may prove what is that good?
acceptable and perfect will of God. The will of God for Abraham and Isaac. Was not to go to Egypt. The will of God for Jacob was. Go to Egypt.
The will of God for you may not be the will of God for you. Or may not be the will of God for me. Certain things will be across the board, but individually they vary. Whatever the will of God is for you. We'll be good.
Acceptable. and perfect. Jacob just wants to find out: is this the will of God for me? That's why he's ambivalent. God assures him.
Verse 5. Jacob arose from Beersheba, And the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little ones, their wives, in the carts, first class, man. that Pharaoh had sent to carry him.
So they took their livestock. their goods, which they acquired in the land of Canaan, and went to Egypt, Jacob and all of his descendants with him. His sons And his sons Sons, I love that phrase now. Because I have a son and I have a son's son. And they all went to Egypt.
His daughters, his sons' daughters, all of his descendants he brought with him to Egypt. Joseph would save the entire family. Not just one, the entire family. I love that. Do you pray for your entire family?
Could you be the catalyst that brings your entire family to know the Lord? I'm expecting My son And my son's son. And my sons, sons and/or daughters, whatever the Lord would give them. in the future to be with me forever in heaven. I believe that the Lord is in the business of saving households.
Paul said to the Philippian jailer, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved and your household. It's not that automatically they are, but God. will use the one who is saved to be the catalyst for the others. God willing that will happen in our lives. You're listening to Connect with Skip Heitzig.
Before we return to Skip's teaching, what would your life look like if God's fingerprints were all over it? In God print, The Life of Abraham, Pastor Skip takes you through seven powerful messages on the faith journey of one man who learned to trust God through crisis, fear, and uncertainty. Abraham's life was shaped by God, and so can yours be. The God Print Seven Message Series is our thank you for your gift of $50 or more today to support the worldwide ministry of Connect with Skip-Heitzig. Your support helps reach more people with verse-by-verse teaching of the Bible so they can connect with God's timeless truth.
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Now let's get back to today's teaching with Pastor Skip.
Now, these were the names of the children of Israel: Jacob and his sons, who went into Egypt. Reuben was Jacob's firstborn.
Okay. Glance over the next few verses. Because we just want to Skip a lot of those names. If you're into reading the names, just have fun on your own. You're looking at a list of names.
It's telling you who went down. And in looking at the list of names, you might think: well, who cares about a list of names? And honestly, when I read through lists of names and genealogies, I don't get terribly excited. Unless My name was in the list. I get terribly excited.
Why are there these genealogies smattered throughout the Bible? Two reasons. Number one, They are pointing to and will lead ultimately to the most significant genealogy of the most significant person ever, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. Number two. Because there are no little people to God.
To God, all of these names are important, and I love it that they're included in holy scripture. God's record book, these names hard to pronounce that will never on this earth know really who they are or what they did. are all important to God. Jesus said concerning our Father in heaven. Your Heavenly Father knows when one sparrow falls to the earth.
and even the very hairs of your head are numbered.
Now I don't care about the hairs on your head. But God does. That's Jesus' point. There are no little people to the Lord. God cares.
So there's a list of names. They're given by um Division. The wives of Jacob are listed.
Now here are the divisions. First of all, The sons of Leah. Jacobs First wife, the one he didn't want, the one that Laban. put in the place of Rachel. Her children are given first.
Then the children of Zilpah are given, the handmaiden to his first wife, Leia. Then the children of Rachel, his second wife, And She's called here his wife. She's the only one called his wife because that's really the one he loved. And then the children of Bilhah, the handmaiden of Rachel, are also given. And it's the names of the tribes.
And if you're looking for names for children, and you're always looking for Bible names, or some of you are, you've got a lot to choose from here, like Ohad. Carmy Hezron I've never dedicated a Hezron or A carmy, but You might be the first. The children's names are given. Look at verse 13. The sons of Issachar were Tolah.
Touva Job. And Simron.
Some scholars believe that this Job, this son of Issachar, one of the 70 that goes down to Egypt. is the Job of the book of Job. Others dispute on that, but some lean to this being Job. Yeah. If you take all of the genealogical records.
Moses will be about 55 years of age. Uh contemporary with the adult Job, That will be written here in this chapter. He will be a contemporary of it. The book of Job, we don't know who wrote it. It's an unknown author.
Some believe it's the oldest. Book in the Bible. We know that Moses wrote Genesis, Exodus, the first five books of Moses. And it is thought that perhaps he wrote the book of Job. A lot of scholars believe he wrote the book of Job.
It could be that he had a relationship with that Job. that is written about in your Old Testament. It's a thought, it is disputed, I thought I'd bring it up. More names are given. More names are given.
Verse 19, The sons of Rachel, Jacob's wife, were Joseph and Benjamin. Yeah. To Joseph in the land of Egypt. were born Manasseh and Ephraim. Whom Asanoth, the daughter of Potiphara, priest of On, bore to him.
Now, if you remember, we have mentioned that Jesus Christ is seen in the life of Joseph, that Joseph becomes a type of Christ. Remember the study we did on that for communion? We called it Joseph is a lot like Jesus, or Jesus is a lot like Joseph. What's interesting about all of these wives is that Joseph is the one who marries a Gentile bride.
Now that's significant because so did Jesus. The church, which is largely non-Jewish, largely Gentile. We're called the bride of Christ. The nation of Israel is called the wife of Jehovah. There's a distinction between Israel and the church that's very important when it comes to eschatology.
Israel is called the wife of Jehovah. The church is called the bride of Christ. We are the Gentile bride of Christ. Joseph married a Gentile bride. The sons of Benjamin, verse 21.
Our list of all of these names. I'm not going to read them, but there are 10. There are ten.
Okay. Here's what's wild. Two. Ten children, he has the most, Benjamin. Benjamin is in his mid-twenties.
How did he get ten children? It becomes An issue. to the commentators in trying to deal with this. Evidently he started very young. which was not uncommon in those days.
He could have had twins. in some cases, or triplets. But he was a very busy young man. Um Raising this family. The other tribes are given: Dan, verse 23, 24, Napdale.
These were the sons of Bilha, verse 25. Verse 26 and 7 are the summary verses. All the persons who went with Jacob to Egypt. who came from his body, besides Jacob's sons' wives, were sixty six persons. In all.
So 66, that's excluding Jacob, Joseph, Ephraim, and Manasseh. And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two persons: that's Ephraim and Manasseh.
So all the persons of the house of Jacob who went to Egypt were seventy.
Now we have a problem. When you get to Acts chapter 7, and Stephen is giving the history of Israel. Stephen says to the Sanhedrin, the scholars, who would know, What's what and what numbers are what? Stephen says, 75 persons. Went down to Egypt.
Not 70, not 66, 75.
Now he is following the Septuagint version, the Greek version of the Hebrew Old Testament. That's what the early church quoted from. In the New Testament. There was no dissent among those that he was talking to, 75 people.
So it is believed that if you count and it wasn't counted and it is counted in the 75, the Two children of Manasseh, the two children of Ephraim, and one of the grandsons, the one grandson at the time of Ephraim. That's five extra people making 75. I'm bringing that up thinking somebody's going to have that question, so I'd nip it in the bud first. And then he sent Judah before him to Joseph. to point out before him the way to Goshen.
and they came to the land of Goshen. And remember we said Goshen was the fertile part.
So, if you're flying over Albuquerque and you say, okay, I'm going to put you in the fertile part of Albuquerque, where are you going to put them? You're gonna put him in the valley. Right, you're gonna put them in the valley. You're not gonna go like 20 miles west. You're going to put them right where the water is.
Goshen was 900 square miles of where all the water was. The very best part. Of the land of Egypt was Goshen.
So Joseph made ready his chariot and went up to Goshen. To meet his father Israel.
Now, watch this, I love this. And he presented himself to him. and fell on his neck, and wept on his neck A good while. Yeah. Now Joseph This guy's important.
This guy's the prime minister. This guy was number two in the land. He was a big dog. His license plate on his chariot read number two. Number one was Pharaoh.
Number two, that was Joseph. Joseph, being in charge, could have easily looked at Jacob and said, Remember that dream I had that even you would bow? Do it now. Bow. Rather He's getting ready.
And he's going up, and he's going to present himself to his father. This is a sign of respect. I love this. Because I feel that sometimes as kids grow up, Toward adulthood, they lose respect. for their parents.
They lose respect for the older generation. I think a person becomes more valuable the older they are. Because they have so much experience and so much to share in terms of mentoring, so valuable. But so often, at least in our culture, you know. When you're growing up, your parents are the smartest people on earth.
They're just, wow, they know everything. They're so strong and mighty. And then, as you grow, they get dumber. Until you're like in junior, high, and high school, you go, My parents are so dumb. I mean, they don't even get this modern society.
They don't even understand anymore. And then you go away, you leave home, and you come back, and it's amazing what your parents have learned in the time you've been away. And have your own kids and you go, man. They're wise. You get my drift.
There's a respect that this boy, this son of Jacob, has for his father. He presents himself, and I love it. He fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while. Just imagine. For 22 years Jacob is believed Joseph is dead.
He understands he's alive. He can't wait for this moment. It's such an emotional moment to find out his son is alive and to look at him and recognize him. There's a story from World War II. Yeah.
That a father received a letter. that his son was missing in action with the Allied forces. Good. During the war.
Okay. The belongings, the personal belongings of that Boy, the soldier was sent to his father. The war ended and a decade went by. Ten years went by. Eventually, They found that that boy was alive.
He had long-term amnesia. And he had a missing identification or he had a An uncertain identification, and somebody eventually flagged it, and he was reunited with his father. Can you imagine thinking your son is dead for that length of time only to discover he's alive? And he's in charge, and he's going to take care of me. Too good to be true, I just won the lottery.
And Israel said to Joseph, Now let me die since I have seen your face because you are still alive. You know what this reminds me of? Do you remember Simeon in the New Testament when Jesus is brought into the temple, and that old man takes that little baby Jesus in his hands and he lifts him up and he says, Now you are letting your servant die in peace, Lord. because my eyes have seen your salvation. Thanks for listening to Connect with Skiff Heitzik.
Before you go, don't forget to request this month's resource, GodPrint, The Life of Abraham. This powerful seven-message study from Skip-Heitzig shows how God's presence shaped one man's life and how he can shape yours. It's our thanks for your generous gift of fifty dollars or more to support this ministry. Call 800-922-1888. That's 800-922-1888.
Or visit connectwithskip.com slash donate. And while you're there, sign up for Skip's weekly devotional email to grow deeper in your walk with Christ. Come back next time for more verse-by-verse teaching of God's Word here on Connect with Skip Heitzig. Make a connection, let the food. Of the crossing castle burden.
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