When Jacob
first heard that Joseph was still alive, he went numb. He couldn’t believe his
ear. He must have thought it was another story his sons had fabricated.
However, he could not deny the evidence of the wagons of goods sent by Joseph
to him. When he saw all that, his soul became alive again. And with great zeal,
Jacob declared in Genesis 45:28, “I will go and see
him before I die.” So he set out for Egypt with all that he had. However, when he came
to Beersheba, which was still quite a distance from his destination. Jacob
paused to offer a sacrifice to the God of Isaac, his father. What better way to
respond to God than to do so in worship. So he worshipped God at Beersheba.
Why did he
choose Beersheba to offer his worship? It was probably because of its spiritual
significance. Here in this place many memorable things had taken place. In
Genesis 21:31 we are told that it was Abraham who had named this place
Beersheba after he had made a covenant with Abimelech. We are also told in
Genesis 21:33, he planted a tamarisk tree here and called on the name of the
Lord. According to Genesis 22, it was here that his faith took an upward turn
when he was willing to offer Isaac, his only son to God. Beersheba was also significant in Isaac’s
sojourn. It was here that God appeared to Isaac. Genesis 26 reveals that Isaac
built an altar to God and was assured by the Lord three times that He would be
with him. And Jacob probably also knew this place well. In Genesis 28:10 it says
that he lived here before he went on to Haran.
So right here in Beersheba, Jacob offer a sacrifice.
We know the
significance of the place but what could be Jacob’s reasons for offering this
worship to God at this juncture? Two good reasons come to mind. Firstly, it was
because the road ahead was unknown to him. From what God told him later, we can
sense that he entertained fear. He was setting out into territory that he had
yet to chart. The uncertainty of the unknown always bring some degree of trepidation.
So what better thing to do than to commit one’s life to God again. Secondly, it
must be the knowledge that Joseph whom he thought was dead, was still alive. It
was sort of a thanksgiving. The moment Jacob surrendered to God in worship, the
Lord reciprocated by appearing to him with deep assurance to allay his fear.
God came to him in a vision calling out to him.
When he
responded to the tender voice of God, he was told, “I am God, the God of your
father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great
nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring
you up again; and Joseph will close your eyes.” God re-iterated the
plan which his father was given. Here we see four reasons why Jacob should take
heart and not be fearful. Firstly, God made a promise to make him a great
nation. This was the same promise God first made to His grandfather Abraham,
then to his father Isaac. God promised him that He would bring it to pass. Secondly, God promised to personally go with
him. He told Jacob, “I will go down with you to Egypt.” What better companion can we have in any
journey? So there would be no necessity to fear. As with Jacob, God also will travel
with us when we are deeply connected with Him. Thirdly, God promised to
personally bring him out of Egypt again. There would be no impossible situation
with God. He has the capacity to lead us out of tricky situations unscathed.
And fourthly, the son he loved dearly, would be there to attend to his death.
The point is this, worship is the best remedy to fear. For in worship, we will
feel the presence of God and be assured of His promises. Yes we can experience
God deeply in worship. Let’s live a life of worship!
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