Genesis 45:25-46:7

They went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan, to Jacob their father. They told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” His heart fainted, for he didn’t believe them. They told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said to them. When he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob, their father, revived. Israel said, “It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

Israel traveled with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father, Isaac. God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, “Jacob, Jacob!”

He said, “Here I am.”

He said, “I am God, the God of your father. Don’t be afraid to go down into Egypt, for there I will make of you a great nation. I will go down with you into Egypt. I will also surely bring you up again. Joseph will close your eyes.”

Jacob rose up from Beersheba, and the sons of Israel carried Jacob, their father, their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. They took their livestock, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt—Jacob, and all his seed with him, his sons, and his sons’ sons with him, his daughters, and his sons’ daughters, and he brought all his seed with him into Egypt.

This is a wonderful example of a man looking to God before making a very serious decision. No matter how much He loved Joseph, and no matter how much he wanted to eat and stay alive, God had told Jacob’s family that the land of Canaan was to be their home. It is not surprising at all that he went to Beersheba and offered sacrifices.

We learn from the night vision that God knew that Jacob was afraid to go. God made it very clear that Jacob was to go to Egypt instead of staying in Canaan. In fact, God was going to make them “a great nation” in Egypt. Take special notice that God also promised to bring them back out of Egypt. Once again God makes a promise that must be believed simply because He said it.

As Christians, we have the ability to come to God in prayer and be heard. When we have decisions to make, we should ask God for his guidance. God is able to make His direction clear to us. He may not choose to tell us in a night vision, but He can find a way to give us vision about what He wants for us. It may be through reading the Bible and understanding what it says. Whatever we do, it must be consistent with what the Bible says. Beyond that, God can make the details clear to us in personal ways and He will provide what we need to follow His will.

Just like Jacob, we should not just believe it because of the money or the amazing circumstances. We should seek God’s will no matter what the circumstances are.