46:3, 4 The Israelites did become a great nation, and Jacob’s descendants eventually returned to Canaan. The book of Exodus recounts the story of Israel’s slavery in Egypt for 400 years (fulfilling God’s words to Abram in 15:13-16), and the book of Joshua gives an exciting account of the Israelites entering and conquering Canaan, the Promised Land.
46:3, 4 God told Jacob to leave his home and travel to a strange and faraway land. But God reassured him by promising to go with him and take care of him. When new situations or surroundings frighten you, recognize that experiencing fear is normal. To be paralyzed by fear, however, is an indication that you question God’s ability to take care of you.
46:4 Jacob never returned to Canaan, but God promised that his descendants would return. “Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes” refers to attending to him as he faced death. It was God’s promise to Jacob that he would never know the pain of being lonely again.
46:31-34 Jacob moved his whole family to Egypt, but they wanted to live apart from the Egyptians. To ensure this, Joseph told them to let Pharaoh know they were shepherds. Although Pharaoh may have been sympathetic to shepherds (for he was probably descended from the nomadic Hyksos line), the Egyptian culture would not willingly accept shepherds among them. The strategy worked, and Jacob’s family was able to benefit from Pharaoh’s generosity as well as from the Egyptians’ prejudice.