Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. (Psalm 100:4)
As we reach chapter forty-six of Genesis, we see that it had been a long, hard road for Jacob. The heartache he had known had been severe. He had lived with the thought that his precious son Joseph had been torn apart by wild beasts. Recently, he had been separated from his son Simeon and from Benjamin, as well.
Jacob had no idea what was taking place in Egypt while his sons were gone to buy more food. Pharaoh had heard that Joseph’s brethren had come, and he told Joseph to prepare wagons in a kingly fashion and send them back to Canaan to fetch his father, Jacob. Pharaoh was going to give Jacob and his sons the best of the land of Egypt.
We can read the account in Genesis 45:24-46:7. Notice carefully what happened in Genesis 46:1— “And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.” On Jacob’s way to Egypt, he stopped in Beersheba and offered sacrifices to God. Certainly, he was very eager to see Joseph, but he took the time to stop and thank the Lord.
We Should See the Blessings
Imagine the anguish Jacob was under when his sons were all gone. He was left in Hebron alone. After much persuasion, he even allowed Benjamin to go down to Egypt. He thought about his sons and wondered what they were doing and when they would be home.
Suddenly, he saw them coming. They told him that Joseph was alive, but he had trouble believing it. Then he saw the wagons coming in a kingly fashion and they confirmed that the story was true. The Bible says that when he saw the wagons, his spirit was revived. He recognized the hand of God and saw His blessings.
As we see the blessings, God does a work in our hearts. He refreshes us by His Spirit. We must see the blessings and not allow the Devil to blind us to the goodness of God.
We Should Thank Our God
The Bible says in Genesis 46:1 that Jacob “offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.” He thanked God. We must not forget to thank the Lord for His goodness in our lives.
Beersheba is at the southern tip of the land of Canaan. From Hebron to Beersheba is about twenty-five or thirty miles. As they traveled toward Egypt, when they came to Beersheba, Jacob said, “Stop the wagons. I know we are excited about seeing Joseph and going to Egypt, but we must stop and thank the Lord!” There is a world of difference between thinking about the Lord and actually thanking the Lord.
Before Jacob left Canaan and started into the desert on the way to Egypt, he got out of the wagon, fell on his face, and thanked God. What could have been more important than seeing Joseph? The thing that was more important was thanking the God who made it possible to see Joseph. So, everything came to a halt, and they offered sacrifices unto God at Beersheba.
We Should Obey the Lord
Notice what the Lord said to Jacob in Genesis 46:2-4. God gave him courage, assurance, and direction. God told him to go down to Egypt, and God promised to be with him.
If we know that God is blessing our lives, then we should obey Him. We may be thankful to Him, but we must also be obedient to Him. If we are truly thankful for His blessings, it will make a difference in the way we live.
Our gratitude to God should bring about obedience to God. Obedience to God is not simply doing His will; it is delighting in doing His will. God desires for us to see His blessings so that we might have a grateful heart for what He has done. He wants us to thank Him and obey Him.