And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” 3 Then he said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do notbe afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. (Genesis 46:2,3 ESV)
In high school, I painted houses. My boss knew that I was not on speaking terms with heights, but he kept sending me to the kind of jobs that required long reaches under eaves, delicate balance on teetering ladders, and (in my memory) leaps across canyons of empty space to put paint on THAT distant spot.
Whenever there was a two-or-three story house that needed painting, Tom was the one that got to go. I climbed, stretched, painted, and eventually… by the end of that summer… heights and I were almost getting along.
And I realized that my boss had sent me there, perhaps, to practice getting over my fear. Whether he meant to or not, that was the blessed result.
Have you ever noticed how many times God’s people went down to Egypt? Abram, Jacob, Joseph, Joseph’s brothers, Benjamin, Jacob (again,) all were sent to Egypt. And it doesn’t stop there. The wandering Israelites are tempted to return to Egypt, the Kings of Judah and Israel look in that direction. Many of the prophets, particularly Jeremiah, consider Egypt as a location. And lastly, even Jesus’ family heads down to Egypt, fleeing Herod.
“Going down to Egypt” is a lot like, “climbing that ladder.”
And maybe God’s people were practicing trust in God, instead of fearing trouble.
Mary and Joseph didn’t fear Egypt. Not only did they have generations of memories of God’s protection in Egypt, they knew they had Immanuel with them.
But so did Abram, Jacob, Joseph and the rest.
When Jesus promises that He will never leave us or forsake us, He included any trips to Egypt we might have planned… or any climbs up a ladder… or whatever journey you fear.
Fear not, because Immanuel.