Jun 19

Part 79: The Unexpected Path of God’s Promises

Tim Frost |Series: Genesis |Genesis 46:1-34


We want so much for life to be linear. The quickest way from A to B is a straight line. If we have goals we want to achieve them quickly. If we have tasks, we want to accomplish them with no hindrances. But God is not seemingly concerned with our over-focus on efficiency.

If efficiency is the primary motivator we can often lose out on the messy process that actually grows us in our character and allows us to achieve a better result. The growth that comes from slowing down, listening, trusting, taking risks, training others, and bringing others along, is part of the goal. The process of achieving the goal is part of the goal.

We see this over and over again that the path to fulfillment of God’s promises is often one with many twists and turns, with many difficulties, many inconveniences, with many unexpected occurrences, but ultimately one that shapes our character and produces a deep-rooted faith in Him.

And that’s what is happening here in Genesis. So much of the storyline of Genesis has been about faith in God’s promises. And we’ve seen that the fulfillment of these promises often takes unexpected turns. And that’s where faithful obedience comes in as we look in expectation to God’s faithfulness.

Genesis 46 covers the journey of Jacob and his family from Canaan to Egypt and to the land of Goshen that they would ultimately settle. In the middle of this account we get another list of names. If you’re anything like me, when we come these lists of names it can be difficult to get through. But, we need to remember that as the inspired Word of God, nothing is wasted, everything has a purpose, and even these lists of names tell us something about what God is doing. God’s faithfulness is on display and he calls us to trust in him.


More From This Series