Why did God send Israel to Egypt? What purpose did their sojourn there serve? Interpreters have proposed various reasons for this move. One compelling argument is that God primarily intended to isolate His chosen people from the surrounding nations. This isolation was crucial to preserve their unique identity. It would ensure they could fulfill their divine purpose of blessing all nations.
God had promised Abram that He would bless all nations of the earth through his offspring (Gen 12:3). If Abraham’s family merged with other cultures, they would prevent God from fulfilling His promises. The book of Genesis provides several examples of how Isaac’s offspring were beginning to merge into the surrounding cultures and adopt their practices and behaviors. This was a trend that threatened to derail God’s plan for Abraham’s lineage. Let’s examine some of these instances and explore how they may have necessitated divine intervention.
Cultural assimilation
The Slaughter of Shechem (Genesis 34)
The violent incident at Shechem serves as a stark illustration of the potential for conflict between the Israelites and the Canaanites. After the rape of their sister Dinah, Simeon and Levi took matters into their own hands, massacring all the males of Shechem. This act not only demonstrated the moral decay among Jacob’s sons but also put the entire family at risk of retaliation from neighboring peoples.
Esau’s Canaanite Marriages (Genesis 26:34-35, 28:8-9)
Esau was not part of the family branch destined to bring a blessing to the nations. Nevertheless, his actions illustrate the challenges Jacob’s family faced. Esau’s decision to marry multiple Canaanite women caused grief to his parents, Isaac and Rebekah. These marriages represented a significant step towards cultural assimilation. They represented a threat to the preservation of their unique faith and traditions.
Judah’s Canaanite Connections (Genesis 38)
The story of Judah in Genesis 38 serves as another example of the larger issue at hand. Judah not only married a Canaanite woman (Gen 38:2) but also engaged in morally questionable behavior with his daughter-in-law, Tamar (Gen 38:15-18). This chapter paints a grim picture of the moral decline among Jacob’s sons. It shows how they were sinking into the immorality of the Canaanites around them.
The conduct of Judah’s sons, Er and Onan, further illustrates this point. Their actions were so wicked that God himself intervened, taking their lives (Gen 38:7, 10). The text suggests that the Canaanite influence on Judah’s sons by their mother and surroundings must have been considerable.
These examples demonstrate a clear pattern of cultural assimilation and moral decay among Abraham’s descendants. If left unchecked, this trend could have led to the complete absorption of the Israelites into Canaanite culture, jeopardizing God’s plan to use them as a means of blessing for all nations.
God’s isolation strategy in Egypt
God’s solution to this problem was to remove them from Canaan. He orchestrated events to bring Jacob and his family to Egypt. This move served several crucial purposes:
- Cultural Isolation: The Egyptians’ distaste for shepherds (Gen 46:33-34) naturally limited the Israelites’ interactions with them, helping to preserve their distinct identity.
- Physical Separation: The geographical distance from Canaan reduced the temptation and opportunity for intermarriage with the Canaanites.
- Spiritual Refocusing: The eventual enslavement of the Israelites in Egypt (Ex 1:8-14) forced them to turn to God, strengthening their faith and reliance on Him.
- National Formation: The time in Egypt allowed the Israelites to grow from a family into a nation, preparing them for their future role.
The harsh conditions in Egypt, while difficult, were necessary. They forged the Israelites into the people God intended them to be. As the prophet Hosea later reflected, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son” (Hos 11:1).
Strangers in a country that is not their own
The decision to send Israel to Egypt was not a punishment. It was a strategic move by God to preserve His chosen people. God had told Abram this would happen in Genesis 15:13. God ensured that Abraham’s offspring would maintain their unique identity and prepared them to fulfill their divine purpose by isolating them from the corrupting influences of the surrounding nations.
This perspective on the Egyptian sojourn offers insights for believers today. It reminds us that God’s ways are often mysterious. Periods of isolation or hardship can serve a greater purpose in our spiritual development. Just as the Israelites emerged from Egypt as a distinct nation ready to receive God’s law and inherit the Promised Land, our own “Egypt experiences” can shape us into the people God intends us to be.