How does Genesis 45:28 connect to God's covenant with Abraham in Genesis 12?

Setting the Scene in Genesis 45:28

• Jacob hears the news: “My son Joseph is still alive; I will go and see him before I die” (Genesis 45:28).

• After decades of grief, the patriarch suddenly realizes that the family line promised by God has not been cut off; Joseph lives and reigns in Egypt.

---

Recalling the Abrahamic Promise in Genesis 12:1-3

• “I will make you into a great nation” (Genesis 12:2).

• “I will bless you… and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:2-3).

• God pledged land, nationhood, and worldwide blessing through Abraham’s offspring.

---

Direct Links Between the Two Passages

• Preservation of the Seed

– Joseph’s survival keeps Abraham’s physical line intact.

– Without Joseph, famine could have ended the family before it became a “great nation.”

• Movement Toward Nationhood

– Jacob’s resolve to “go” echoes Abraham’s original call to “go” (12:1).

– The shift to Egypt sets the stage for Israel’s rapid population growth (Exodus 1:7).

• Channel of Blessing

– Joseph’s governance rescues “all the earth” from famine (Genesis 41:57), previewing the global blessing promised in 12:3.

• Divine Faithfulness

– Abraham trusted God sight unseen; Jacob now walks by the same faith, stepping toward Egypt because God is clearly at work (cf. Genesis 46:3-4).

---

How Joseph’s Preservation Advances the Covenant

1. Physical Deliverance

• Egypt provides food, protecting the family that will bear the Messiah (Matthew 1:1).

2. Numerical Expansion

• Seventy people enter Egypt (Genesis 46:27); over two million leave (Exodus 12:37).

3. Spiritual Continuity

• Joseph’s testimony—“God sent me ahead … to preserve for you a remnant” (Genesis 45:7)—shows the covenant’s redemptive goal.

---

Wider Biblical Threads

• Genesis 50:24—Joseph reminds his brothers of “the land He swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” anchoring his faith in the same covenant.

• Psalm 105:8-11—God “remembers His covenant forever,” linking Joseph’s era to Abraham’s promise.

• Galatians 3:8—Scripture “foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham.” Joseph’s story foreshadows that gospel by extending life to the nations.

In short, Genesis 45:28 is a pivotal moment where the living proof of Joseph confirms that every strand of God’s Genesis 12 covenant is still alive and advancing—family, nation, and worldwide blessing.