What did God say to Jacob at Beersheba about going to Egypt?
At Beersheba, God spoke to Jacob in visions of the night, calling "Jacob, Jacob." He identified Himself as God, the God of Jacob's father, and told him, "Fear not to go down into Egypt." This marked a change from what God had said to Isaac, who was told not to go down there.
Les explains that Jacob took his journey with all he had to Beersheba in southern Palestine, in the Negev, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. God then spoke to Israel in visions of the night, calling, "Jacob, Jacob," and Jacob answered, "Here I am." In verse 3, God said, "I am God, the God of thy father, fear not to go down into Egypt." Les points out this was a change, because God had earlier told Isaac, "Go not down into Egypt, sojourn in this land, the land of promise," yet now He tells Jacob not to fear going down. The context ties this to God's sovereign arrangement to bring the whole tribe of Jacob down into Egypt.
And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.
And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation:
Why did God tell Jacob to go down to Egypt when He had told Abraham and Isaac not to go there?
God directed Jacob to Egypt because He sovereignly purposed to bring the whole family of Israel there, using Joseph, the famine, and Egypt as the place to multiply them into a great nation. Though He had told Abraham and Isaac not to go into Egypt, this was a specific change for Jacob.
What was God's purpose for the Jews going down to Egypt?
God's purpose was earthly and sovereign: Israel had to go into Egypt, multiply into a great nation, endure slavery, and be ready to leave under Moses after about 215 years. They would emerge as five to seven million, more numerous than any other Middle Eastern nation, fulfilling Abraham's promise.
More Questions
Why did God forbid Isaac from going to Egypt but tell Jacob to go there?
God had told Isaac not to go down into Egypt but to sojourn in the land of promise, yet He now tells Jacob to go down into Egypt, which is a change.
Did God change His instruction about going to Egypt when He spoke to Jacob instead of Isaac?
God had told Isaac not to go down to Egypt, but later told Jacob not to fear going down to Egypt, and Les calls this a change in God's direction.
How was God's instruction to Jacob about Egypt different from His instruction to Isaac?
God's instruction to Jacob was a change from His instruction to Isaac: Isaac was told not to go down to Egypt, while Jacob was told not to fear going down to Egypt.