Jacob is about to leave Canaan forever to go to Egypt. Before he goes, God appears to him in a vision and reassures him: I am God, don't fear, I will go down with you, I will bring you back.
It's a liminal moment - Jacob is about to leave the promised land, to settle in a foreign country. The vision anchors him in covenant even as he leaves the physical location.
I moved away from my hometown when I was thirty, and I carried so much guilt - like I was abandoning something sacred. This passage gave me permission to move while staying covenanted. God goes with you. The covenant doesn't attach to the land; it attaches to you. That was liberating.
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