Read: Genesis 50
Jacob’s body
was embalmed so that he could be transported to Canaan for burial, as he had
requested. The text is clear that this
was done by physicians and not priests, since embalming often had a spiritual
element to it. This was uncommon
practice for Hebrews as the only other person in the Bible who was embalmed was
Joseph. The seventy days of mourning by
the Egyptians shows the honor that they placed upon Joseph and his father. After this period was over, Joseph sought
permission from Pharaoh to bury his father in Canaan (v. 4-5). Pharaoh agreed and Joseph went up with a
large processional of Egyptian elders and servants (v. 7) along with his
personal household and his brothers. The
flocks and herds were left in the land of Goshen (v. 8). What a sight this would have been as many
people were part of this funeral processional!
They continued to mourn at Atad for seven more days (v. 10). The sons did as Jacob asked and buried him in
the cave that Abraham had bought as a burying place for Sarah (v. 13). Then everyone returned to Egypt (v. 14).
Now that
Jacob was dead the brothers were fearful that Joseph would now want to pay them
back for harming him. I guess they
worried that Joseph was only being kind to them because their dad was still
alive. Afraid to address Joseph face to
face the brothers sent a messenger to confess their sins and seek forgiveness
on their behalf (v. 17). This brought
Joseph to tears as he was moved by their repentance. They gathered together and the brothers bowed
before Joseph (v. 18) and proclaimed to be his servants. But Joseph offered them a hand of mercy and relief
from their misery. He stated that God
had transformed their evil into good and that many had been kept alive as a
result of what had transpired (v. 19-21).
These verses are some of the most powerful verses about God’s
sovereignty in the Scriptures. The
principle that God rules even over sin and can work everything out to His glory
and as part of His perfect plan is important to grasp. Joseph graciously forgave because he could see
God’s purposes of redemption through his suffering.
The next sixty
years passed by without any record in Scripture. We are only told that Joseph remained in
Egypt (v. 22) and that he lived to be 110 years old. He was blessed to see his children to the third
generation (v. 23). As his death drew
nearer he told his offspring that they would be brought out of Egypt by God and
returned to the land that was promised to Abraham (v. 24). He also requested to have his bones be
carried up from there (v. 25) when they left Egypt. The chapter concludes with the death of Joseph:
he was embalmed and put in a coffin in Egypt (v. 26).
Conclusion
to the Book of Genesis: The book of
Genesis began with the creation of the world and with perfection in the Garden
of Eden. It ends with two funerals, one
in Canaan and one in Egypt.
The Book of
Genesis has been limited and selective in the information that it gives us
about the beginnings of mankind. It does
not tell us everything that we could possibly know about that era in history
but it does give us context for the rest of the Scriptures. We must understand that the purpose of this
book is to show us how sin has stained all of God’s creation as well as showing
us the process of how God intends to redeem it.
This redemption would come through the Messiah, a descendant of Abraham,
through whom all nations would be blessed.
This family line forms the backbone of the entire book.
The
importance of this lineage cannot be overstated. The offspring of the woman (Gen. 3:15)
becomes the source of hope for the redemption of the world, including all
mankind. Her offspring is traced through
Seth to Noah, then through Shem to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the twelve sons of
Jacob. When God established the covenant
promise with Abraham the divine promise of blessing was linked to a future descendent
traced through his son Isaac. This
lineage is usually passed through the firstborn, but not always. Jacob and Joseph were not the first children
of their fathers, the Messiah would come through Judah, who was not a
firstborn, but one who showed remarkable transformation. Kingship is associated with his offspring and
we see later in scripture that David and Jesus come from the line of
Judah.
Genesis
provides the foundation for the rest of the Bible. The promise to Abraham, that he will become a
great nation, includes both land and descendants. Yet Genesis is full of sojourns. The nation of Israel living in the Promised
Land would only happen hundreds of years later.
This book gives us the background for the need of the Exodus and aims to
tell the Jewish people how they came to live in Egypt.
Prayer and Journaling
1. Throughout
Jacob’s life we see an interesting preoccupation with death. When Joseph was taken from him his response
was to desire death (Gen. 37:35). When
Simeon did not return from Egypt because Benjamin was supposed to go to Egypt,
his response again referred to death (Gen. 42:38). When Judah told him that Joseph was alive,
his response was that he was at last ready to die (Gen. 46:30). As believer’s we do not need to despair as
Jacob did as Christ brings HOPE and LIFE.
What area of your life do you need HOPE for today? Spend some time listening in prayer asking
the Lord to be your HOPE in that situation.
2. Joseph’s
response to his brothers was a godly way to respond to their wickedness. He showed no bitterness or anger for what his
brothers put him through, in fact, he saw the providence of God through it
all. We can accept suffering and mistreatment
as part of God’s plan and the source of our strength through the tough times is
Jesus Christ. Only Jesus can give us the
strength to endure hardship and come through it with loving and forgiving
hearts. Thank Jesus for this. Praise Him for how He empowers us to live
godly lives! Thank Him for being your
Saviour, strength and friend.
3. The
first eleven chapters of Genesis introduce us to the widening spread of sin in
the world. Then chapters 12-50 begin to
narrow the focus onto one family line that would ultimately bring a Saviour to
conquer sin and bring blessing to the entire world. Thank God for Jesus! He is the only answer for a lost and dying
world. Through Him we have hope, life,
peace, light, love, goodness, etc. Ask
Him to show you what He has to offer to you today. Pray that you would live in accordance to His
Word and follow Him obediently, listening to Him for instructions on how to
live your life.
