Genesis
chapter 50 is the final chapter of the book, but it is filled with
hope for the future. After Jacob’s death, we read, “Joseph
threw himself upon his father and wept over him“.
There is a time to mourn and grieve over the loss of a loved one.
It is natural, normal and healthy. Joseph has his physicians prepare
the body and he informs Pharaoh of his promise to bury his father
back in the land of his fathers. “Let
me go up and bury him, then I will return“.
We read that not only Joseph and his family go, but “the
dignitaries of the court and the all the dignitaries of Egypt…
horses and chariots… it was a very large company“.
This was no normal funeral procession, this was a funeral fit for a
king. When they arrived at the threshing floor, “they
observed a seven day mourning period”
that was so solemn that the Canaanites saw it and renamed the place.
“So
Jacob’s sons did as he had commanded them… they buried him in the
cave that Abraham had bought from Ephron the Hittite“.
It is hard to miss the number of times it is repeated that Abraham
bought the land, it was not just given to them by God, but it was
legally purchased. “After
burying his father, Joseph returned to Egypt together with his
brothers“.
Now the brothers begin to imagine, with their father gone, things
might change.
When
the brothers saw that Jacob was dead they said, “What
if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the
wrong we did to him?“.
So they went to Joseph saying, “your
father left these instructions“,
hoping it would force Joseph to accept their plea for forgiveness.
They attempt to bargain with Joseph using Israel’s name. We read,
“When
the message reached him, Joseph wept“.
He had already forgiven them, and yet they didn’t believe him.
Finally the brothers fall down before him in humble repentance and
say, “We
are your servants“.
Joseph explains once again, that God is in control. He explains
directly, “Don’t
be afraid… You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to
accomplish what is now being done“.
“I
will provide for you and your children. And he reassured them and
spoke kindly to them“.
The book ends with Joseph calling his grandchildren to his death bed
and making them promise to bury him with his fathers in the promised
land. Joseph lived to be one hundred and ten years old. “And
when he died, they embalmed him and he was placed in a coffin in
Egypt“.
We read in Exodus 13:19 that Joseph’s body was finally returned to
the land of his fathers, 400 years later!
Romans
8:28 reminds us, “And
we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those
who love God and are called according to His purposes“.
The life of Joseph was written to the Hebrews to prepare them for
the Messiah. We read in Luke 19:41 just before Jesus’ triumphant
entry into Jerusalem, “And
when He approached, He saw the city and He wept“.
Not because of the crucifixion that was to come, but for their
unbelief. Many would miss the coming of the Christ, the Messiah that
all of scripture pointed to. Likewise, many of us mistakenly try to
bargain with God, rather than simply accept Jesus as Lord. But our
Savior rose from the dead, He ascended into heaven, and one day will
return for His people. It is never too late for His people to fall
at His feet in repentance. Philippians 2:11 declares, “that
at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on the earth
and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord“.
God’s forgiveness has been offered, will you accept it?