Genesis
Genesis 49:29-50:13
The Last Great Patriarch Takes His Final Breath
We find this phase of God’s promise culminating in the assembly of Jacob (also known as Israel) and his 12 sons in Goshen, 17 years after the famine, and Joseph has just prompted the families to move to Egypt. Jacob had just prophesied over and blessed each of his sons and then issued a mandate for his sons, instructing, “I am to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, in the cave that is in the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan” (49:29-30). It would have been apparent that Jacob could have had a great and gallant majestic tomb, perhaps even a small pyramid, but instead, he chose to rest in God's promise. So, at the age of 147, “Jacob then drew his feet up into the bed and drew his last breath and was gathered to his people” (49:33).
This “gathering to my people” is not a reference to the burial of remains in the family tomb but a reuniting of his soul with those who had passed before him.
Chapter 50 begins with Joseph grieving over his father, one he loved far more than his vaulted position. After the embalming of Jacob, which was quite likely the Egyptian mummification process, and 70 days of mourning (royal mourning in Egypt was 72 days), Joseph appeals to and is granted permission from Pharaoh to escort Jacob to his final resting place. Now this could have been a small contingent of family, perhaps a few servants to help in the journey, but no... This detachment included all the households of Jacob’s sons, plus ALL the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, all of the elders of Egypt, chariots, and horsemen. It must have been a sight to behold!
This might have been reasonable if it were Joseph himself who died, since Pharaoh knew him so closely, but for Joseph’s father? This exemplifies what great esteem Pharaoh held for Joseph and his family, and a Godly example of honoring one’s father. This part of the story concludes with all honors and customs fulfilled; Jacob is laid to rest at Machpelah in a tomb he had hewed out for himself and the contingent returning to Egypt.
Do you think that after everything Joseph had gone through, he would long to stay in the land where he was taken and put into slavery? Consider this another prophecy fulfilled, as God told Abraham more than a century earlier that “your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for 400 years”[1].
In reading this section of scripture, topically, there appears to be little meat in which to sink our teeth. However, there is much to consider when we contemplate the way that God weaves his plan. Let's recognize the following:
God’s promise – Faith is an indelible part of this story, as Jacob left Canaan and died in a foreign land. After being torn away from his homeland, Joseph returns to bury his father and leaves again, going back to a foreign land where he would eventually find the same fate. This is also the last time any of Jacob's 12 sons, the namesakes of the 12 Tribes of Israel, would step foot in the Promised Land. Their hope was not in their current situation but in the promise of God.
Honoring parents on a level we might find challenging to conceptualize today – Joseph honors his father’s wishes out of love and respect. So many of us today have tumultuous relationships with our parents, finding it too cumbersome to live in harmony. While it’s not advised to step back into a toxic, unsafe relationship, we should strive to reconcile those relationships safely, if possible. Scripture instructs us that we are to honor our father and mother. Never does it stipulate “only if you had a good relationship,” “only if they were good to you,” or “only if they were saved or tolerable.” No, we are to honor them “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land” [3].
GOD’S PEOPLE DO NOT PLACE THEIR HOPE FOR LONGER LIFE IN THE LAND OF THE DYING, BUT ETERNAL LIFE IN THE LAND OF HEAVEN ABOVE.
Every word on every page whispers the name, Jesus. This is the Bible.
By Pastor Rich Cederman
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[1] Genesis 15:13
[2] Exodus 20:12
[3] Ephesians 6:2