INTRODUCTION: We have reached the final chapter of Genesis. Here the deaths of both Jacob and Joseph are recorded. Israel at this point was no more than a large family. Nothing seemed more unlikely than the fulfillment of God's promise that Israel would become a great nation and inherit Canaan. Both men, however, died with unshaken faith.I. GRIEF - verse 1.
Even saints feel a sorrow at the death of loved ones. The Gospel promises do, however, keep us from feeling the same despair the world experiences [I Thessalonians 4:13].II. PREPARATION FOR BURIAL - verses 2-6.
In making ready for his father's burial Joseph had three matters to attend to:
A. Jacob's body had to be properly embalmed. In Egypt this was an elaborate process. The Egyptians were so skilled in this procedure that everyone is familiar with the amazing preservation of their mummies.B. In the case of important persons like Jacob a certain period of mourning was observed. Christians should honor customs that do not contradict God's Word [Romans 13:7]. We are never to give needless offence [I Corinthians 10:32].
C. Joseph needed to obtain permission from Pharaoh to return his father's body to Canaan.
III. BURIAL - verses 7-13.
Jacob's burial was actually an affair-of-state. A great company carried him to his grave. Egypt was the greatest of nations and Jacob was the father of the leading man.Jacob was buried in the cave where Abraham and Isaac were laid [Genesis 49:29-32]. God's people have through the ages treated the bodies of deceased saints with marked respect. This is because they believe that the body also was redeemed by Christ [Romans 8:23] and will one day be raised immortal [I Corinthians 15:52]. People who have no belief in a future resurrection have little conception of how Christians view the grave. Burial becomes more of a sowing than a disposal.
IV. TRUE FORGIVENESS - Verses 14-21.
It is little wonder that Joseph's brothers felt afraid after Jacob's death. Guilt makes cowards out of men. Had they truly considered Joseph's character it does, however, seem that they could have seen that he was above revenge.Some have insinuated that Joseph's brothers were not truthful and fabricated the message attributed to Jacob [verses 16-17]. There is no reason to make this accusation. Why would Jacob not feel concerned for the harmony of his family after his death. In Joseph we once again see an example of godly forgiveness:
A. Joseph forgave his brethren freely. He had absolute power over them in the position God had given him [verse 19]. He needed nothing from them. His only motive was to follow the example of God who freely forgives sinners [Ephesians 4:32].
B. Joseph believed that God in His sovereign plan could use even men's evil intentions and actions to carry out His purposes. This knowledge gives peace to those who suffer unjustly. Verse 20 has often seemed to the author of this study as an Old Testament version of Romans 8:28.
C. Joseph not only forgave but blessed and comforted those who had mistreated him [Matthew 5:43-44].
V. BLESSED AS PROMISED - verses 22-23.
God never fails to keep His word. Joseph was blessed as promised [Genesis 49:22-26].VI. FAITH IN THE PROMISES - verses 24-25.
What a touching scene. Four generations of men die with- out receiving the fulfillment of God's promise, yet their faith never falters [Hebrews 11:13]. Joseph, a prince in Egypt, thinks only of Israel's future in Canaan. Like Jacob he wishes to be buried in Canaan. Unlike Jacob he is willing to wait until God brings the nation out of Egypt before his body is carried to its final burial. Joseph's faith was honored years later [Exodus 13:18-19; Joshua 24:32]. (Joseph's death was doubtless an international news item. With what pomp he was mem- orialized. Strangely the Bible is silent on all this. Does this not illustrate God's view of this. Only matters of spiritual significance are of eternal importance. This world's honors are empty).VII. A COFFIN IN EGYPT - verse 26.
Genesis begins with man in the Garden of Eden and ends with a coffin in Egypt. What desolations sin hath wrought. Since Adam's Fall, the end of man has been death and burial in this world, of which Egypt was a type. The best hope for the future that Egypt can offer is a mummy.How we rejoice that the end of Genesis is not the end of the Bible. The great plan of redemption unfolds throughout Scripture to be consummated in the book of Revelation. A coffin in Egypt is not the final chapter. Through Jesus Christ paradise will be restored. In a sense things will end as they began [Revelations 21 & 22] only better [Romans 5:20b].
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