GENESIS 50 TO MOURN IS NORMAL It is appropriate to deal with grief rather than pretend we are unmoved by the passing away of a loved one. To mourn the loss of one with whom we shared life is normal. They were with us for years and then are permanently gone. We weep over what we have lost rather than for what they have lost. Those who have eternal life, go to heaven when they die. In order for those left behind to live without fixating on the loss, we need to talk about the person who lived here and by sharing our feelings, emotions and memories with others, we are able to get relief.
Joseph took the vow he made to his father to bury him in Canaan seriously, and requested leave from Pharaoh to carry out his vow. A large company of Egyptians as well as Jacob’s sons went to publicly mourn Jacob’s passing for seven days “beyond the Jordan.” Then he was buried in the cave of Machpelah. This was the kind of funeral that was held for important leaders in those days. When we are asked to do something and we promise to do it, that is the same as a vow. Make promises wisely, not just “off the cuff,” and honor your promises faithfully.
REASSURANCE After the death of Jacob, Joseph was the real leader of the family of Israel. He was committed to taking care of the lives and welfare of his brothers. For all the years they had lived in Egypt, they still did not trust Joseph or believe his word regarding his forgiveness of them. They apparently thought he was like them. They harbored resentment for years and would not let it go. Weak, unprincipled people find it hard to believe there is goodness in other people. Guilt is a hard master when we allow it to fester in our minds.
No wonder Joseph wept! His brothers must have misunderstood him before and didn’t trust him – and they had not changed. They implied that Joseph’s intention for all those years was to wait until Jacob died and then get even with them. They even doubted his testimony that he made to them years before that God had sent him ahead of them to arrange for their survival. They had meant evil to happen to Joseph; God had meant good to happen through Joseph to them. They had schemed but God had overruled their sin.
Forgiveness sometimes is misunderstood. Lack of trust in a person’s words deaden a normal response and make a person bitter. Ungrounded suspicion is hard to bear when a sincere action on behalf of others has been on-going, and when words of forgiveness have been misconstrued and are not accepted as the truth.
When one’s intentions are doubted and explanations are misinterpreted, we have two choices. We can try to explain things again, or we can just go forward and show the love of our Lord Jesus Christ by proving what we said by what we do. God’s grace to us makes it possible for us to show grace to others.
Faith in God makes it possible to do what we could not do in our own strength. Our commitments to people are backed up by our faith and commitment to our Lord. Faith enables us to do our duty with a good spirit when there are obstacles and misunderstandings. To walk humbly with God and be true to Him first, gives Him a reason to honor those who honor Him.
Joseph made his relatives promise to take him to Canaan to be buried when they all moved back there. Likely none of them ever thought it would be four hundred years before that promise was kept. Genesis begins with God giving life and ends with Joseph’s death and his body in a coffin in Egypt. The act of faith in Joseph’s life that is mentioned in Hebrews 11, has to do with him assuring others they would eventually go back to the promised land.
Faith has different ways it can be seen. Jacob thought of the past and his burial. Joseph thought of the future and his burial. Jacob looked back and implied, “Don’t forget where you came from.” Joseph looked ahead and implied, “Don’t forget where you are going.” Promises are vows that are to be kept and they also inspire hope when times are tough. That hope is sure that deliverance will come.
The book of Genesis reminds us of the perpetual, permanent, persistent plans and purposes of God. It begins with God creating and moves on to how human sin has “passed upon all men.” The human race as a whole, ignored God and so when He started over after the flood, He chose to deal with one man of faith and then his family. It is from this whole book we learn what is wrong with people and what to expect when we choose sin over salvation. We also learn how God has provided a remedy for sin.
Through it all, we can learn God rules in justice and righteousness. He is real, He is the supreme authority of the universe and His-story is the message of the Bible. “Eyes have not seen, nor ears heard, neither has it entered the heart of man the things God has prepared for those who love Him.”
“Thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusts in Thee.” “Trust in the Lord forever!”