Genesis Chapter 50

Burial Of Israel; Death Of Joseph

50:1-3

Immediately upon Israel’s passing, Joseph mourns and grieves over the passing of his beloved father. His emotional weeping and crying and kissing of Israel reveals his deep love and honor of his father. He orders that Israel be embalmed in order to preserve the body for it’s return trip to the land of Canaan, and to allow for the mourning and grieving of the family, and Egypt, of Israel’s passing. We are told that this embalming process took 40 days! The family and the Egyptians mourned for Israel for 70 days, which was just two day short of the time of mourning for a Pharaoh. This showed the great respect and honor the Egyptians had for Joseph, by honoring his father.

50:4-6

When the time of the formal mourning was over, Joseph requested that he be allowed to leave Egypt and bury his father, as he had made him swear, in the family grave site in the land of Canaan. He promises Pharaoh that he will return to Egypt to continue his rule as the Prime Minister of Egypt. Pharaoh trusts Joseph and allows him to fulfill his promises to his father and take his body to Canaan for burial.

50:7-8

Joseph, all his brothers, and all the elders of their tribes as well as the leaders and elders and servants of Pharaoh, all went with Joseph to the land of Canaan. In fact, we are told the only ones who stayed behind were the small children and those who cared for them, as well as their flocks and herds all remained in Egypt in the land of Goshen. Keep in mind that it has been 39 years since Joseph has seen his homeland!

50:9-11

We can imagine the huge caravan of chariots and horsemen that began the trip back to Canaan. When they arrived at the threshing floor of Atad, beyond the Jordan, they all stopped and mourned with Joseph for a full seven days. This wailing and crying and loud demonstration was according to the Egyptian custom. Then all the inhabitants of the land saw and heard the mourning, noting that this was a very grievous mourning for the Egyptians. They actually called the place the ‘Mourning of Egypt’. This place was west of the Jordan river.

50:12-13

We see that all Israel’s sons participated in this procession and mourning for Israel; as well as participated in the actual burial of their father in the cave in the field of Machpelah, east of Mamre, which Abraham had purchased long ago for a permanent burial place for himself and his descendants.

50:14

After the burial, Joseph, all his brothers and all those who had traveled with him for the burial, all returned to Egypt. It is interesting that none of them even thought, or attempted, to try to stay in the land of Canaan, but willingly returned to Egypt. Obviously the excellent land they had in Egypt, as well as the success they were experiencing there, caused them to return.

50:15-17

Yet, after the funeral is over the reality that the presumed ‘buffer’ their father may have been to protect them from any ‘retaliation’ from Joseph was now gone. Their guilt kicks in and they discuss among themselves that Joseph may now hate them and pay them back ~ payback time ~ for the evil that they had done to him. So they send a messenger to Joseph ‘claiming’ their father had commanded that Joseph was to forgive all their evil, and was not to be resentful, and was to give up any thought of getting even; even to the point of completely forgiving them for all their trespasses and sins; for all the evil that they did to him. Then on their own behalf, they ask for forgiveness for all their trespasses; that Joseph would forgive them as the ‘servants of your father’s God’. When Joseph heard this request and their confession and begging for forgiveness, he breaks down and weeps.

50:18-20

The brothers then all come before him and bow down before him, stating that they are all his servants, or slaves. Yet Joseph tells them to ‘FEAR NOT’ for he is not in the place of God; that only God is to exact vengeance. Joseph again tells them that what they thought was evil against him, God meant it for good, and God used everything to bring about the saving of all the people of Israel, even up to this very day. Romans 8:28. Notice how Joseph constantly gives God the credit for everything.

50:21

Joseph goes on to assure them that they should not ever be afraid; and to be assured that he would continue to provide for and support all of them, including their entire families, right down to the little children. He goes on to comfort and encourage them giving them hope and strength and speaks graciously and lovingly to all of them. We see total and complete forgiveness on Joseph’s part. Do we forgive that same way; loving and encouraging those who have hurt us?

50:22-23

Joseph and his entire family, and all the family of Israel remain in Egypt, continuing to prosper and grow. We are told that Joseph lives to be 110 years old, seeing Ephraim’s children down to the third generation. The bringing of the children of Machir, son of Manasseh, and also placing them on his knees at their birth, was a sign that all these children belonged to him. Joseph lives another 54 years after the death of Israel; presumably constantly caring and providing for his extended family of Israelites.

50:24-25

Joseph tells all his family that he is dying, BUT, ~ now begins the Prophecy ~ God will certainly visit them in the future and God will bring all of them out of the land of Egypt back to the Promised Land that He swore to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel). Joseph takes an oath from all the children of Israel and commands them to take his bones from Egypt into the Promised Land, as God will surely visit them and bring them out of Egypt. This double emphasis is the absolute assurance that God will bring them all back into the Promised Land. Joseph is clearly prophesying of future events that God is revealing to him. He is so certain of these promises that he emphasizes it with an oath from all the people of Israel to take his bones back into the Promised Land when they all leave Egypt in the future.

50:26

Because of the promise to take his bones back into the Promised Land, Joseph commands that his body be embalmed and placed in a coffin at his death. Joseph then dies and is embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.

It will be over 400 years before these prophesies are fulfilled as the children of Israel, now becoming a great Nation, will be led out of the land of Egypt by God. God uses Moses as His instrument to bring all of the Israelite Nation out of the land of Egypt, none are to be left behind. In the book of Exodus, Moses takes Joseph’s bones with him to be taken back to the Promised Land. See Exodus 13:19. Then in Joshua 24:32, the bones of Joseph are finally buried at Schechem in fulfillment of his request. Genesis began with the exciting ‘IN THE BEGINNING GOD…’ and ends with this sad ending ‘..IN A COFFIN IN EGYPT.’ God created everything, including mankind, absolutely perfect! Yet, we, mankind, chose to disobey God’s Will and believe the LIE that we can live outside the Will of God. This LIE is perpetuated down into our own day; ‘we can live any way we want to’! Yet living outside the Will of God will never bring satisfaction and will always bring disaster, as we are living outside of Reality. The Truth is Reality. God is so good, loving and forgiving, that He has provided a way for us to return to Him. The Way, the Truth and the Life is ONLY through Jesus. See John 14:6. All through Genesis we see the struggle of good versus evil. ONLY God is good, therefore anything outside of God is evil. There is NO GREY AREA! That is a LIE from the devil. Joseph believed God and PROVED it by his obedience. Joseph is a ‘type’ of Christ. Joseph obeyed God and developed the Character traits of Jesus. You say you are a Believer? Do you ALWAYS obey God? Seek the Holy Spirit in your life NOW, to learn obedience and become more like Jesus!