Genesis 49-50: Jacob Becomes a Mummy

My Summary
Ch. 49: Jacob calls his sons together to issue his final words to them. Starting with Reuben, he proceeds to issue prophecies about each son and the tribe that would come from them. Afterwards, Jacob instructs his sons to bury him in the same field that Abraham purchased where Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca and Leah were buried. Jacob dies and is gathered to his ancestors. Ch. 50: Joseph weeps over his father and orders mummification of Jacob. Joseph asks Pharaoh permission to bury Jacob in Canaan. Pharaoh approves and Joseph, his family and many Egyptian officials travel to Canaan to bury Jacob. The mourning in Canaan goes for seven days. Joseph's brothers are afraid that with the death of Jacob, Joseph may turn on them. They tell him that Jacob wished for them to be forgiven. Joseph tells them that God used their evil for good and Joseph will take care of them and their families. Joseph lives to be 110 years old and gets to see his great grandchildren. Joseph, before he dies, reminds his brothers that God will bring them out of the land one day and makes them promise to carry Joseph's bones with them.

Random Historical Things
1. The passage where Jacob blesses/curses his sons contains some of the most difficult translation issues in all of the Bible. Because of this there have been an amazing variety of interpretations of what each of the prophecies mean. Luckily, however, there are no major docrines that hang on the passage.

2. This is the first time we hear that Leah has died or where she is buried. Rachel, remember was buried somewhere else since she dies on a journey.

3. The passage says that Jacob's mummification process took 40 days and there was 70 days of mourning. Since a typical Hebrew mourning for important people (Moses, Aaron) was 30 days, it is likely that the 70 days is a total amount, so the process did not go on for 110 days.

4. Israel will be in Egypt for more than 400 years before God brings them out.



And So What We Have Learned Applies to Our Lives Today...
1. We see so clearly the devastating effects of sin. Even sin that has been forgiven can have long consequences, especially for those we have wronged. Even years later, we see Jacob's final words to Reuben (sleeping with Jacob's concubine), Simeon and Levi (sack of Shechem) tainted by the sins of their past. Their relationships were still strained. When we commit sin, especially against people we love, it can have a lasting impact. It can affect the our relationships and even pass the sin on to the next generation (I.E. Jacob's deceit carried on by his children). In the amazing grace we have been given, let us not be tempted to soften the impact of sin.

2. Along with the sin, we see amazing grace and forgiveness! Joseph's unconditional forgivenss for his brothers is unbelievable! Once Jacob died, Joseph could have made things very difficult for his brothers. However, not only does he forgive them, he promises to take care of them. When those who have wronged us come to us to beg for forgiveness, let us not just forgive them, but let us restore them to relationship with us.

3. Another thought on Simeon and Levi. Jacob pronounces judgment on them for the murders at Shechem. In the future, the tribe of Simeon slowly fades from view. Finally, in Deut. 33, when Moses blesses the tribes, he does not even mention Simeon! The descendants of Levi, however, takes Moses' side in the golden calf debacle. Moses has words of praise for them in Deut. 33.
4. In Genesis 3:1 we heard the first whisper of Jesus when God said that the woman's seed would crush the head of Satan. Genesis ends with another whisper of the Messiah that would come from Judah. Read Jacob's blessing to Judah and see if you can spot the prophecy about Jesus.

5. The crucial application from this chapter, and all of Genesis, is that God is sovereignly working His plan to redeem a fallen world and bring glory to Himself. He covenants with Abraham and his descendants to be a chosen people to serve Him and through whom He will bless the nations. Although Israel will fail in her task to be a nation that serves God, from them God will bring our Messiah and Savior. The Old Testament is not just something to skip over to get to Jesus. It is a vital part of God's salvation history and an important part of who Jesus is. It is the first part of God's plan to save man and bring him back into the relationship he had with God in the garden. Even in Genesis, however, we can already see a hint of looking forward to the Messiah who would complete the covenant with Abraham and save us from our sins. This will continue throughout the rest of the Old Testament as we will see in our study. Praise God for His plan to bring us salvation through His Son! Let us not lose faith that God's plan will continue to work exactly as He wants it until Jesus returns! We will then cease to be wanderers and strangers and finally be home!