Sunday
Morning Bible Study
November
11, 2007
Introduction
We’re now at the end of this book of “Beginnings”. We’ve seen the beginning of creation. We’ve seen the beginning of sin. We’ve seen the beginning of faith as a man
named Abraham believed God and God declared him “righteous”. We’ve seen the journey of faith as we’ve
followed the lives of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
The last chapter ended with the death of Jacob (Gen. 49:33)
(Gen 49:33 NKJV) And when Jacob had
finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his
last, and was gathered to his people.
:1-14 Jacob’s burial
:1 Then Joseph fell on his father's face, and wept over him, and kissed
him.
As we mentioned in earlier chapters, Joseph had the privilege of being the
one to close his dead father’s eyes and give him the final kiss goodbye.
When Jacob brought the entire
family to Egypt, God had made him a promise at Beersheba:
(Gen 46:4 NKJV) "I will go down with
you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put
his hand on your eyes."
One of the customs of the ancients
was to have the nearest, dearest next of kin at your bedside when you die. They
would have the honor of closing your eyelids after death and give you one last
parting kiss goodbye. Joseph is the one his father has chosen for this honor.
Now that his father has died,
Joseph has closed Jacob’s eyes and gives him the last kiss goodbye. God has
kept His promise to Jacob.
:2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father.
So the physicians embalmed Israel.
:3 Forty days were required for him, for such are the days required for
those who are embalmed; and the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.
The practice of embalming dead
bodies started with the Egyptians. They perfected the art to the point where
some bodies embalmed 3000 years ago were unwrapped and the soles of their feet
were still soft and elastic. Over several thousand years the Egyptians embalmed
millions of bodies.
The process of embalming involved removing the inner organs and filling the
bodies with a combination of herbs, the veins were injected with a balsam
fluid, and then the body cavities were sown up. Then the body would be soaked
for a period of time in a salt-like solution (niter). After that, the body
would be wrapped in long strips of cloth soaked with herbs.
The total time of mourning for
Jacob was only two days less than what would be done for a Pharaoh.
:4 And when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spoke to the
household of Pharaoh, saying, "If now I have found favor in your eyes,
please speak in the hearing of Pharaoh, saying,
Notice that Joseph doesn’t speak directly to Pharaoh here, but to the
“household” of Pharaoh. There’s a reason for this. The Hebrew custom is to not
cut your hair or shave during the time of mourning for your loved one. It’s
been over two months since Joseph has shaved. He is also probably wearing
sackcloth. This kind of appearance would have been a great offense to Pharaoh.
:5 'My father made me swear, saying, "Behold, I am dying; in my grave
which I dug for myself in the land of
Canaan, there you shall bury
me." Now therefore, please let me go up and bury my father, and I will
come back.'"
:6 And Pharaoh said, "Go up and bury your father, as he made you
swear."
Four hundred years later when Moses
asked another Pharaoh to let his people go, he would be refused.
:7 So Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the
servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land
of Egypt,
:8 as well as all the house of Joseph, his brothers, and his father's
house. Only their little ones, their flocks, and their herds they left in the land
of Goshen.
:9 And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen, and it was a very
great gathering.
Jacob had the equivalent of a state funeral. It was something like the funeral last year of President Ford.
:10 Then they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan,
and they mourned there with a great and very solemn lamentation. He observed
seven days of mourning for his father.
threshing floor – this would have been a flat, raised area
of land where the wind would commonly blow. The threshing of grain is the
process of taking the stalks of grain that have been harvested, crushing them
to loosen up the chaff from the grain, then tossing everything into the air
where the wind blows away the chaff and the stalk and the grain drops to the
ground where it is collected.
Atad – ‘atad
– thorn
:11 And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning
at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, "This is a deep mourning of the
Egyptians." Therefore its name was called Abel Mizraim, which is beyond
the Jordan.
Abel Mizraim – “meadow of Egypt” or “mourning of Egypt”; this is
thought to be an area near the city of Jericho, east of the Jordan and north of
the Dead Sea.
The journey from Ramses in Goshen
to Atad was something around 250 miles if they took the short route along the
coast, but because their route took them to Atad, it seems they went along the
eastern side of the Dead Sea, close to the same route Moses would take, a
journey closer to 300 miles. From Atad to the cave of Machpelah in Hebron was
another forty miles. They made the trip in a couple of weeks while Moses would
take forty years. See map.
:12 So his sons did for him just as he had commanded them.
:13 For his sons carried him to the land
of Canaan, and buried him in the
cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre, which Abraham bought with the
field from Ephron the Hittite as property for a burial place.
Jacob had requested to be buried at
this cave in Hebron. This was where his
wife Leah had been buried. His wife
Rachel had been buried twenty miles to the north near Bethlehem. Why be buried with Lead instead of
Rachel? I believe that the answer lies
with the identity of the cave. According
to Jacob’s own words (Gen. 49:29-33), this was the cave where Abraham and Isaac
were buried. This was the one place owned
by the family that had passed from generation to generation. This was the clearest link between the family
and the Promised Land.
:14 And after he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt,
he and his brothers and all who went up with him to bury his father.
:15-21 Joseph reconciles with brothers
:15 When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said,
"Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may actually repay us for all the evil
which we did to him."
For seventeen years the brothers had assumed that Joseph was nice to them
was simply because dad was still around. Now that dad’s gone, they’re afraid
that things will change.
:16 So they sent messengers to Joseph, saying, "Before your father
died he commanded, saying,
:17 'Thus you shall say to Joseph: "I beg you, please forgive the
trespass of your brothers and their sin; for they did evil to you." ' Now,
please, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of your father."
And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.
I don’t know about you, but I kind of wonder if the brothers were simply
making this up. We don’t have any record of Jacob telling these things to them.
But it could be possible that they asked Jacob for advice.
Joseph seems to be grieved that they feel they have to hide behind their
father in order to be forgiven.
Do you need to make up a story in order to ask for forgiveness? Do you need an excuse to be forgiven?
It’s better if you simply tell the truth – you were wrong.
:18 Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they
said, "Behold, we are your servants."
:19 Joseph said to them, "Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of
God?
Joseph has no intentions of taking vengeance on his brothers. He considers
“getting even” to be God’s job, not his.
Lesson
Vengeance isn’t mine
It is not your place to take vengeance on those who have wronged you.
Pay attention to this point. If you are not currently in a situation where
someone has hurt you, you will be. I’m not giving you a “word of knowledge”,
it’s simply common sense. If you have any kind of interaction with other human
beings, you will be hurt. You will be offended.
You will be tested on this.
Illustration
Revenge
A watermelon farmer was determined to scare off the local kids who went
into his watermelon patch every night to eat their fill. After some thought, he
made a sign that read, “WARNING! ONE OF
THESE WATERMELONS HAS BEEN INJECTED WITH
CYANIDE!” He smiled smugly as he watched the kids run off the next night
without eating any of his melons. A week later, the farmer was surveying his
field. To his satisfaction, no watermelons were missing, but a sign next to his
read, “NOW THERE ARE TWO!”
We like to take revenge. We think it
will make the situation better. But it
usually just makes it worse. Even if it
temporarily makes the situation better, it still makes US worse.
(Rom 12:17-21 NKJV) Repay
no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.
We need to be careful that we don’t get into the habit of playing
“tit-for-tat”. If you trip me up and I skin my knee, then I have the right to
trip you up so you can skin your knee.
{18} If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably
with all men.
It may not be possible to live in peace with all men, but don’t let it be
your fault that the peace falls apart. Do your part to maintain peace.
{19} Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to
wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the
Lord. {20} Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty,
give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his
head."
Vengeance is something that God wants to be in charge of. He is the boss of
the “vengeance department”. You and I don’t always know what is appropriate
when it comes to vengeance, but God knows just what needs to happen.
We tend to favor the side of wiping out all those who hurt us. God tends to
favor the side of being merciful to those who offend us.
Think about your life. What if God had wiped you out the
first time you really hurt someone? Would you have even had time to have become
a Christian? How many of you have found Jesus because of the mercy He’s shown
you?
Don’t get me wrong – it is important when we share the
Lord with people that we are faithful to remind people of the judgment that
they are facing when it comes to their sins. But the truth is that God has not
yet judged them for their sins. If God had judged them, they would be currently
in hell. But instead God is currently showing them mercy.
(Rom 2:4 NKJV) Or do you despise the riches of
His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of
God leads you to repentance?
What if you are on a jury and you have to vote on the guilt or innocence of
a person? If they are guilty, they are guilty. These verses are not talking
about the right of the state to enforce it’s laws on society. It’s talking
about the individual’s response to being wronged.
If my wife was killed and the killer was caught, I’m not
going to protest the actions that the court may want to take on the person. But
I’m not going to go out and take vengeance.
{21} Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Perhaps this doesn’t mean that you will always change the situation by your
good deeds, but perhaps it might also speak to the fact that you can overcome
the evil inside you by doing good towards the other person.
(Mat 5:43-45 NKJV) "You
have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your
enemy.' {44} "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse
you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you
and persecute you, {45} "that you may be sons of your Father in heaven;
for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the
just and on the unjust.
:20 "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for
good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.
:21 "Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your
little ones." And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.
Joseph didn’t just speak pretty
words. His actions backed up what he said.
(1 Pet 3:8-11 NKJV) Finally, all of you
be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be
tenderhearted, be courteous; {9} not returning evil for evil or reviling for
reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this,
that you may inherit a blessing. {10} For "He who would love life And see
good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking
deceit. {11} Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and
pursue it.
:22-26 Joseph dies
:22 So Joseph dwelt in Egypt,
he and his father's household. And Joseph lived one hundred and ten years.
:23 Joseph saw Ephraim's children to the third generation. The children of
Machir, the son of Manasseh, were also brought up on Joseph's knees.
Joseph would see his great-great-grandchildren by Ephraim and his
great-grandchildren from Manasseh.
Ephraim's children to the third
generation – this would be
Joseph’s great-great-grandchildren.
The children of Machir – Machir would be the first generation from
Manasseh, his children would be the second generation. We know the name of one
of Machir’s sons, Gilead, the father of the Gileadites (Num. 26:29)
(Num 26:29 NKJV) The sons of Manasseh: of
Machir, the family of the Machirites; and Machir begot Gilead; of Gilead, the
family of the Gileadites.
brought up on Joseph’s knees – this may indicate that Joseph adopted
these children just as Jacob his father had adopted Ephraim and Manasseh as his
children.
:24 And Joseph said to his brethren, "I am dying; but God will surely
visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land of which He swore to
Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob."
:25 Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel,
saying, "God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from
here."
When Moses led Israel out of Egypt,
they took Joseph’s bones with them (Ex. 13:19).
(Josh 24:32 NKJV) The bones of Joseph,
which the children of Israel had brought up out of Egypt, they buried at
Shechem, in the plot of ground which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor
the father of Shechem for one hundred pieces of silver, and which had become an
inheritance of the children of Joseph.
(Exo 13:19 NKJV) And Moses took the bones
of Joseph with him, for he had placed the children of Israel under solemn oath,
saying, "God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from
here with you."
When Joshua had finished conquering
the land, they finally buried Joseph at the city of Shechem (Josh. 24:32)
:26 So Joseph died, being one hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed
him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.
coffin – could have been a wooden mummy case like
in the movies, but may have also been a “sarcophagus”, a stone coffin made of
limestone. The purpose of the limestone was to hasten the decay of the bodily
tissues until there was only bone left. Joseph’s words were to carry his “bone”
back to the Promised Land.
(Heb 11:22
NKJV) By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the
children of Israel,
and gave instructions concerning his bones.
For Jacob, it was important to make a statement to his family that Canaan
was their home, not Egypt. He was buried immediately in Canaan.
For Joseph, it was a little different message. He chose not to be buried in
Canaan until the nation finally left Egypt
for good.
For three hundred more years, Joseph’s coffin was going to be a reminder
that Egypt
wasn’t their home. Joseph’s coffin was a
reminder that they had somewhere to go, they had a Promised Land they would one
day call home.
:20 you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good
Lesson
Trusting God’s plan
When you and I go through difficult times, what are we going to choose to
focus on? Are we going to fixate on the
person we blame for our difficulty or are we going to keep our eye on the God
who has our best interest at heart?
(Rom 8:28
NKJV) And we know that
all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the
called according to His purpose.
I have a concern that in our current prosperous American way of life we
don’t often value the benefit that comes through hardship.
Peter said that trials refine our faith like gold is refined in the fire
(1Pet. 1:7)
Paul said that his difficult times helped him stay humble and helped him
experience God’s strength (2Cor. 12:9).
James said that difficult times produce endurance (Jam.
1:3)
All three said that we should learn to rejoice at our trials, not run from
them.
Illustration
In his book The Pressure’s Off, psychologist Larry Crabb uses a
story from his childhood to illustrate our need to delight in God through
adversity:
One Saturday afternoon, I decided I was a big boy and could use the
bathroom without anyone’s help. So I climbed the stairs, closed and locked the
door behind me, and for the next few minutes felt very self-sufficient.
Then it was time to leave. I couldn’t unlock the door. I tried with every
ounce of my three-year-old strength, but I couldn’t do it. I panicked. I felt
again like a very little boy as the thought went through my head, “I might
spend the rest of my life in this bathroom.”
My parents—and likely the neighbors—heard my desperate scream.
“Are you okay?” Mother shouted through the door she couldn’t open from the
outside. “Did you fall? Have you hit your head?”
“I can’t unlock the door!” I yelled. “Get me out of here!”
I wasn’t aware of it right then, but Dad raced down the stairs, ran to the
garage to find the ladder, hauled it off the hooks, and leaned it against the
side of the house just beneath the bedroom window. With adult strength, he
pried it open, then climbed into my prison, walked past me, and with that same
strength, turned the lock and opened the door.
“Thanks, Dad,” I said—and ran out to play.
That’s how I thought the Christian life was supposed to work. When I get
stuck in a tight place, I should do all I can to free myself. When I can’t, I
should pray. Then God shows up. He hears my cry—“Get me out of here! I want to
play!”—and unlocks the door to the blessings I desire.
Sometimes he does. But now, no longer three years old and approaching
sixty, I’m realizing the Christian life doesn’t work that way. And I wonder,
are any of us content with God? Do we even like him when he doesn’t open the
door we most want opened—when a marriage doesn’t heal, when rebellious kids
still rebel, when friends betray, when financial reverses threaten our
comfortable way of life, when the prospect of terrorism looms, when health
worsens despite much prayer, when loneliness intensifies and depression
deepens, when ministries die?
God has climbed through the small window into my dark room. But he doesn’t
walk by me to turn the lock that I couldn’t budge. Instead, he sits down on the
bathroom floor and says, “Come sit with me!” He seems to think that climbing
into the room to be with me matters more than letting me out to play.
I don’t always see it that way. “Get me out of here!” I scream. “If you love
me, unlock the door!”
Dear friend, the choice is ours. Either we can keep asking him to give us
what we think will make us happy—to escape our dark room and run to the
playground of blessings—or we can accept his invitation to sit with him, for
now, perhaps, in darkness, and to seize the opportunity to know him better and
represent him well in this difficult world.
Larry Crabb, The Pressure’s
Off (WaterBrook
Press, 2002); pp. 222-223; submitted by John Beukema, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania