Genesis 50 - Legacy in Egypt's Soil - The Mysteries of God's Word

Joseph's grieving process for his father Jacob demonstrates that sorrow is a normal, healthy response to loss, even for those with strong faith in God's promises.

• Joseph requests his own physicians embalm Jacob rather than Egyptian embalmers who practiced magic arts
• The Egyptians mourn Jacob for 70 days, just 2 days short of the mourning period for a Pharaoh
• Jacob's funeral procession includes Egyptian officials, elders, and a military escort - one of the greatest funeral displays recorded in Scripture
• When Jacob's brothers fear Joseph will finally take revenge, they fabricate a message claiming their father commanded forgiveness
• Joseph reassures his brothers with the profound statement: "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good"
• Before dying at 110, Joseph makes his family swear to carry his bones back to Canaan when God fulfills His promise
• Genesis covers the first 2,369 years of history - more than one-third of Earth's timeline

Remember that to reject Genesis as historical is to undermine the very foundation of our faith and the reason Christ came to earth.

Chapters

• 0:27 Israel's Death and Egyptian Mourning
• 3:02 Journey to Canaan for Burial
• 8:35 Brothers Fear Joseph's Vengeance
• 13:22 God Meant It for Good
• 18:15 Joseph's Death and Final Testament
• 21:41 Genesis Timeline and Historical Significance

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:14

Grace and peace to you from God, our Father and our Lord and Savior, jesus Christ. Today we are in our last chapter of Genesis, genesis chapter 50, beginning at verse 1. Then Joseph fell on his father's face and wept over him and kissed him. And Joseph commanded his servants, the physicians, to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. Forty days were required for it for that is how many are required for embalming and the Egyptians wept for him seventy days. In these first three verses of chapter 50, joseph being the very closest son of his father, israel shows us that it is both normal and it is healthy to grieve when those closest to you pass. Just as in the Gospel of John, chapter 11, verse 35, jesus wept. Then Joseph summoned the physicians to embalm Israel. This statement that Joseph was summoning his own physicians to embalm him is a telling statement.

Speaker 1: 1:32

Here In Egypt, the profession of physicians and embalmers were actually two separate professions, because embalmers were religious. In their practice, they used magic arts and mystic practices. What this is telling us is that Joseph intentionally asked his own physicians to do this mummification process for Israel, so that no magic arts were involved. And we also learned this is a 40-day process. Additionally, we learned that the Egyptians wept for Israel for 70 days. Weeping for the dead was something formally done in Egypt, especially for those who had a position of honor, and Joseph's father, israel, was shown this great honor because of the respect that Joseph had as governor. The formal time for mourning for a pharaoh was 72 days, and here Israel was mourned for 70 days, just two days short of what a Pharaoh would be mourned for.

Speaker 1: 2:44

Picking up in verse 4, and when the days of weeping for him were passed, joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the ears of Pharaoh. Saying my father made me swear, saying I am about to die In my tomb, that I have hewn out for myself in the land of Canaan. There you shall bury me Now. Therefore, let me please go up and bury my father, then I will return. And Pharaoh answered Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.

Speaker 1: 3:27

In verses 4 through 6, we see that the days of weeping had passed and after this solemn time for the entire nation of Egypt, where all of the normal government functions would have been shut down, after this time of formal weeping, joseph goes into the household of Pharaoh and he's now free to conduct business with the Pharaoh. And Joseph tells Pharaoh that he swore to his father to bring him back to that cave in the field of Ephron in the land of Canaan. After hearing that Joseph had sworn to do this for his father, the Pharaoh told Joseph to go and bury his father, just as he had promised Verse 7 so Joseph went up to bury his father. With him went all of the servants of the Pharaoh, the elders of his household and the elders of the land of Egypt, the elders of his household and the elders of the land of Egypt, as well as all of the household of Joseph, his brothers and his father's household. Only their children, their flocks and their herds were left in the land of Goshen and there went up with him both chariots and horsemen. It was a very great company. As we see here in verses 7 through 9,.

Speaker 1: 5:04

Israel's funeral procession was perhaps one of the greatest ever seen in the land of Canaan. It certainly is one of the greatest ever recorded in scripture. It was a funeral procession fit for a king. It included Joseph, all the servants of the Pharaoh, all the elders of his household, all the elders in all of the land of Egypt, all the household of Joseph, all the household of Joseph's eleven brothers, all the household of Israel, chariots and horsemen. This, my friends, indeed was a great company, verse 10. When they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they lamented there with very great and grievous lamentation and he made a mourning for his father for seven days. When the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning on the threshing floor of Atad, they said this is a grievous mourning by the Egyptians. Therefore, the place was named Abel Mizraim. It is beyond the Jordan. In verses 10 through 11, we see that this great company stopped at the threshing floor of Atad. Now, the precise location of this threshing floor is unknown. However, it is significant that this threshing floor is spoken of being beyond the Jordan and it's referenced as beyond the Jordan twice, in verses 10 and 11.

Speaker 1: 6:53

Considering that a direct route from Egypt to the cave of Mekpila would not have gone through or even journeyed next to the Jordan River, this is describing how the funeral procession took a detour. One very likely possibility is that there was political unrest or a war and the procession had to go around the Dead Sea and then would approach Hebron from the northeast rather than the southwest, and here at the threshing floor of Atad, joseph set aside seven days to grieve his father one last time. Seven days was a common amount of time set aside by Hebrews to grieve their loved ones. Some examples can be found in 1 Samuel 31.13, 1 Chronicles 10.12, job 2.13, and Ezekiel 3.15. However, this wasn't the common quiet Hebrew grieving and lamenting. This lamentation of this company was great, and it included the lamentation of the Egyptians, creating a great outward display. We might compare it to something similar to the paid whalers when Jairus' daughter died during the days of Jesus in Mark 5, 38-40. Indeed, this entire event was a great display of grief, with an entire showcase of the Egyptians' power inside the land of Canaan. And when the Canaanites saw this great display of mourning in their land by the Egyptians at this threshing floor, they renamed the place the Tears of Egypt Verse 12. From Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place. After he buried his father, joseph returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had gone up with him to bury his father. Verses 12-14 finish documenting how the sons of Israel did just as their father had commanded them that he was buried with the other patriarchs and their wives in the land of Canaan, in the cave at the field of Machpelah, which is near Hebron. The death, the funeral procession and the burial of Israel are all very well documented here in Genesis. And after the formal burial of his father, joseph returns to Egypt along with his family and all of the Egyptian royalty that had come along Verse 15.

Speaker 1: 10:02

When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said it may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for the evil that we did to him. So they sent a message to Joseph saying your father gave this command before he died. Say to Joseph Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to him. His brothers also came and fell down before him and said Behold, we are your servants. In verses 15 through 18, we see that the brothers of Joseph still feel lost under the condemnation of their own sin.

Speaker 1: 10:56

Now, after the death of their father, they think Joseph is going to take vengeance on them. This kind of thinking amongst the brothers should actually be expected, considering how Simon and Levi had such a disposition of vengeance. They had slaughtered an entire village because of their sister's defilement. The brothers do not and perhaps cannot believe that Joseph could truly have forgiven them for selling him as a slave. They believe Joseph is just waiting for the right opportunity to take vengeance. So they send Joseph a message.

Speaker 1: 11:39

As was typical for these ten brothers who did this to Joseph, they make something up, they try to tingle the ears of the hearer, if you will, and do whatever they can to get themselves out of trouble. They send Joseph a message that begins your father gave us this command. Well, you can only imagine how Joseph must have received such a foolish message. The fact that his brothers began the message calling Israel his father rather than our father, and then proceeded to tell Joseph that Israel told them to command him to forgive them, rather than just talking to Joseph himself, surely sounds like some of the same foolish manipulation that has always come out of their mouths. Eventually, the brothers just came and fell down before Joseph, saying we are your servants. The fact that his brothers did this and came and fell down before him would seem to imply that Joseph never even responded to that foolish message his brothers sent. When they came and bowed down before him and said Behold, we are your servants.

Speaker 1: 12:53

It shows that they were in fear for their life. And this is their new strategy to have Joseph show mercy upon them like he had before in Genesis 43.26 and Genesis 44.14. But Joseph said to them Do not fear, for am I in the place of God and for you? You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive as they are today. So do not fear, I will provide for you and your little ones. Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

Speaker 1: 13:35

Verses 19-21 are some of the most quoted verses in all of Genesis. When Joseph says Do not fear, for am I in the place of God, he's letting his brothers know that he fears God and he's not going to use his authority as a weapon to take vengeance upon the sins of his brothers. Know that he fears God and he's not going to use his authority as a weapon to take vengeance upon the sins of his brothers, because Joseph believes that vengeance belongs to God. Deuteronomy 32.35 says Vengeance is mine and recompense for the time when their foot shall slip, for the day of calamity is at hand and their doom comes swiftly. Romans 12, 19 reads Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it for the wrath of God, for it is written Vengeance is mine, I will repay.

Speaker 1: 14:32

In Hebrews 10.30 reads Joseph continues saying people. Joseph continues saying as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good. I believe this phrase is often misused. Contrary to some mixed-up thinking and off-base theologians, joseph is in no way calling evil good. Here Joseph is very clear that his brothers were sinning against him and they were sinning against God. He says that they meant evil against him. The Hebrew word for meant here also means to plan, to plot, to devise or have intent. The brothers of Joseph were intentional to sin against Joseph and therefore sin against God. They willingly planned to sin against Joseph and God. It is a very dangerous thing to call evil good and that is not what Joseph is doing.

Speaker 1: 15:50

Isaiah 5.20 reads as Joseph says this to his brothers, he is pointing to the sovereignty of God and how God's plans for his people cannot be thwarted. Isaiah 54, 17 reads no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication is from me, declares the Lord. Joseph is not making light of what his brothers did, but rather he is pointing them to the foreknowledge, the faithfulness, the power and the forgiveness that is in the God of Abraham, isaac and Jacob. Joseph, out of love for his brothers, is telling them how they too should trust God. They should walk in faith rather than in fear, because God has good plans for everyone who does.

Speaker 1: 17:11

Romans 8.28 reads, and we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. When we walk in faith, surrendering ourselves to the headship of God Almighty, the Lord will use us for his glory and for his kingdom. Joseph is telling his brothers that God's purpose in this is so that the children of Israel and their children will be provided for and survive. Joseph then casually speaks with his brothers, kindly letting them know that he will not take vengeance, but rather that he wants what's. Joseph then casually speaks with his brothers, kindly letting them know that he will not take vengeance, but rather that he wants what's best for them and what's best for their families Verse 22.

Speaker 1: 18:03

So Joseph remained in Egypt, he and his father's house. Joseph lived 110 years and Joseph saw Ephraim's children of the third generation, the children also of Machir, the son of Manasseh, who were counted as Joseph's own. In verses 22 and 23, we see that Joseph continued to remain in Egypt the rest of his life and he saw Ephraim's children to the third generation. The phrase third generation here is disputed by some, as some believe it includes the generation of Ephraim. However, it is possible that Joseph was able to see his great-great grandchildren through Ephraim, since Joseph did live 80 years after becoming governor, which started when he was 30 years old. If Joseph had Ephraim shortly after becoming governor, perhaps around being 32 years old, we can divide those four generations by the remaining 78 years. By the remaining 78 years, and we find that there are 19.5 years that would separate each generation. Assuming that the great-great-grandchild from Ephraim was born that year that Joseph died, and if that's the case, it tells us it wasn't unusual to be married and having children prior to 20 years old in the ancient Near East.

Speaker 1: 19:34

We also read that the children of Mechir, the son of Manasseh, were counted as Joseph's own. That phrase Joseph's own here it literally means to be born on Joseph's knees. It's speaking of how Joseph continued to oversee his family. He continued to care for them, he continued to train all of the young children and he was seen as the patriarch and head of the entire family for as long as he lived. And Joseph said to his brothers I'm about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land, to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying God will surely visit you and you shall carry up my bones from here. In verses 24 and 25, we see how Joseph trusted in the Abrahamic covenant that God had given to Abraham, isaac and Jacob. Joseph believed that the sons of Israel would once again return to the land of Canaan, the land of Canaan. Joseph may also have been familiar with what God told Abram in Genesis 15, verses 13 and 14, which read Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. Therefore Joseph, trusting in God's promises through Abraham, isaac and Jacob, has his brothers, along with Ephraim and Manasseh, swear, saying God will surely visit you and you shall carry up my bones from here. Joseph wants his family to know and be grounded in the promises of God. Our final verse in Genesis Genesis chapter 50, verse 26. So Joseph died, being 110 years old. They embalmed him and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

Speaker 1: 21:58

The end of the book of Genesis concludes much like it began, detailing a very specific day. This day is the day when Joseph died, giving us the age of his death. The book of Genesis is meticulous at including the genealogies and ages of the male offspring all the way back from Adam, while it's not limited to, but it is focused around, the line of the Messiah. Every male son that was born in the lineage of the Messiah was recorded, with their lifespan and the age at which they gave birth to the next of kin in the line of the Messiah. We can conclude, based on these genealogies recorded in Genesis, that Genesis includes the first 2,369 years of Earth's history. As I speak this today, in 2025 AD, I recognize that the book of Genesis has the recorded history of well over one-third of all of Earth's history.

Speaker 1: 23:15

To ignore this history that's found in Genesis or to somehow pass it off as a legend or a myth For a Christian it's like rejecting addition and subtraction, being in an advanced math class. To reject the first one-third of God's interaction with mankind and his people is to reject the foundation for the New Testament doctrines and indeed, the reason that Christ came here at the time of Joseph's death. It has now been 286 years since Abram was first given the Abrahamic covenant and he himself had gone to Egypt during a famine in Genesis 12.10. Had gone to Egypt during a famine in Genesis 12.10. And after this specific day of Joseph's death, there will be 144 more years of Israel remaining in Egypt, most of it as slaves, before the great exodus in 1491 BC. Thank you so much for joining me through this journey of Genesis. God bless you this week.