Jacob is Gathered Home

January 21, 2009, 3:01 pm by dc-agape.

Genesis chapter 49

We have reached the end of Israel’s long and industrious life.  The way the Word is written Israel makes the request to be buried with his forefathers right after he “blesses” his sons.  And this is followed directly by his death.  How many people today can know the time of their death so well that they can bless their children, command their children, and then die within a matter of minutes?  The only way this can happen is when someone is “yanked” from this existence.  YHWH must have decided it was time for Israel to die.

It is interesting how Joseph shows honor to his father, humbleness to the courts, and then lies.  In the chapter 48 he does not visit his father often or introduces his sons to their grandfather until “some time later”.  Now he shows proper respect for his father, not quite like the 10 commandments.  He is acts humble before the courts…asking them to tell the Pharaoh that his father had died.  He is second-in-command…he only pretend humbleness.  Even Pharaoh’s court must do as he commands.  The best part of this story is the lie he tells Pharaoh’s court!

Gen 50:5 My father made me swear an oath and said, “I am about to die; bury me in the tomb I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.”  Now let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.

His father did not dig that tomb!  We know this because what Israel actually said can be read here.  Even more is the arrogance that Joseph shows when telling the court what he plans to do.  Re-read that part in Gen 50:5 “My father made me swear”.  His father did not make only Joseph swear…he made all his sons swear!  Joseph’s arrogance and lying are legendary.  But this is our role model of how to be “Godly” and “humble before the Lord”.  I guess as long as you are “humble before the Lord” you can be a complete ass to all of humanity!  Many TrueChristiansTM certainly are.

Much pomp and ceremony is giving to the death of Israel.  He is embalmed over 40 days, there is a 70 day mourning period after his death, and Joseph mourns an additional seven days after reaching the Jordan.  To make things even more interesting, all of the Pharaoh’s officials and dignitaries follow the sons of Israel to bury Jacob in Canaan.  All this for a despised shepherd.

Something just does not add up.  Joseph is the 2^nd most important man in Egypt.  He has sold all the citizen of Egypt into slavery.  All of Joseph’s family are of a despised occupation.  Yet the Pharaoh does all this pomp and ceremony for a lowly shepherd!  They are treating Jacob like the father of the Pharaoh!  Does this make any sense to you?  It seems a little made up to me or at least embellished.

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