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Dave Burnette's Commentary

Genesis Chapter 50

Written By: God through Inspiration
Penned By: Moses
Date Penned: (1450-1410 BC)
Overview: The Record of God's Chosen People (c 23-50)
Theme: The Story of Joseph (c 37-50)
Message: Jacob and Joseph Die (v 1-26)

Genesis 50 Commentary

(50-1-11) Joseph Morns Jacob - When Jacob died at the age of 147 (47:28), Joseph wept and mourned for months. When someone close to us dies, we need a long period of time to work through our grief. Crying and sharing our feelings with others helps us recover and go on with life. Allow yourself and others the freedom to grieve over the loss of a loved one, and give yourself time enough to complete your grieving process.

(50-23) Jacob is Embalmed - Embalming was typical for Egyptians but unusual for nomadic shepherds. Believing that the dead went to the next world in their physical bodies, the Egyptians embalmed bodies to preserve them so they could function in the world to come. Jacob's family allowed him to be embalmed as a sign of courtesy and respect to the Egyptians.

(50:5) Pharaoh Honors Joseph - Joseph had proven himself trustworthy as Pharaoh's adviser. Because of his good record, Pharaoh had little doubt that he would return to Egypt as promised after burying his father in Canaan. Privileges and freedom often result when we have demonstrated our trustworthiness. Since trust must be built gradually over time, take every opportunity to prove your reliability, even in minor matters.

(50:12-13) Jacob is Buried -  Abraham had purchased the cave in the field of Machpelah as a burial place for his wife Sarah (23:1-20). It was to be a burial place for his entire family. Jacob was Abraham's grandson, and Jacob's sons returned to Canaan to bury him in this cave along with Abraham and Isaac. Their desire to be buried in this cave expressed their faith in God's promise to give their descendants the land of Canaan.

(50:15-21) Joseph Demonstrates God's Grace - Now that Jacob was dead, the brothers feared revenge from Joseph. Could he really have forgiven them for selling him into slavery? But to their surprise, Joseph not only forgave them but also reassured them, offering to care for them and their families. Joseph's forgiveness was complete. He demonstrated how God graciously accepts us even though we don't deserve it. Because God forgives us even when we have ignored or rejected him, we should graciously forgive others.

(50:20) Joseph Reflects on the Goodness of God - God brought good from the brothers' evil deed, Potiphar's wife's false accusation, the butler's neglect, and seven years of famine. The experiences in Joseph's life taught him that God brings good from evil for those who trust him. Do you trust God enough to wait patiently for him to bring good out of bad situations? You can trust him because, as Joseph learned, God can overrule people's evil intentions to bring about his intended results.

(50:24) Joseph has Faith at Death - Joseph was ready to die. He had no doubts that God would keep his promise and one day bring the Israelites back to their homeland. What a tremendous example! The secret of that kind of faith is a lifetime of trusting God. Your faith is like a muscle- it grows with exercise, gaining strength over time. After a lifetime of exercising trust, your faith can be as strong as Joseph's. Then at your death, you can be confident that God will fulfill all his promises to you and to all those faithful to him who may live after you.

(50:24) The Family becomes a Nation - This verse sets the stage for what would begin to happen in Exodus and come to completion in Joshua. God was going to make Jacob's family into a great nation, lead them out of Egypt, and bring them into the land he had promised them. The nation would rely heavily on this promise, and Joseph emphasized his belief that God would do what he had promised.

(50:26) The book of Genesis gives us rich descriptions of the lives of many great men and women who walked with God. They sometimes succeeded and often failed. Yet we learn much by reading the biographies of these people. Where did they get their motivation and courage? They got them by realizing God was with them despite their inadequacies. Knowing this should encourage us to be faithful to God, to rely on him for guidance, and to utilize the gifts and abilities he has given us.


Dave Burnette's Life Application

Faithful


Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter, making application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. There are many applications we can make from each day's text. Today we Continue in the book of Genesis with Chapter 50, and in today's text, we wrap up the book of Genesis. The word Genesis is defined as The origin, mode, or formation of something. Of course, this something is the nation of Israel, and in this text, Jacob dies, turning the page of this Chapter. Joseph forgives his brothers, which seals this family's fate and the nation. Joseph then dies and leaves us this fantastic testimony of a Godly, faithful life. The Lord remembered Joseph and devoted much of this book to his life as an example to us. The faith of Joseph has him testify to the children of Israel that God will be faithful to them. In making an application, we see that God is faithful. He keeps His promises. How about you? Do you truly understand that God is faithful to His Word? Just as God was faithful to Joseph, He will be faithful to you. Be a Joseph, and have faith in the Lord because He is faithful to you.

 

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Genesis 50


Genesis 50

 1And Joseph fell upon his father's face, and wept upon him, and kissed him.

 2And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father: and the physicians embalmed Israel.

 3And forty days were fulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the days of those which are embalmed: and the Egyptians mourned for him threescore and ten days.

 4And when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spake unto the house of Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found grace in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying,

 5My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die: in my grave which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. Now therefore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again.

 6And Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father, according as he made thee swear.

 7And 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,

 8And all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father's house: only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen.

 9And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen: and it was a very great company.

 10And they came to the threshingfloor of Atad, which is beyond Jordan, and there they mourned with a great and very sore lamentation: and he made a mourning for his father seven days.

 11And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, This is a grievous mourning to the Egyptians: wherefore the name of it was called Abelmizraim, which is beyond Jordan.

 12And his sons did unto him according as he commanded them:

 13For his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field for a possession of a buryingplace of Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre.

 14And Joseph returned into Egypt, he, and his brethren, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father.

 15And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him.

 16And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying,

 17So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him.

 18And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants.

 19And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?

 20But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

 21Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.

 22And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father's house: and Joseph lived an hundred and ten years.

 23And Joseph saw Ephraim's children of the third generation: the children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were brought up upon Joseph's knees.

 24And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

 25And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.

 26So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.