Mourning, Honor, and Obedience
Genesis 50:1–6 (NASB95)
1Then Joseph fell on his father’s face, and wept over him and kissed him. 2Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. 3Now forty days were required for it, for such is the period required for embalming. And the Egyptians wept for him seventy days. 4When the days of mourning for him were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your sight, please speak to Pharaoh, saying, 5‘My father made me swear, saying, “Behold, I am about to die; 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; then I will return.’ ” 6Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.”
Commentary – Mourning, Honor, and Obedience
The death of Jacob marks the end of a patriarchal era, but his burial also serves as a powerful testament to God’s promises. After Jacob passed away, Joseph was overcome with deep grief, demonstrating his love for his father through weeping and kissing him. Joseph then took swift action to ensure Jacob’s body was embalmed, a process that required forty days, while Egypt observed seventy days of mourning, a level of reverence typically reserved for royalty. This reflects the high regard Jacob and Joseph held in Egypt, not only because of Joseph’s leadership but also as a testimony of God’s favor upon His covenant people.
Joseph, ever faithful to his father’s wishes, petitioned Pharaoh for permission to bury Jacob in the land of Canaan, as Jacob had commanded. Jacob’s burial in the cave of Machpelah, alongside Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, and Leah, affirmed his faith in God’s promise to give the land of Canaan to his descendants. Pharaoh’s immediate approval of Joseph’s request shows the trust and respect he had for Joseph, as well as the significance of the oath Jacob had made his son swear. This act of honoring Jacob’s final wish was not just about familial duty. It was a declaration of faith in God’s covenant, even as Jacob’s family dwelled far from the Promised Land.
The grandeur of Jacob’s funeral procession is striking. Egyptian officials, dignitaries, and even chariots accompanied Joseph and his brothers to Canaan, underscoring the influence Joseph wielded and the honor given to Jacob. The mourning was so significant that the Canaanites took notice and named the site Abel Mizraim, meaning “mourning of the Egyptians.” Yet, through all the pomp and ceremony, the true heart of the event was obedience to Jacob’s final instructions and faith in God’s promises.
Jacob’s burial reminds the church of the importance of living and dying with eyes fixed on God’s promises. Just as Jacob’s burial pointed to the future fulfillment of God’s covenant to give Canaan to Israel, believers are called to live in anticipation of the eternal inheritance promised through Jesus Christ. Joseph’s faithfulness to his father’s instructions also teaches us the importance of honoring our commitments and living lives of integrity. As a church, we are called to model this faithfulness to the next generation, encouraging them to trust in God’s promises and to walk in obedience, even when the fulfillment of those promises seems far off. Let us live with the same confidence Jacob had, knowing that God’s faithfulness endures across all generations.
In His Service,
Ryan Goodnight