Genesis 50

This brings us to the final chapter of the first book of the Bible. Thank you for joining me on this journey. I believe that to truly understand the Bible, one must know Genesis. Today, I will focus on the interaction between Joseph and his brothers in Genesis 50. And next time, I’ll provide an overview of what we’ve learned throughout this study. Then, we will review by reading selected psalms related to events in Genesis.

Let’s begin with a few questions: Does God work all things out for good? Can we confidently say that he never wastes our time? Is God writing his story through you, or are the circumstances of your life just haphazard, random occurrences, like puzzle pieces that don’t fit together? I believe today’s passage addresses these questions.

Jacob prophesied over all his sons. Then the patriarch took his last breath, passing away at the age of one hundred forty. Joseph embraced his father’s body and “wept over him and kissed him” (Gen. 50:1). Even though Joseph and Jacob were separated for twenty-two years, they cherished their last seventeen years together.

Joseph followed the Egyptian custom and had his father embalmed. This process was lengthy and intricate. The deceased’s internal organs were removed and preserved in jars. The body was treated with dehydrating sodium carbonate, resin, and spices, then wrapped in several layers of linen and placed in a wooden coffin.[1] The Egyptians mourned Jacob for seventy days, just two days short of the mourning period for a pharaoh. This extended mourning period demonstrated the respect that the Egyptians had for Joseph.

Genesis 50:4-9
And when the days of weeping for him were past, 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, ⁵ ‘My father made me swear, saying, “I am about to die: in my tomb that I hewed out for myself in the land of Canaan, there shall you bury me.” Now therefore, let me please go up and bury my father. Then I will return.’ ” ⁶ And Pharaoh answered, “Go up, and bury your father, as he made you swear.” ⁷ So Joseph went up to bury his father. With him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, ⁸ as well as all 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. ⁹ And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen. It was a very great company.

Joseph led the procession for his father. When they crossed into Canaan, they stopped for seven days at a threshing floor and “lamented there with a very great and grievous lamentation” (Gen. 50:10). The Canaanites noted the massive group of people, the Egyptian officials, the loud mourning, and called the place Abel-mizraim, meaning “meadow (or mourning) of the Egyptians.”

Joseph and his brothers buried their father in the Cave of Machpelah, as Jacob requested. He was laid to rest alongside Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca, and Leah. Today, the Cave of Machpelah is in Hebron, about twenty miles south of Jerusalem. This gravesite served as a claim to the promised land and is also known as the Tomb of the Patriarchs. It remains a sacred place for both Jews and Muslims, who are descendants of Abraham’s son, Ishmael.

Joseph had not returned home in thirty-nine years. When he left Canaan, his feet were shackled, and his neck was “in a collar of iron” (Ps. 105:18), because his brothers had sold him into slavery. Now, Joseph led the noble company back to Egypt as a ruler of the nation, second only to Pharaoh.

Their father was dead, and the brothers feared what Joseph might do next. Perhaps he had been waiting for their father to die before seeking his revenge. Maybe the trip back to Canaan to bury their father had reopened old wounds. They said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him” (Gen. 50:15).

Genesis 50:16-18
So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died: ¹⁷ ‘Say to Joseph, “Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.” ‘ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. ¹⁸ His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.”

Over the past four decades, numerous events have taken place. Joseph was Jacob’s favored son, the firstborn of his beloved wife, Rachel. This favoritism created dissension among his brothers. When Joseph shared a dream indicating they would all bow before him, their resentment grew until they decided to kill him. However, God safeguarded Joseph as the brothers chose to sell him into slavery instead. Joseph faced the harsh realities of enslavement, endured false accusations of sexual assault, and spent years in prison. Yet, according to God’s plan and timing, he eventually became a ruler of Egypt. Joseph frequently showed his emotions to his family (Gen. 42:24; 43:30; 45:2, 14; 50:1). Once again, he wept. Joseph had suffered rejection, betrayal, and physical anguish, but he recognized that God had orchestrated every event in his life. God had written his story in Joseph’s life giving him meaning and a greater purpose. Joseph reassured his brothers twice, “Do not fear” (Gen. 50:19, 21).

Genesis 50:19-21
But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? ²⁰ As 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. ²¹ So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

When his father died, Joseph was fifty-six years old. He lived another fifty-four years. He saw his great-great-grandchildren born to Ephraim and his great-grandchildren by Manasseh. Joseph spent most of his life in Egypt, but his heart was always in the land of Canaan. He knew that Israel would return to Canaan one day, so he made his brothers swear to carry his bones to the promised land. Joseph died and, like his father, was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.

Joseph was highly honored by the Egyptians. He saved them from famine and established a tenant farming system in which the pharaohs owned the land, but the people worked it and paid a twenty percent tax on the crops. According to ancient Near Eastern standards, this tax burden was not excessive.[2] This system lasted for four hundred years (Gen. 47:26).

Over the next four centuries, “the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong so that the land was filled with them.” All was well until “there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.” (Ex.1:7-8). This marked the beginning of their journey to the promised land.

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Read Genesis 50. As you read this passage, think about Joseph’s emotions when he entered Canaan after being away for thirty-nine years. Reflect on Genesis 50:20 and read the corresponding passage in Romans 8:28. Do you believe this truth?

Talking to God
Thank God for writing his story in you. Thank him for the chapters of joy and sorrow, peace and pain, clarity and turmoil. He is a loving Father who is constantly working with passion and purpose. 

Have Questions?
How does God work out all things together for good? That would be a great question to ask our team. They do a tremendous job of helping you engage in God’s Word. Submit your question below, and they will get back to you soon.

Two more things:

1. Visit ronmoore.org/lifemap for an exercise that will help you discover how God is writing his story in you. I have included a life map of Joseph that will serve as an example.
2. On February 25 at 7:00 pm, we will meet on a Zoom call to review what we have learned in Genesis and answer questions. A link to the call will be provided if you wish to participate.

[1] Archaeology Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2017), 81.

[2] Archaeology Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2017), 79.