“Joseph threw himself on his father and wept over him and kissed him. Then Joseph told the physicians who served him to embalm his father’s body; so Jacob was embalmed. The embalming process took the usual forty days. And the Egyptians mourned his death for seventy days. When the period of mourning was over, Joseph approached Pharaoh’s advisers and said, “Please do me this favor and speak to Pharaoh on my behalf. Tell him that my father made me swear an oath. He said to me, ‘Listen, I am about to die. Take my body back to the land of Canaan, and bury me in the tomb I prepared for myself.’ So please allow me to go and bury my father. After his burial, I will return without delay.” Pharaoh agreed to Joseph’s request. “Go and bury your father, as he made you promise,” he said. So Joseph went up to bury his father. He was accompanied by all of Pharaoh’s officials, all the senior members of Pharaoh’s household, and all the senior officers of Egypt. Joseph also took his entire household and his brothers and their households. But they left their little children and flocks and herds in the land of Goshen. A great number of chariots and charioteers accompanied Joseph. When they arrived at the threshing floor of Atad, near the Jordan River, they held a very great and solemn memorial service, with a seven-day period of mourning for Joseph’s father. The local residents, the Canaanites, watched them mourning at the threshing floor of Atad. Then they renamed that place (which is near the Jordan) Abel-mizraim, for they said, “This is a place of deep mourning for these Egyptians.” So Jacob’s sons did as he had commanded them. They carried his body to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre. This is the cave that Abraham had bought as a permanent burial site from Ephron the Hittite. After burying Jacob, Joseph returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had accompanied him to his father’s burial.”
Genesis 50:1-14 NLT
The story of Jacob ended very differently than it seemed to be heading. In the end, he was united with all his children. He was buried with his relatives. He was rich beyond measure, and he was respected enough that Pharaoh gave him a Pharaoh’s burial. This included being embalmed and mourned over by the Egyptian court. It was a strong enough sight that the land’s name was changed. The man who had once been a scoundrel had become a saint. It wasn’t easy, nor was it a clean or swift process. Nonetheless, he travelled with God in this journey, and God took care of him. Not only did God give him blessings, but he did something far more important. He altered his character to be a blessing to others. This is the end point of those who hold fast to God, even if they are learning how to just be a human being, let alone a good one. All it requires is our faithfulness. It doesn’t require our perfection. God will take care of that. We ought to let ourselves take this journey, with all of its perils and heartaches, even if it’s sloppy, knowing that God will bless us in the end.
Jacob’s Transformation: Jacob, once a scoundrel, became a saint through God’s guidance and blessings.
God’s Role: God not only blessed Jacob but also transformed his character to be a blessing to others.
Faithfulness Over Perfection: God values faithfulness over perfection, promising blessings and character transformation for those who journey with Him.
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