Take Two: Genesis 50, Proverbs 10

Before I begin, let me commend you who have followed along with me during this study of Genesis. As we discussed in the beginning (pun intended), Genesis is foundational to a proper understanding of who God is and how God has worked in history to bring about His unfailing purpose. The book does not answer every question one could have...but it answers every question that we "must know" to believe in the God of Creation and to place our faith in Him. Starting tomorrow, we will be in the New Testament again, studying the Gospel of Mark (This will be our first study of one of the gospels together).

Genesis 50 gives the details of the burial of Jacob, as well as some discussion of relationships between the sons of Israel until Joseph's death. The primary purpose of this last chapter is to show the end of the Patriarchal history and is a set up for the events of Exodus (where Moses steps onto the scene).

Joseph received permission from Pharoah to leave Egypt temporarily for the purpose of burying his father in Canaan (Gen 50:1-6). What is surprising is how much support the Egyptians gave him in accompanying Joseph to Canaan (Gen 50:7-11). It is significant to see how one life had touched so many others. Joseph did not ask for any of his circumstances...but he credited God with sovereignty and relied on God's purpose. As a result, Joseph served the Egyptians with integrity and gained a name for himself. The traveling of the elders with him is significant in that the elders represented the entire nation of Egypt mourning for this foreigner turned Egyptian.

This causes me to question...I wonder if I impact others to the degree that they would mourn with me...that they would walk across the desert for days to acompany me to bury my father. This kind of influence in the lives of people is not "positional," but comes when we truly pour our lives into others. How about you? Do those you work with and work for (or work for you)...feel so connected to you that they would walk across the desert to support and love you in times of difficulty? If so...you are right on track. If not, you know the objective. Not to gain the support of the people; rather, to serve them to the degree that the supoort comes naturally.

After Israel's death, the brothers became nervous. They thought that perhaps Joseph had only acted kindly toward them out of respect and response to their father. (Funny isn't it...how we project our views and viewpoints on others...) They conspire to tell Jospeh that Jacob wanted him (Joseph) to forgive them for the wrong they had done to him (Gen 50:15-17). Joseph had forgiven them and reassured them again that he had found a greater sense of purpose in his circumstances (Gen 50:18-21). God had used him greatly where he was and Joseph knew that his PURPOSE fulfilled far outweighted the PRICE paid.

There is one other nugget in that section. Joseph reminds us that God alone is the One who (and the only One qualified) judges men (Gen 50:19). "Am I in God's place?" he asked rhetorically. [Man... if I could have back the time I have invested in seeking out and thinking about the justice for wrongs I have endured, I would be so blessed. I have spent many days and hours dwelling on the wrongs and not just trusting in the God who sees all and acts justly always.]

Gen 50:22-26 records that at the age of 110, Joseph made his brothers swear to take his bones back to Canaan when God brought them up out of Egypt. He had confidence in the promise of God to give Canaan as a possession. (This also serves to explain why Israelites in Moses' day (Exodus) were still carrying around an "osuary" (i.e. bone box/coffin) with Joseph's remains.

Proverbs 10:19 is the takeaway today. Believe it or not...I really try to apply this proverb. I have been accused of only giving short answers to questions from time to time. Usually the one observing this is commenting that I am acting like a politician (only committing to what I have to). Truthfully though, I just know that the more I talk...the more damage I am prone to do. (Too much experience in that area). Anyway, while not perfectly, I try to give the answers to the questions asked and not give much more than that. This is not a "political" maneuver...or a "rhetorical" device; rather, it is an attempt to not mess up by saying too much.

Grace,