Study From the Book of Genesis,50

Study From the Book of Genesis,50

Today we concluded the Book of Genesis by studying the final chapter 50. There is one biblical principle and its lesson which I believe it is useful in biblical counselling.

Joseph expressed his strong, genuine love for his father. Joseph ordered that his father be embalmed  so he will be buried in Canaan. One day Joseph would also be embalmed. Joseph then made a request to leave Egypt to bury his father’s remains in Canaan. At Atad east of the Jordan, the delegations mourned another seven days. This is the entrance of the Promised Land. The Canaanites were so impressed by the party of mourners that they named the place for them.

Joseph’s brothers had a new fear. What if Joseph’s kindness to them were something Joseph showed merely to please his father? With Jacob’s dead, would Joseph take revenge! So, they sent a message to Joseph saying that their father requested him to look after them after his death (although Jacob did not say that). When Joseph heard the message, he wept and accepted the confession in the message as a sincere confession from his brothers. Joseph spoke clearly about how he viewed the events of his life: God transformed the evil into a great work as Joseph not only saved the lives of numerous people in the ancient world, but also testified the power and goodness of the living God. God worked His good plan even through the evil plans of evil people.

God blessed Joseph with a long life of 110 years. This age is less compared to the 175 years of Abraham, 180 years of Isaac, and 147 years of Jacob. We then come to the listing of children of Ephriam before the children of Manasseh as a step in the fulfilment of Jacob’s blessing that the younger son of Joseph was elevated over his older brother.

On the day of Joseph’s death, he expressed continuing faith in the promises of God. He reassured his relatives that God would continue to work in the family. In God’s time, He would keep promise to give Canaan to Abraham’s descendants. Now he had the Israelites swear that they would take his bones to the Promised Land when the entire nation of Israel returned to Canaan. Hundreds of years later, Moses would keep the Israelites’ oath   by taking Joseph’s bones with the people in the wilderness. Finally, Joshua would bury the bones of Joseph at Shechem after he conquered Canaan.

Structure:

Verses 1-14: Jacob’s death and burial.

Verses 15-26: Joseph’s reassurance to his brothers before he died.

Principle 80 verse 50:20:” ---But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.”

Lesson 80: Sometimes God allows us to go through difficult times, even as a result of the wicked actions of others. Yet whatever we have to endure, no matter how unfair or unjust, we can be sure that God will use it for good. (30/8/2026).