Genesis 50

Notes compiled with my BSF group and Bible study with Pastor Damian Kyle

JOSEPH BURIES JACOB (Genesis 49:29–50:6)

When we die in God, death is not the end
When we die in God, our death is not eternal. Death is the end of our earthly beginnings, but it is also the beginning of our heavenly duties under the leadership of Jesus! 

As Christians, we are sad to lose family and friends through death, because we will miss them and their presence in our lives. However, if our family and friends die also in Christ, then our sorrows do not last long, because we know that we will see them again. We will be reunited with them, and we know we will be given new missions by Christ during the Millennium – and that is very exciting!

God is not the God of the Dead but the God of the Living (Matthew 22:31-32)
When we are born again in God, we no longer need to fear death of our physical bodies, because our souls are promised eternal life with Jesus. This is why God is the God of the living – because those who are in Him are alive forever. Those who are not in him suffer eternal death upon physical death.

Cf. Hebrews 9:27; Romans 3:23; 6:23; John 5:24; John 8:24; John 11:26


PHARAOH HONORS JACOB’S WISHES (Genesis 50:7–14)

Pharaoh shows Jacob great respect
Pharaoh honored Jacob's death and burial. The Egyptians mourned for Jacob's death for 70 days. The Egyptians mourned 72 days for the death of a Pharaoh, so this was showing him considerable respect.

Even the Canaanites noticed that the Egyptians was holding a solemn ceremony of mourning. This again speaks of the amount of respect the Pharaoh and the Egyptians had for Jacob.

Jacob's sons honor their father
Jacob's sons buried Jacob the way he had requested, honoring their father's wishes.


JOSEPH RECONFIRMS HIS FORGIVENESS FOR HIS BROTHERS (Genesis 50:15–21)

Joseph's brothers truly repent
The brothers now see what they did in the past was evil (Genesis 50:15), exemplifying how God has changed and matured their lives and views. They thus earnestly sought Joseph's forgiveness.

Joseph truly forgives and gives that glory to God
Joseph had truly forgiven his brothers, because Joseph could see the bigger picture from God's perspective.

Joseph said to his brothers, "Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God?" (Genesis 50:19)

What Joseph is saying here is that vengeance is not ours to take. It is in the hands of God! And if Joseph held on to their sins and refused to release it to God, he would have been so filled with hate that God would not have been able to use Joseph. But because Joseph understood that we are not the judge -- God is, that we are not here to glorify ourselves but to do the Will of God, he was able to look beyond his dire circumstances and realize the glorious work God had in place for him.

Genesis 50:20
But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good…

"Good" is not what we crave. The ultimate good we can do for anyone is to put him or even ourselves in a position where we can do the most God's work.

This is the only viewpoint that is mature enough as a child of God. If all Joseph could see was, "Boy, they did me wrong, they sure did me wrong," Joseph would have missed the great picture that God was able to turn that into something godly good: Saving two nations and millions of people from famine and destruction!


JOSEPH PASSES AWAY (Genesis 50:22–26)

Joseph reassures his brothers that God will be with them
Joseph told his brothers that God will surely come to their aid and take them to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Genesis 50:24).

Joseph requests to have his bones be brought into the Promised Land (Hebrews 11:22)
Joseph asked his brothers to carry his bones into the Promise Land. He knows that God will eventually guide His people back into the Promise Land. Joseph may not have been able to live until that day, but he wanted to make sure that he didn't miss it when his people eventually return to the Promise Land! And indeed, God led His people back to the Promise Land through Moses and Joshua, and His people indeed brought Joseph's bones into the Promise Land.