Genesis 50:1-26
Jacob's son did as he had commanded them: They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the filed of Machpelah, near Mamre, which Abraham had bought as a burial place from Ephraon the Hittite, along with the field.
Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.
Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath and said, "God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place." Joseph died at the age of 110.
It was normal to employ professional embalmers, but perhaps Joseph wanted to avoid religious entanglements(糾葛). Two centuries later the normal embalming period was 70 days. The mourning observed for Jacob was only two shorter than that for a pharaoh.
Why?
Joseph trust in the Lord that will bring his descendant back to the promised land.
Joseph returns to Canaan at last, but only to lay his father to rest in the family tomb at Hebron - still their sole possession in the promised land.
The huge canvas of Genesis, begun with the great strokes of creation and pulsating life in Eden, continued through destruction, promise, and the birth of a new nation in Canaan, closes with the death of Joseph in Egypt. Yet there will be more to tell. "God will not fail to ... take you from here to the land which he promised." Joseph says, full of trust and hope to the last.
How?
God is the sovereign Lord. God never fail to his promise and his word.
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