A Father's Final Wish

FAITH IN ACTION:
LIVING AS FAITHFUL PEOPLE
God's Protection
Joseph Transmits Abraham's Promise

Genesis 49:29-50:6

The Message
^29-32 Then he instructed them: "I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave which is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, the cave in the field of Machpelah facing Mamre in the land of Canaan, the field Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite for a burial plot. Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried there; Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried there; I also buried Leah there. The field and the cave were bought from the Hittites."

 ³³ Jacob finished instructing his sons, pulled his feet into bed, breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.

Genesis 50

 ¹ Joseph threw himself on his father, wept over him, and kissed him.
^2-3 Joseph then instructed the physicians in his employ to embalm his father. The physicians embalmed Israel. The embalming took forty days, the period required for embalming. There was public mourning by the Egyptians for seventy days.
 ^4-5 When the period of mourning was completed, Joseph petitioned Pharaoh's court: "If you have reason to think kindly of me, present Pharaoh with my request: My father made me swear, saying, 'I am ready to die. Bury me in the grave plot that I prepared for myself in the land of Canaan.' Please give me leave to go up and bury my father. Then I'll come back."
 ⁶ Pharaoh said, "Certainly. Go and bury your father as he made you promise under oath."

For Reflection
Why in heaven's name would Israel want to be buried so far from his family?  For heaven's sake, Israel remembered God's promise to return Israel's family to the land of Canaan.  His request assured that his family would remember God's promise and in the end he would surrounded again by his people.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, my children wanted to visit the graves of my parents and family in Pittsburgh.  I was a little surprised and very pleased that my children and grand children were all intent in finding the resting places for each of the family buried there.  Each of my children told stories in remembrance of my mother, the only one that they knew.  But even the grandchildren were interested in the stories mostly about the Irish side of my family whom none have ever met.  The journeys of their ancestors seemed to give meaning to their own life journeys.

So it is with our Christian journeys.  We must all set the stage for remembering God's promise.  God's promise gives meaning to our lives, our children's lives and the lives of our children's children.  Offer signs of your faith in God's promise at every chance. 


Pray
prayers of thanksgiving for the faith God has in you.  Pray that your faith in God's promise will be obvious in your words and deeds.  pray that you faithful living will remind the next generation of the value of God's promise.  Pray that others will embrace God's promise and realize the meaning in their lives.