(Genesis) Genesis 50:1-3

Now, we have in chapter 50 actually the burial of Jacob, and it's a fitting chapter to end Genesis that began with the creation, and then it ends almost dolefully, but sin has come in and brought death. And you have here the death and burial of Jacob, and you have the death and burial of Joseph, the burial of Jacob up in Canaan, burial of Joseph in Egypt. Now, notice verse 1, "...and Joseph fell upon his father's face, and wept upon him, and kissed him.

He sorrowed, naturally loved his father. And Joseph commanded his servants, the physicians, to embalm his father, and the physicians embalmed Israel." As you know, the Egyptians were quite experts at this sort of thing. We hear of the mummies in Egypt.

Well, they had a method of burying that we haven't caught on to really today. Here was something that was quite remarkable that they knew. A great many people think that it was the nation Israel that developed this down in the land of Egypt.

Well, I'm not prepared to discuss that, but at least Joseph called in the physicians and had them embalm his father. And you don't laugh at a funeral, but I can't help but smile when I think they made old Jacob into a mummy. That's what happened to him.

And I'm of the opinion that mummy's up there at Hebron today. His request was, I want to be taken and buried up there. Why? His hope is an earthly hope, friends.

Don't you see it? He wants to be buried up there in that land because someday he's to be raised from the dead. And when he is, why, he'll be there in the land with the nation Israel. Now, he has no promise of being caught up to meet the Lord in the air and going to a place called a New Jerusalem out in space.

Now, that's a promise given to the child of God today in the church. They're two different hopes, by the way, but they're both glorious, wonderful hopes. I'll be honest with you, I just soon have one as the other, but I'm confident that it's a superior hope to go and be with Christ.

That is the hope today of the believer in the church. Now, we're told, and 40 days were fulfilled for him, for so are fulfilled the days of those which are embalmed. And the Egyptians mourned for him threescore and ten days.

And I'd call attention to two things there, the length of time that it took to embalm, 40 days. Evidently, there were several processes to this and that which we know nothing about today. Now, the Egyptians mourned for him, and I don't think this was professional mourning.

I think he became a real saint in the land of Egypt and probably looked up to and respected as the father of Joseph. Joseph was the deliverer, but certainly this was his father, and he at this time was a real saint of God.