Genesis 50

This morning, while reading Genesis 50, we learn that Jacob has died. Joseph threw himself on him and wept and kissed him. He tells the physicians to embalm him, a process that takes 40 days. Then we read the Egyptians mourned Jacob for 70 days. That stopped me in my tracks. In Genesis 46, we learned that the Egyptians despised shepherds. And here the Egyptians are mourning a shepherd for 70 days. That’s quite an honor that was only reserved for important people, royalty.

They didn’t mourn Jacob because they suddenly began to love shepherds. They mourned to honor Joseph, Pharaoh’s right-hand man. Reading about Jacob’s death made me wonder, what will people think of me when I die? What will God think of me when I draw my last breath? I hope that I am running the good race, that the Holy Spirit is leading my thoughts, words, and actions.

If we are pursuing a relationship with Christ, we are dying to ourselves daily, letting the Holy Spirit prepare us for death, which is a lifelong process—living for God’s perfect will in our lives, not our own. We have the promise of Heaven. God, the creator of Heaven and Earth, has adopted us into his Royal Family.

‘¹⁴For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. ¹⁵So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” ‘
Romans 8:14-15