Genesis 49: 29- 50: 14
Jacob had moved to Egypt to be with his son Joseph, and his whole family emigrated from Canaan to Goshen in Egypt. Then he lived another seventeen years in Egypt, so he was 147 years old.
When he knew he was near his time of death, he blessed his twelve sons, to give God's prophecy to each of them before he died.
(40: 29) Then he charged them and said to them, "I am about to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, (30) in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field from Ephron the Hittite for a burial site. (31) There they buried Abraham and his wife Sarah, there they buried Isaac and his wife Rebecca, and there I buried Leah--(32) the field and the cave that is in it, purchased from the sons of Heth."
After he blessed his sons, he had them all promise him that they would not bury his body in Egypt, he wanted to be buried with his family in Canaan; and he made sure to give them the exact address and directions to the burial cave.
(33) When Jacob finished charging his sons, he drew his feet into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.
Jacob had been sitting on the side of his bed as he blessed them and charged them to bury him in Abraham's cave. Then he pulled up his feet into the bed. I don't know if he died right then, he may have rested for a while, before he actually died. It must not have been very long, but apparently Joseph was the only one left with him by then. Joseph stayed with his father, even if all the rest of his brothers went home.
(50: 1) Then Joseph fell on his father's face, and wept over him and kissed him.
Joseph is the one who is with Jacob at the moment of his death, as he is the only one who was there to witness his last breath. He stayed with him to the end.
(2) Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. (3) Now forty days were required for it, for such is the period required for embalming. And the Egyptians wept for him seventy days.
As an Egyptian official, Joseph gave his father the greatest Egyptian honor that could be bestowed at death, and he had the authority to make it so.
(4) When the days of mourning for him were passed, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, "If now I have found favor in your sight, please speak to Pharaoh, saying, (5) 'My father made me swear, saying, "Behold I am about to die; in my grave which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me." Now therefore, please let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.'"
Pharaoh probably had a busy schedule, so Joseph sent word to him by his close servants, asking permission to leave the country for this funeral, with assurances that he was not abandoning his responsibilities, but would immediately return after the burial.
(6) Pharaoh said, "Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear."
And Pharaoh respected Joseph and trusted him, so he gave his permission.
(7) So Joseph went up to bury his father, and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household and all the elders of the land of Egypt, (8) and all the household of Joseph and his brothers and his father's household; they left only their little ones and their flocks and their herds in the land of Goshen. (9) There also went up with him both chariots and horsemen; and it was a very great company.
Pharaoh allowed his whole household, all his high officials, and all the Egyptian dignitaries to go with him, and even sent charioteers and horsemen from his military to accompany them. It was a very large entourage.
(10) When they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they lamented there with a very great and sorrowful lamentation; and he observed seven days mourning for his father.
This very great company reached their destination and performed a whole week of ritual funerary ceremonies and mourning.
(11) Now when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, "This is a grievous mourning for the Egyptians." Therefore it was named Abel-Mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan.
When all the locals witnessed this, they were so impressed that they renamed the place in honor of this great funeral, calling it, "The Mourning of Egypt."
(12) Thus his sons did for him as he had charged them; (13) for his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre, which Abraham had bought along with the field for a burial site from Ephron the Hittite.
So Joseph and his brothers carried out their father's wish, to be buried with his father Isaac and his grandfather Abraham.
(14) After he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers, and all who had gone up with him to bury his father.
Then Joseph was true to his word to Pharaoh, and returned to his office and position, bringing back with him everyone who went with him, safely.
This funeral is much more elaborate and is described in much more detail than any other funeral in Scripture. Israel's sons, under the leadership of Joseph, did more than just bury his body, but carried out all the rituals and ceremonies and involved all the people to give Jacob the honor in death that he never sought in life. This man was the father of the whole nation of Israel, and it was right to honor him thus.
O my Father, You knew that these people set a store by how their bodies were treated even after death, when they would need them no more. Hebrews wanted their bodies to lie with the bodies of those who went before. And the Egyptians had a religion that taught that their bodies would come back alive, so they furnished in the graves with the bodies all they thought they would need if they came back alive one day.
My Father, we know that You will raise up everyone who has died, some with spiritual bodies that can withstand standing in Your presence, and others with spiritual bodies that are fitted to suffer retribution forever. These mortal bodies of flesh will not endure. But the Egyptians had the right idea, even if it fell short of Your Truth.
O Father, please send out Your children to be Your messengers and missionaries to share with the whole world how You love us all so much that You sent Your only Son to take away the sins of everyone in the world who wants to turn to You. Let everyone alive in all the nations understand the importance and value of Your provision of our every need--physical, mental, psychological, material, spiritual, financial, relational--temporal and eternal--and every other need we may have. You are our Source, Father; nothing exists that You didn't imagine.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus Christ is our Lord God Almighty, our Redeemer and Messiah, sovereign King of the whole World and all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, forever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come soon, Lord Jesus!
