After Jacob dies, his body receives the benefit of a deluxe, 40-day embalming process. On top of that, the Egyptians mourn him for 70 days. Not just his children, grandchildren, and other relatives, but Egyptians. I would understand the sentiment if it had been Joseph who had died (though he himself only has only a few more verses to go at this point), but Jacob was a transplant from another nation. At any rate, I can't imagine mourning for 70 days someone whom I barely knew, even if he or she had been a leader or illustrious national figure. If a President dies in office, even if he or she had been the best political leader the world had ever known, I doubt I'd shed a single tear. On the other hand, I can only imagine how I'll react when someone close to me dies.
Pharaoh lets Joseph bury his father in Canaan, sending a large Egyptian contingent to chaperone him. As the author colorfully and eloquently states, "It was a very large company" (verse 9). Then, there's seven more days' worth of mourning, which takes place on an ever-so-photogenic threshing floor. Which, of course, meant that the floor couldn't be used for threshing for those seven days, to the possible dismay of the threshers who were unable to do their jobs.
Without the protection of their father, Joseph's brothers fear that Joseph, unfettered by filial piety, will kick their butts. They claim that Jacob told Joseph to forgive his brothers. Now, I understand that the author can't write down every little conversation, but I don't recall Jacob uttering this crucial little tidbit. If this is indeed a lie, it's one driven by fear--and fear often drives both deception and irritability, as I know all too well. The brothers are even willing to enslave themselves--I mean, hey, the rest of Egypt is already in bondage to Pharaoh, so why not join the party?
Joseph's brother did treat him pretty crummily, but Joseph reiterates that he forgives them. Actually, his brothers do have a good point in thinking that Joseph's love toward his father (he was the favored son, after all) was keeping him in check. But Joseph's forgiveness proves itself sincere--he is beholden to no one, yet he still bears no ill will toward his brothers. Well, he is beholden to God--and perhaps it is He who allows us to forgive in the most abominable circumstances.
Final Thoughts on Genesis
It's been a wild and, at least on my part, woolly journey through Genesis. I've probably repeated myself with some of the points I've made, but to be fair, the characters in Genesis have also repeated actions--either their own or those of their forebears. Through the myriad peccadillos, blunders, and yes, even the triumphs, God kept his covenant promise to the line of Abraham. After God created humans, they proceeded to screw up without further ado, which I guess is to be expected if you're running around in the buff. But seriously, God remained faithful, extending His grace to His beloved creation. Yes, there was a lot of smiting going on as well, but we can still take solace in knowing that if God can form a relationship with someone like, say, Jacob, we can have a relationship with Him too despite our foibles.
Now it's time to move on to the book made famous by Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner. Or is it the other way around?
No comments:
Post a Comment