GENESIS – An Expositional Overview of the Beginning of God’s Revelation: Chapter FIFTY

Contributing commentaries by pastors Sonny Islas, Albert Lopez and James FireChuck Missler Bible Commentary – GENESIS Chapters 46-50 

GENESIS 50 – by Sonny Islas; for the Facebook video of this teaching in its completion, go here.

INTRODUCTION: At this point, Israel has passed away and will be taken to Canaan (aka the land of Israel) in a very impressive and kingly possession. The chapter also ends with the death of Joseph. In this chapter we find that Joseph learned all the lessons he was to learn from all his trials.
It’s important for us too, to learn from the trials that God allows us to go through and at times even send our way. Trials are for us to be built up. Trials reveal what we’re made of and they cause us to look to God which then makes us all the better for it.
JAMES1:2-4
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials (trials of all kinds), knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience (here we find that the purpose of trials is to grow our faith as we trust in God in greater measures and for us to produce the fruit of the Spirit). But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Trials have a maturing effect on those who learn from them and overcome them with God’s help. We witnessed all this in the crazy life of Joseph!

GENESIS 50:1-14
And Joseph fell upon his father's face, and wept upon him, and kissed him. 2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father: and the physicians embalmed Israel. 3 And forty 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. 4 And when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spake unto the house of Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found grace in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, 5 My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die: in my grave which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. Now therefore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again.
6 And Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father, according as he made thee swear. 7 And Joseph went up to bury his father: and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, 8 And all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father's house: only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen. 9 And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen: and it was a very great company. 10 And they came to the threshingfloor of Atad, which is beyond Jordan, and there they mourned with a great and very sore lamentation: and he made a mourning for his father seven days.
11 And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, This is a grievous mourning to the Egyptians: wherefore the name of it was called Abelmizraim, which is beyond Jordan. 12 And his sons did unto him according as he commanded them: 13 For his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field for a possession of a buryingplace of Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre. 14 And Joseph returned into Egypt, he, and his brethren, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father.

Vs. 1 “Then Joseph fell on his father’s face, and wept over him, and kissed him”
Israel dies in the presence of his sons. This must have been a very deep and dramatic moment as all the sons mourn over their dad, starting with Joseph. It’s never an easy thing to lose a loved one, especially a parent.

Vs. 3 “…The Egyptians mourned him seventy days”
Here we have the entire nation of Egypt weeping over Israel’s death. This was for the most part because he was Joseph’s father and Joseph was the man who saved the known world from starvation. Joseph was deeply loved by the Egyptians. But this mourning for 70 days also reflects on how honorable and important Israel was – he too was well known and greatly loved.
And these were not paid mourners like the ones you find in North Korea. It is said that when a dictator dies, the people are paid to mourn – not surprising.

Vs. 7 “So Joseph went up to bury his father”
Again, this was an extravagant funeral procession and burial. Everybody who was somebody was there except the Pharaoh.
Martin Luther says that “there is no burial recorded in the Scriptures quite as honorable as this or with such wealth of detail.” In all of this we can also see just how much God values His prince Israel by granting him a kingly burial. Israel was the last Patriarch to pass.

Vs. 12 “So his sons did for him just as he had commanded them”
Israel’s sons except Joseph and Benjamin have failed their dad time and time again, but they didn’t want to get their father’s funeral or dying wishes wrong. It’s important to honor the wishes of a dying parent.
Israel didn’t want to be buried in Egypt because he wanted to be buried in Canaan with his loved ones. This request also pointed to how Israel appreciated God for the land He promised Him and his fathers (GENESIS 15). 

“Perhaps Joseph will hate us”
Joseph’s brothers thought that Joseph was going to turn on them and get even now that dad is gone. They must have thought that all this forgiveness and reconciliation stuff was too good to be true. They were thinking that Joseph could not wait for sweet revenge!
It was their own warped and guilty conscience that haunted them. Joseph showed genuine forgiveness – no strings attached!

If someone has forgiven you for something you’ve done – just accept their forgiveness. Don’t assume the worse – but believe and hope for the best. At times out minds run wild but it’s just us – it’s not reality and we have to be careful with this.

GENESIS 50:15-18
15 When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him."
16 And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, 17 So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him. 18 And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants.

Vs. 16 “Before your father died he commanded”
This was most likely made up. The brothers figured “Joseph just honored our father’s wish to be buried in Canaan, why wouldn’t he honor this made up?” They also figure “If Joseph won’t have mercy on us for our sake, he might for our dad’s sake.”

Vs. 17 “…Joseph wept when they spoke to him”
I think he wept because he really forgave his brothers and tried to show them by all the generous things he's done for them and yet they failed to believe it fully. But even more I think this really touched his heart in that they had truly changed and just wanted to make sure all was good between them. 

Vs. 18 “And his brethren fell down before his face, and they said, ‘Behold, we are your servants’.” – Their genuine humility blessed Joseph. They felt unworthy to be called Joseph’s brothers, so they figured, at least consider us servants. This moved Joseph with tears of pity and joy.

At times we as children of God feel this way, “We say, LORD, after all I have done to hurt You and Your cause, I’m unworthy to be called your brother/sister or child, but please at least consider me Your servant?” (LUKE 15:19) And the LORD replies “Bone of My Bone and flesh of My flesh!” Your family!

GENESIS 50:19-21
19 And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? 20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. 21 Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.

Here, Joseph comforts his brother and reassures his love and faithful allegiance to them. This is what the LORD has done for us who at one point His enemies (COL 1:21; ROM 5:6-10) – He now calls us friends.

Vs. 19 “Do not be afraid, am I in the place of God?”
In other words I’m not the one who is going to bring about any retaliation or just punishment – in this case – that’s God’s place not mine. 

ROMANS 12:19 
Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

Vs. 20 “But as for you, you meant evil against me; BUT GOD meant it for good”
This is one of the most encouraging truths found in scripture regarding a child of God’s trials and the various, numerous troubles we face. To know that when evil, calamities, trails etc. arise and comes knocking on our door, our God is already making it all work out for our good!
The worst thing that could have ever happened was the murder of Jesus and yet it was the most needed thing that could have ever happened because, His death, His suffering brought about our eternal salvation! 

His murder was evil, but His salvation through was very good!!! And it was God the Father who orchestrated the whole scene. Every detail was chosen and planned out by God the Father before the foundations of the world.

Two years ago my son Blue was being harassed by a handful of the administrators from his school to the point where they literally conspired to get him expelled. They even went as far as trying to frame him, saying that he assaulted a female classmate – in which all the evidence showed it was all a lie.

Long story short, what they meant for evil God meant for good. The good that came out of this evil was that Blue changed, he became more humble (this was one of his problems and reasons why they didn’t like him), plus it made him more grateful.
Another good thing that came from this was that he was able to see mine and Marla’s love in the fact that we really fought for him. 

Marla became depressed through this whole situation but the good that came from that was now she is more equipped to minister to parents who have to deal with similar issues. She’s grown in compassion and understanding. 

What they mean for evil God means it for good – It’s one of the greatest lessons a Christian could ever learn. That any evil that happens to us God will masterly use for our good in the process and in the end.

We’re able to say,
“People are out to get me, BUT GOD – is working all things for my good!” I’m having physical problems – BUT GOD is working all things for my good!” "My children are a handful right now – BUT GOD is working all things for my good!” “I just lost my job – BUT GOD is working all things for my good!”
"My marriage is on the rocks - BUT GOD is working all things for my good!" "I'm still single and want to get married and have children - BUT GOD is working all things for my good!" 

ROMANS 8:28 
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

GENESIS 50:22-26
22 And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father's house: and Joseph lived an hundred and ten years. 23 And Joseph saw Ephraim's children of the third generation: the children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were brought up upon Joseph's knees. 24 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. 25 And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence. 26 So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

Vs. 24 “God will surely visit You and bring you out of this land” at this pint Joseph was unwittingly prophesying the ministry of Moses – the one God chose to rescue the Israelites after 400 years of slavery.
“And you shall carry my bones out of here” This was fulfilled by Moses in EXODUS 3:19. This is also a foreshadow of how one day the LORD will take all our bones out of the grave and glorify them for His presence and for death to have no more power of our resurrected bodies again!

SUMMARY of the book of GENESIS (supplemental notes by James Fire)

For a break down of each chapter summary, check out this! 
So, having completed this overview of the book of GENESIS it is our hopes here at SHINE BRIGHT Church as well as The TRUTH Under FIRE that this has been an encouragement and a blessing to you all! May this spur you on to do your own study of this marvelous Book of Beginnings! 

We saw from the first couple of chapters GOD’s supreme power and authority in creating His order in all things by His spoken word (GEN 1:2). As He is Creator, He is sovereign (in absolute and total command) of His creation, which designates Him as LORD – and as LORD over all His Kingdom, He has the right to establish the Laws of His Kingdom – which we will see in the following book of EXODUS!

We then saw the fall of mankind who rebelled against the Law of GOD’s kingdom (GEN 3), and we witnessed the secondary and adversarial kingdom of darkness, ruled by Satan aka the serpent. Further, we will witness these two kingdoms contesting one against the other as we proceed through the study of GOD’s Word. We also saw GOD’s foundational promise of redemption by the slaying of an animal, shedding its blood, and providing skins for covering the nakedness of our First Parents, as well as the coming redeemer Who will “save His people from their sins”.

The basis of redemption by the shedding of blood was verified when Abel's sacrifice was accepted, and Cain's not (GEN 4). The remarkable genealogy from Adam to Noah, revealing the Gospel in code was found (GEN 5).

The first greatest global judgment of the Flood and the days of Noah were then examined, and we recognized that even in such severe judgment as this, “when all that has breath” was destroyed, save for those who were protected in the ark built by Noah, that GOD provides His grace and mercy towards those who will turn to Him. Additionally, we witnessed the bizarre abomination of this hybrid between mankind and (fallen) angelic beings that will spring up once again in the conquest of Canaan, when Israel battles against the Nephilim (GEN 6; 7).

The new world began at the subsiding of the flood with Noah and his family repopulating the Earth that had undergone a fundamental ecological shift, which then required mankind to consume meat in order to be sustained. We saw the establishment of GOD’s promise to never destroy the Earth by flood again (with the sign of the rainbow in fulfillment of this covenant; however the Earth will one day be destroyed irrevocably by fire one day! GEN 7-9). The "table of nations" that describes all the primary tribes which provides a glossary for Bible students to refer to nations throughout Scripture, using this (GEN 10).

We studied man in his ultimate rebellion corporately at the tower of Babel, being led by Nimrod, the first type for the anti-Christ or Beast of Daniel and Revelation, who led all humanity in their wicked challenge against GOD over supremacy over the world.

GOD decided, rather than destroying the Earth again because of “the wickedness of man”, that He would confuse our languages and thus disperse us according to His command that He gave, which Nimrod and all Babel rebelled against (GEN 11). The LORD had given people the opportunity to follow His ways and come in agreement with His Kingdom, but because no one chose to do so, GOD then chose someone Himself, who would walk in obedience to the Kingdom of GOD, Abram!

The account of GENESIS then proceeds to follow the life of Abram and Sarai (later named Abraham and Sarah) – their journey of faith, in the face of circumstances that would impede faith, is a story for all the saints of GOD. And while they fumbled and stumbled along the way, we witnessed a gradual incline as their faith was raised to greater and greater heights until Abraham was faced with the ultimate test – the sacrifice of his own and only beloved son, Isaac (GEN 12-22)!

This is, of course a picture of the Father, sacrificing His only begotten Son, who is the Messiah of Israel as well as Savior of the Gentiles, for the sins of the world; all out of a heart of love!
From Abraham to Isaac to Jacob we have seen that the promises of GOD are irrevocable, resolute, pre-determined and where specifically applied to Abraham and his son and his son’s sons, unilateral and unconditional. 

The life of Abraham and his “seed” is one of faith, which is the only means of establishing a true relationship with GOD, apart from the Law (which didn’t even arrive for another 400 years at this point!). These promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (later known as Israel) are why we believe that the nation of Israel holds a place of prominence in the Kingdom of GOD, and particularly to the Kingdom of Israel that will be ruled by the Messiah (GEN 22-36).

We see what develops from these early beginnings in GENESIS: the formation of a family that will soon become the nation of Israel, and the promise of a coming One, Who will proceed from the nation of Israel, the Messiah – the LORD Jesus Christ, “the seed of the woman”.

Lastly, we wondered at the magnificent life of Joseph, who through severe trials, afflictions, persecutions, injustice, ostracization, loneliness and rejection became a godly man of faith, integrity, grace and mercy, love and compassion, wisdom and discernment. Such a life, as we saw, had many parallels to that of the LORD Jesus Christ Himself, of Whom Joseph is a biblical type (GEN 3-50).

The story ends with the promise from Joseph’s lips as he was dying:

GENESIS 50:24-25
24 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. 25 And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.

The exciting ‘Grand Adventure’ in the study of GOD’s Word, and the further revelation of Who He is, and what He has planned has only just begun! Next: the book of EXODUS!