Weeping and Mourning

DEVOTION

GENESIS

WEEPING AND MOURNING

Gen 50:1-6

50:1 Joseph threw himself upon his father and wept over him and kissed him. 2 Then Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So the physicians embalmed him, 3 taking a full forty days, for that was the time required for embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days. 4 When the days of mourning had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh's court, "If I have found favor in your eyes, speak to Pharaoh for me. Tell him, 5'My father made me swear an oath and said, "I am about to die; bury me in the tomb I dug for myself in the land of Canaan." Now let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.'" 6 Pharaoh said, "Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear to do."

NIV

It is alright to cry. There is nothing wrong with lamenting the passing of a loved one. Yes, we today have faith in Jesus Christ, the first born of those who inherit eternal life. Are we then saying all those who believed in God in the Old Testament did not inherit eternal life? Did Jacob not go into the presence of God upon his death? We have to conclude he did, as did his father Isaac and his father Abraham, along with Noah and Adam as well as many others. It would seem unlikely that God condemned those who called upon his name, even though they were still sinners. But the point here is not about the outcome of Jacob at his passing, but rather the response of Joseph as well as all of Egypt. First he wept, for he was going to miss the presence of his father. Joseph had spent too many years as it were away from his father. He did not get to enjoy all the good times, having all those memories. But in the later years of his father’s life he reunited and rekindled their relationship. Now it was once again time to be without him.  There are certain people with whom we have relationships that remained completely intact during the course of our lives. There are others we seem to spend years somewhat estranged, but we have opportunities to reconnect. In both cases there is going to be a time when they or we pass into eternity. Weeping and grieving are a natural response. We will miss the presence of our loved one. If we are the one passing they will miss our presence. Life is not the same without this member of the family. Surely Joseph would miss his father, but there is more to this lesson. After he wept, he became the Joseph he had become, and directed, being the second in command of all Egypt, to have his father embalmed, prepared for his burial. Without going into the lengthy detail of the embalming process the Egyptians used, it took forty days. Then all of Egypt mourned with Joseph over the loss of his father for seventy days. We sort of do this, at least for that one evening at a viewing or as some call it a wake. We come to mourn with the remaining members of a family who lost a loved one. But then life most go on. Things most go on, we cannot mourn forever. We are going to see the funeral procession from Egypt to Canaan, and that lasts for a long time, including more mourning. We follow that example, but again for a much shorter ride and length of time. What we can say is that it is alright to mourn, to experience grief because one we love has stepped into the presence of God. That is, of course, if they are a believer. What about those family members who are not believers. There may be more of a reason to mourn and grieve for them, then for ourselves. If we are not in their presence at the exact moment of their last breathe, we are never sure of their last words or thoughts about their sin, about God, about Jesus and their relationship with him. So we may never know their outcome until we reach heaven. Then once there we are assured there is no weeping, no tears. But what that also brings to our thoughts is the responsibility we should have to ensure our loved ones, our family know the truth. What they do with that truth is up to them, but they will have heard it and in those moments, if they are fortunate enough to have moments, before their last breathe they have the opportunity to repent and see Jesus. Still it is alright to mourn.