Grieve And Rejoice

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

GRIEVE AND REJOICE

Gen 50:1-14

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.'"  Pharaoh said, "Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear to do." 7 So Joseph went up to bury his father. All Pharaoh's officials accompanied him — the dignitaries of his court and all the dignitaries of Egypt — 8 besides all the members of Joseph's household and his brothers and those belonging to his father's household. Only their children and their flocks and herds were left in Goshen. 9 Chariots and horsemen also went up with him. It was a very large company. 10 When they reached the threshing floor of Atad, near the Jordan, they lamented loudly and bitterly; and there Joseph observed a seven-day period of mourning for his father. 11 When the Canaanites who lived there saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, "The Egyptians are holding a solemn ceremony of mourning." That is why that place near the Jordan is called Abel Mizraim. 12 So Jacob's sons did as he had commanded them: 13 They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre, which Abraham had bought as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite, along with the field. 14 After burying his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, together with his brothers and all the others who had gone with him to bury his father.

NIV

 This may be the first full funeral procession recorded in history. We expect the undertakers, although we don’t call them by that name anymore, to prepare the bodies of our loved ones for burial. Joseph had the physicians prepare his father’s body for burial, however, they took forty days. One thought that came to mind is the process of embalming, which removes most of the organs including the brain, and places them in stone jars to be buried with the mummified body. Once again, we are reminded of the coming resurrection, first of all, the saints when Jesus comes back for us. Of course, that would include Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. However, their bodies were prepared and Jesus has not come yet, Abraham’s and Isaac’s bodies would not even be a skeleton, but dust. Jacob might be found, just as mummies of the age have been discovered, but still, he would not have been a whole body, as missing parts, especially a brain. What this rambling on is about is that we cannot concern ourselves with how we are prepared for burial, either the whole body or cremated and put in an urn. When Jesus returns for us, at least our bodies, the power of God will be at work making everything new, no matter the condition of the old. We also noticed a great deal of mourning or grieving over the death of Israel. We cannot be sure the time of lamenting and grieving was following Egyptian or Hebrew customs but the fact is that grieving over the death of a loved one has been and is a natural response. However, whenever we say our goodbyes to one who has lived by faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus, we weep, but at the same time we rejoice for we also know that to be absent from this body is to be present with our Lord Jesus. We are reassured of this truth in the word of God, and that also brings us to the reality of who we are and are not. We are not this body, for we are simply a temporary resident of it and when it has fulfilled its purpose, sustaining us until the day the Lord has numbered for it, we will lay it down, leaving it in the hands of others, but we will meet Jesus. We do not know our form as we will be in the spirit, but we will be in His presence. Will we take on some luminous form, glowing as brilliantly as the new day sun, or will we simply take on a solid form, a transfigured form, such as Moses and Elijah were in when they appeared with Jesus. Either way, two truths were revealed to us. One that it is normal to take time to grieve. We should never feel or be made to feel guilty because we grieve. Most of our friends and family understand that some grieve with us, especially the church, for when one mourns we all mourn, and when one rejoices we all rejoice. Two, when we say our farewell, and grieve, we should also rejoice with our loved one. We grieve for us, but we should always be rejoicing for they are with Jesus. We did not see Joseph or all those with him ever rejoice, even though Joseph knew his father walked with God. They may not have fully understood the truth that has been revealed today about living in Jesus, but we understand so we can grieve and rejoice.