Before moving on to Exodus, I'm spending more time with Genesis. I don't want to just read it; I want to internalize it. I invite you to join me.

Genesis 50 is the last chapter of the book of Genesis, bringing closure to the account of Joseph and the patriarchs.

Upon Jacob's passing, Joseph fell upon his father's face, weeping and kissing him. He then commanded the physicians in his service to embalm Jacob, a process that took forty days to complete, followed by seventy days of mourning by the Egyptians.

After the mourning period, Joseph sought permission from Pharaoh to fulfill his oath to bury Jacob in the land of Canaan, specifically in the cave of Machpelah that Abraham had bought. Pharaoh granted this request, and Joseph embarked on the journey with a great company that included Egyptian officials, elders, and all of Joseph's household, along with his brothers and their father's household. Only the young children and flocks remained in Goshen. When they reached the threshing floor of Atad beyond the Jordan, they held a great and solemn lamentation for seven days.

The burial took place as Jacob had requested, in the cave of Machpelah in the field that Abraham had bought from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site. After fulfilling their father's wishes, Joseph and his brothers returned to Egypt. But Jacob's death brought anxiety to Joseph's brothers, who feared that, without their father's presence, Joseph might finally seek revenge for their past betrayal when they sold him into slavery. They sent word to Joseph, claiming that Jacob had instructed them before his death to ask Joseph to forgive their wrongdoing.

When Joseph’s brothers came and fell before him, offering to be his servants, Joseph wept and reassured them: "Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good." He spoke kindly to them and comforted them.

Joseph lived to see his great-grandchildren and died at the age of 110 years. Before his death, he reminded his brothers of God's promise to bring their descendants back to the Promised Land, saying, "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."

Joseph made the children of Israel swear an oath that, when God would lead them out of Egypt, they would carry his bones with them. After his death, Joseph was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.

Genesis 49 contains Jacob's final blessings and prophecies over his twelve sons before his death in Egypt.

Jacob began with Reuben, his firstborn, acknowledging his natural right to preeminence but declaring that he wouldn't excel due to his instability and his sin of defiling his father's bed with Bilhah (see Genesis 35).

The next two sons, Simeon and Levi, were addressed together due to their shared violence, particularly their brutal revenge at Shechem (see Genesis 34). Jacob prophesied that they would be scattered in Israel (which historically came to pass as Simeon's territory was absorbed into Judah’s), and the Levites, though later sanctified as priests, were given no territorial inheritance but were dispersed among all the tribes.

Judah received the most significant and memorable blessing, being promised that the scepter and ruler's staff would not depart from him “until Shiloh come.” Jacob prophesied royal leadership for Judah's line, describing him as a lion's cub who would be praised by his brothers. This blessing established Judah as the kingly tribe (from which David and ultimately the Messiah would come) and included imagery of abundance and prosperity.

Zebulun was blessed with a future by the seashore and involvement in maritime trade, while Issachar was characterized as a strong donkey who would choose security and good land over freedom, becoming a servant to tribute. Dan was promised to judge his people and was described as a serpent by the roadway, suggesting both justice and cunning in warfare.

Gad would face raids but would ultimately raid in return, showing resilience in the face of adversity. Asher was blessed with rich food and royal delicacies, indicating a future of abundance and prosperity. Naphtali was described as a deer set free who gives beautiful words, suggesting grace and eloquence.

Joseph received an extensive and richly detailed blessing, being called “a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall.” Jacob acknowledged the attacks and hardships Joseph endured but declared that his bow remained steady and his arms were made strong by the mighty God of Jacob. The blessing invoked multiple names for God and promised blessings of heaven above, the deep below, and the breast and womb — culminating in Joseph being set apart from his brothers.

Finally, Benjamin was described as a ravenous wolf who devours prey in the morning and divides spoil in the evening, indicating a fierce and warlike nature for his descendants.

After completing these individual prophecies, Jacob gave final instructions about his burial, requesting to be laid to rest with his fathers in the cave of Machpelah, before drawing up his feet into the bed and breathing his last.