Carry Out

O.T. #103  "Carry Out"
August 9, 2013
Genesis 47-Part 2
And the time drew nigh that Israel must die; and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt.  Genesis 47:29


LET IT GLOW

Carry out. A modern term that refers to running into a restaurant, purchasing food, then carrying it home to eat. I have only done it a few times. We either eat inside the restaurant or drive by the window. This phrase is different from that used in our passage today. Jacob wanted his last wishes carried out so his bones were carried out of Egypt.

I read somewhere that the land of Goshen was our modern Cairo, Egypt. This is where Jacob settled with his family during the last 5 years of the famine. He family which grew from 66 to over 2 million in 400 years. Jacob, called Israel, only actually lived there the last17 years of his life. (So Joseph's father was with him the first 17 years of Joseph's life and the last 17 years of Jacob's life.) Joseph and Jacob had a special relationship. Seems they always did. That's why it tore up Jacob so much when he thought Joseph was dead so many years earlier. This father-son team was separated for 22 years, but now reunited. Joseph had a lot to tell his father-sold as a slave, in prison twice, put in charge of prisoners, then put in charge of Pharaoh's kingdom, interpreter of dreams. God had blessed Joseph throughout those years of separation. He had shared God's love with the Egyptians, like Daniel did in Babylon. I'd say they were foreign missionaries.

Do you share the gospel wherever you go?

Jacob referred to if he had found grace in Joseph's sight. Joseph is a type of Jesus. Have you found grace in Jesus Christ?


LET IT GROW

The time drew nigh that Israel must die. Jacob lived 147 years. Why didn't he call in one of the other sons instead of Joseph to tell his last wishes to? Perhaps Jacob trusted Joseph the most, knew he could be counted on to carry out his last wishes, to pass on this request to following generations so it could be accomplished, in order that Jacob be carried out of Egypt. The request was for Jacob's bones to not be buried in Egypt, carried back to Canaan when they left, then buried in the family cemetery. It's where Abraham and Sarah, and Isaac and Rebekah.

Joseph took an oath by the tradition of placing his hand under his father's thigh. This required faithfulness to the promise (24:2-4).

This act "either symbolized that the yet unborn children would avenge any violation of the oath, or  solemnized oath in the name of the God who gave circumcision as the sign of His covenant." (Ryre)

With the customary sign of an oath in that day, Joseph sincerely promised to bury Jacob, at his request, in the family burial cave in Canaan. (MacArthur)

Jacob realized that the sojourn in Egypt was temporary and that God would redeem them and return them to the Promised Land. (Falwell)

Joseph requested the same thing as his father, "carry up my bones," to the Promised Land, found in Genesis 50:24-26.

Falwell says that Jacob and Joseph's bodies were mummified. Moses took the bones of Joseph as the promise was made to dying Joseph over 350 years before when he repeated the oath of deliverance God had given to Abraham (Gen. 15:15-16).

I assume Jacob's bones were also taken with Joseph to the Promised Land for burial.

What are you carrying? Are you carrying around some unneeded baggage, such as resentment, hurt, unforgiveness, jealousy, unresolved issues? Are your bones dead that you are carrying around, or are you alive in Christ?
Whose wishes are you carrying out? Your own, your parents' or the Lord Jesus'?

LET IT GO

Set down that baggage I'm carrying around at the foot of the cross.

Find grace in God.

Carry out His will in my life.