Review of Genesis 50

— by Victor Fawole

Genesis Chapter 50, there we land! Oh what a gracious journey through the entire book of Genesis! Thank You, Jesus! I congratulate everyone who took this bible reading seriously. I am confident of this: “You have learnt a lot from our studies and you can better appreciate the workings of God’s grace in your life.” Let us review…

1. RESTING IN PEACE

Gen. 49:33 And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.

Gen. 50:26 So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

The death of Jacob in the presence of his sons was a deeply emotional and dramatic scene. The Egyptians mourned him for 70 days. Their mourning even caught the attention of the Canaanites (Gen. 50:11). That means he was obviously a greatly honoured man. This chapter also records the death of Joseph. What point am I driving at?

In their deaths, both Jacob and Joseph rested in peace. In the Old Testament, death was the ticket to “resting in peace” for God’s people. An angel told Daniel about his death: “You will rest” (Dan. 12:13). Even Prophet Isaiah says, “those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death” (Isa. 57:2).

However, as believers, salvation is our ticket to “resting in peace”. We do not wait till death before we rest in peace. Our “rest in peace” started the day we believed the gospel.

Matt. 11:28-29 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

Heb. 4:9-11 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

Anybody who dies without Christ is not “resting in peace”, not in this world and not after death.

John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Isa. 48:22 There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked.

So, as we have seen, salvation is “resting in peace”. He who does not “rest in peace” while on earth (by salvation) cannot rest in peace at death. Let us refocus our perspective about “resting in peace” to its true biblical and gracious nature, which is salvation in Jesus Christ.

Dear Gogolights, on this note, permit me to say: “Happy Resting In Peace!”

2. RESTING IN PARDON

Gen. 50:15 And when Joseph’s brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him.

After Jacob’s burial, Joseph’s brothers got filled with the fear that he would retaliate. Our human nature makes this a possibility. But God’s forgiveness makes God’s vengeance against us an impossibility. The brothers freely and openly acknowledged all the evil they had done. They were worried about justice and righteous retribution from Joseph, considering his high status and prestige in Egypt.

Joseph was grieved and wept, seeing that his brothers did not trust his forgiveness of their sins (Gen. 45:5-8). Their actions demonstrated that they had little trust in his faithfulness to truly and totally forgive them. They assumed that his forgiveness was merely a pretence for their father. Hmmmmn…

Dear Gogolights, if you have believed the gospel, your sins have been forgiven (Acts 10:43). Not just forgiven, your sins have been forgotten as well! (Isa. 43:25; Heb. 8:12) You must accept in faith that Jesus has totally forgiven and totally forgotten your sins. When you give in to guilt instead of trusting in Jesus’ forgiveness, you grieve Jesus too. You are demonstrating that what He did on the cross was not good enough to atone for your sins.

Therefore, I say to the House of GOG: “Happy Resting In Pardon!”

3. RESTING IN PROVIDENCE

Gen. 50:19-21 And Joseph said unto 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, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.

Joseph’s response to his brothers’ “lugubrious” apology is topnotch! His first statement was to make it clear that he was not in the place of God. He had no intention or duty to bring vengeance on his brothers. He was like: “Even if God chooses to deal with you guys, I will not make myself an instrument for that.” He took a gracious posture as recommended by Apostle Paul:

Rom. 12:19-21 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

The next thing Joseph did was to state the nature of their actions. He did not romanticize or minimize their sin. He did not pretend that their evil acts caused him no harm. “You meant EVIL against me.” That is true, albeit, not the greatest truth. The greatest truth was “God meant it for GOOD!” The understanding of this greatest truth was the inspiration behind the forgiveness he freely offered them. He was able to forgive because he believed that God used their evil for a greater good. God was in control. God’s providence overrules human violence. What men did to harm Joseph, God used to save people. What men did to harm Jesus, God would use to save people (1Cor. 2:7-8).

Because Joseph understood the providence of God, he was motivated to show them love and compassion instead of bitterness and anger. His love for his brothers was shown not only in feelings and words, but also in practical actions. He provided for them and their families. He nourished them! He comforted them! It takes a man who has enjoyed God’s providence to extend provision to others.

Dear Gogolights, we should always activate our faith to see the sovereign hand of God in our lives and know that no matter the evil that men bring against us, God can use every evil for good. I recommend that we re-listen to Pastor Dammy’s sermon titled: Exploring the Most Encouraging Verse of the Bible.

On this note, I say: “Happy Resting In Providence!”

Before I round up this review, permit me to share some life lessons that I learnt from the entire book of Genesis:

• From the story of Satan’s deception in the garden of Eden, I learnt that we are to avoid seeking our own interests and glory, and also avoid people who offer strange offers for our pleasure.
• From the stories of Cain & Abel and Joseph & his brothers, I learnt that we should avoid being jealous of people who seem to get more than we get. Jealousy can take people down very quickly. Envy crushes the receiver and crashes the carrier.
• From the story of Sarai, Abram & Hagar, I learnt that we are to always verify every advice/suggestion that people give us. The Word of God is our standard. Instead of acting immediately on our own, let us seek God’s will.
• From the story of Abraham’s and Sarah’s wait for a child, I learnt that we’re never too old to have our dreams fulfilled. All we need to do is trust in God, His promises, and His wisdom.
• From the story of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife, I learnt that we are to avoid making false accusations about people because we’re trying to get back at them. Also, as much as it depends on us, we should not put ourselves in bad situations where someone can accuse us of something because they want to get back at us for some reason.
• From the story of Joseph as governor of Egypt, I learnt that life is made up of times of feasting and times of fasting. Let us always make sure to save part of what we earn, in order to get through tough times which may come our way. Have a saving culture.

Dear Gogolights, I hereby pass the pen to you. Kindly share the practical life lessons that you learnt in the entire Book of Genesis. We will ensure to upload them on our website for generations to learn also.

Click here to read the life lessons shared by other Gogolights.

Grace to you, Church!