Page:An Exposition of the Old and New Testament (1828) vol 1.djvu/261

Rh that weep, and mourn with them that mourn, as being ourselves also in the body.

4. He asked and obtained leave of Pharaoh to go to Canaan, thither to attend the funeral of his father, v. 4..6. (1.) It was a piece of necessary respect to Pharaoh, that he would not go without leave; for we may suppose, that though his charge about the corn was long since over, yet he continued a prime-minister of state, and therefore would not be so long absent from his business without licence. (2.) He observed decorum, in employing some of the royal family, or some of the officers of the household, to intercede for this licence; either because it was not proper for him in the days of his mourning to come into the presence-chamber, or because he would not presume too much upon his own interest. Note, Modesty is a great ornament to dignity. (3.) He pleaded the obligation his father had laid upon him, by an oath, to bury him in Canaan, v. 5. It was not from pride or humour, but from his regard to an indispensable duty that he desired it. All nations reckon that oaths must be performed, and the will of the dead must be observed. (4.) He promised to return; I will come again. When we return to our own houses from burying the bodies of our relations, we say, "We have left them behind;" but if their souls be gone to our heavenly Father's house, we may say, with more reason, "They have left us behind." (5.) He obtained leave; (v. 6.) Go, and bury thy father; Pharaoh is willing his business should stand still so long; but the service of Christ is more needful, and therefore he would not allow one that had work to do for him, to go first and bury his father; no, Let the dead bury their dead, Matth. 8, 22.

7. And Joseph went up to bury his father: and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, 8. And all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father's house: only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen. 9. And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen: and it was a very great company. 10. And they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond Jordan, and there they mourned with a great and very sore lamentation: and he made a mourning for his father seven days. 11. And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, This is a grievous mourning to the Egyptians: wherefore the name of it was called Abel-mizraim, which is beyond Jordan. 12. And his sons did unto him according as he commanded them: 13. For his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field for a possession of a burying-place, of Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre. 14. And Joseph returned into Egypt, he, and his brethren, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father.

We have here an account of Jacob's funeral. Of the funerals of the kings of Judah, usually, no more is said than this, They were buried with their fathers in the city of David; but the funeral of the patriarch Jacob is more largely and fully described. 1. To show how much better God was to him than he expected; he had spoken more than once of dying for grief, and going to the grave bereaved of his children, but, behold, he dies in honour, and is followed to the grave by all his children. 2. Because his orders concerning his burial were given and observed in faith, and in expectation both of the earthly and of the heavenly Canaan.

Now,

1. It was a stately funeral: he was attended to the grave, not only by his own family, but by the courtiers, and all the great men of the kingdom, who in token of their gratitude to Joseph, showed this respect to his father for his sake, and did him honour at his death. Though the Egyptians had had an antipathy to the Hebrews, and had looked upon them with disdain, (ch. 43. 32.) yet now that they were better acquainted with them, they began to have a respect for them. Good old Jacob had conducted himself so well among them, as to gain universal esteem. Note, Professors of religion should endeavour, by wisdom and love, to remove the prejudices which many may have conceived against them, because they do not know them. There went abundance of chariots and horsemen, not only to attend them a little way, but to go through with them. Note, The decent solemnities of funerals, according to a man's situation, are very commendable; and we must not say of them, To what purpose is this waste? See Acts 8. 2. Luke 7. 12.

2. It was a sorrowful funeral; (v. 10, 11.) standers-by took notice of it as a grievous mourning. Note, The death of good men is a great loss to any place, and ought to be greatly lamented. Stephen dies a martyr, and yet devout men make great lamentations for him. The solemn mourning for Jacob gave a name to the place, Abel-mizraim, The mourning of the Egyptians; which served for a testimony against the next generation of the Egyptians, who oppressed the posterity of this Jacob to whom their ancestors showed such respect.

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. 16. And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, 17. So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him. 18. And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. 19. And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? 20. 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. 21. Now therefore, fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.