Jacob (Also Called Israel) is Buried
by Eric Engelmann
All content © 2023 Static Force, LLC
When are we?
About 1859 BC. During the time of Joseph and Jacob. In the Old Testament, after Abraham and Isaac. Before Moses and way before Jesus.
Where are we?
In Egypt, in the land of Goshen, where Jacob and his clan settled during the famine.
Why are we here now?
Jacob is about to die. His burial plays a big role in the upcoming history of Israel.
Some History
Decades before, Abraham's wife Sarah died. Abraham bought a burial site -- a cave. It may be the only parcel of ground he owned.
Sarah, Abraham, his son Isaac and his wife Rebekah are all buried there.
Scripture
Parts of Gen 49 and 50
Listen for the words “cave” and “tomb”.
Gen 49
Verse 29:
Then he gave them these instructions: “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite. 31 There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and there I buried Leah. 32 The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites.”
33 When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.
Chapter 50 Verse 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.’”
6 Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear to do.”
Verse 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 along with the field as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite. 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.
-- (Pieces of Scripture Gen 49:29 - 50:14)
That's the end of the passage.
With the addition of Jacob's body, there are now six family members buried at the cave.
In the Future
God will say to Moses out of the burning bush,
"I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." This is a list of the patriarchs. There are three of them.
Comparing the Tomb to the Transfiguration
Further in the future, Jesus will stand on the Mount of Transfiguration (29 AD). He will be one of six living people standing high on a mountain versus six dead people lying low in a tomb.
The voice of God will say, “This is my beloved Son, Listen to him!” versus a crowd of people's voices mourning over the dead.
Before he will die, Jesus will reference the words, "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob."
Then He'll say, "God is not a God of the dead, but of the living."
A little later, Jesus will die and rise three days later. He'll leave an empty tomb near Jerusalem.
Further in the future, after a lot of changes, tombs will become obsolete.
three
May we look forward to enjoying that time.
All content © 2023 Static Force, LLC