Israel (Jacob) upon discovering Joseph is alive and well says..."My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die." In this time of exuberance, Jacob has his death on his mind.
As it turns out, Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years. Here is the account..."Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years, and the years of his life were a hundred and forty-seven. When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called for his son Joseph and said to him, "If I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise that you will show me kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt, but when I rest with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried." "I will do as you say," he said. "Swear to me," he said. Then Joseph swore to him, and Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
I am intrigued in how the people of faith lived in preparation to die and at the strong demands of where to be buried. Jacob and Isaac both prepared to die years before their actual death. What does this tell us? Is there a fuller life in knowing you are prepared to die?
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