KEEPING THE PROMISE MADE TO A DYING FATHER

Proclamation:

“Then he gave them these instructions: ‘I am about to be gathered to my people.  Bury me with my fathers … There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and there I buried Leah.  The field and the cave were bought from the Hittites.’  When Jacob had finished giving instructions, he … breathed his last …”  Genesis 49:29-33 (NIV)

Explanation:

These are the words of God which were written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  When Jacob arrived in Egypt, he sent his son Judah ahead of them to get directions to Goshen.  His long lost son Joseph met them there and they had a joyous and tearful reunion. (Genesis 46:28-29)  Pharaoh allowed them to have the best land in Egypt and Jacob blessed him. (Genesis 47:5-10)  Jacob lived for seventeen years in Egypt before he died.  Just before his death, he asked Joseph not to bury him in Egypt, but in the land of his fathers. (Genesis 47:28-30)  Also before he died, Jacob blessed the two sons of Joseph, intentionally giving the younger son, Ephraim, the blessing which should have gone to the oldest son, Manasseh. (Genesis 48:8-20)  Then Jacob called his twelve sons together and blessed each one of them and spoke prophetically of their individual futures. (Genesis 49:1-33)  They would become the twelve tribes of Israel.  Then he gave instructions to all of his sons to bury him in the land of his fathers and not in Egypt. Joseph honored his father’s dying wish and kept his promise to him. (Genesis 50:1-13)

Application:

People make promises to others all of the time and they break most of them.  Many children are often “crushed” by the broken promises made to them.  However, there is something special about the promise one makes to a dying individual on their death bed.  Promises made to a dying family member are usually held in very high regard and are usually honored.  We should be very careful when we give our word to someone.  The old saying goes, “You are only as good as your word.”  We need to pray for faithfulness in the promises that we make to others.