I will never forget sitting at the bedside of my friends brother when he died; the scene was one of the ordinary visited by the extraordinary. Three of us were talking quietly when we realized that Richards breathing was becoming more labored. We gathered around him, watching, waiting, and praying. When he took his last breath, it felt like a holy moment; the presence of God enveloped us in the midst of our tears over a wonderful man dying in his forties.
Many of the heroes of our faith experienced Gods faithfulness when they died. For instance, Jacob announced he would soon be gathered to [his] people (Gen. 49:2933). Jacobs son Joseph also announced his impending death: I am about to die, he said to his brothers while instructing them how to hold firm in their faith. He seems to be at peace, yet eager that his brothers trust the Lord (50:24).
None of us knows when or how we will breathe our last breath, but we can ask God to help us trust that He will be with us. We can believe the promise that Jesus will prepare a place for us in His Fathers house (John 14:23).
Genesis, the book of beginnings, concludes with important endings. At the beginning of chapter 50, we find one of the Old Testaments greatest examples, Joseph, weeping over the death of his father, Jacob. The chapter ends with Josephs death and burial. In between, three key events take place. First, Joseph takes his fathers remains back to Canaan to their familial home. This marks Josephs first return to the land since the dark days of Genesis 37, when his brothers sold him into slavery. Second, Joseph reassures them of his love and forgiveness by affirming Gods purposes and his own desire to care for his brothers and their families (50:1921). Third, Joseph, anticipating death, again reminds the Israelites of their proper home in Canaan by asking that they take his bones to be buried in the land of promise. These ideas prepare the way for the exodusGods eventual rescue of Israel from bondage in Egypt more than 400 years later.