Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem
Genesis 49
The Death of Jacob
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.[p]”
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.
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The Great Pyramids didn't just stand alone on the Giza Plateau. Continuing research reveals a vast mortuary complex, with smaller tombs for officials, favorite wives, close advisors, and aristocrats. A giant boat was unearthed that was probably meant to provide the dead king with transportation into the Afterlife. The Egyptians believed that a person would be immortal as long as their name was remembered. If a person fell from favor in a subsequent administration, all traces of that individual would be erased: names were chipped out of inscriptions, statues were toppled, and tombs re-purposed. It was as if that person never existed. This belief was expressed in the movie "The Ten Commandments" when Sethi says:
"Let the name of Moses be stricken from every book and tablet. Stricken from every pylon and obelisk of Egypt. Let the name of Moses be unheard and unspoken, erased from the memory of man, for all time."
Of course, Sethi's decree had the exact opposite effect. Even the Pharaoh's name in the movie was a Hollywood invention. We do not know the name of the Pharaoh of the Exodus, but we sure do know who Moses was.
After "Blessing" his sons by prophesying over them, Jacob makes his last request. Although it was within Joseph's power to erect a huge tomb and mortuary temple complex for his beloved father, the old man insists upon being buried in his own land, in the Cave of Machpelia, with Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, and Jacob's first wife Leah. There are no questions of ownership, no liens on the property, and no encumbrances or controversy. The Field and Cave belong to the family and are respected by the other inhabitants of the land. And Jacob seems to know that, no matter what happens, his name will never be forgotten.
Come and Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.
"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)
God Bless America.
Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.
Hallelujah and Amen
ML/LTOS