January 18th, 2021—Genesis 49:29–33

Back in Genesis 25:8 and Genesis 35:29, It had been said of Abraham and Isaac that they were “gathered to their people.” The same thing now occurs to Jacob, but it is a subtle and noteworthy difference that he uses the phrase himself. He makes provision for his burial and is ready to depart because he is not afraid of death. He knows that it is not the end. And unlike the Egyptians around him, his primary concern for the afterlife is not to provide possessions for himself. He knows there is nothing he can take with him. Instead, Jacob is most interested in being reunited with those who had gone before. He understands that relationships matter more than things. They matter eternally. That is the life for which we were created. He had that hope from God, which he then passed down to his children. They, in turn, passed it down through the generations until it found its fulfillment in Christ, through whom it is actually made possible. Through faith in Him, we too will be gathered to God’s people.