Jacob plans his burial (47:28-31). Since Jacob had rejected Reuben, Joseph was now performing the duties of the firstborn son, including the burial of the father. Jacob knew that his days were numbered, and he wanted to be sure that he would be buried in the Promised Land and not in Egypt. Someone might argue that Jacob was making a mistake, because the Egyptians were experts at interring bodies, but that wasn’t the issue. Jacob was one of God’s pilgrims, and he wanted to be buried with his family in the land that would one day be home for his descendants (49:29-32; 23:1ff.).

Jacob’s desire was that his funeral would be a clear witness that he was not an idol-worshipping Egyptian but a believer in the true and living God. When you stop to think that your funeral and burial are the last public testimonies you will ever give, it makes you want to plan carefully. Making your last will and testament is important, but don’t neglect your last witness and testimony.

During my pastoral ministry, I’ve seen professed Christians make all kinds of ill-advised plans for their funerals, including selecting songs and readings that had no relationship to the Bible or the Christian life. Some of these choices were out-and-out pagan, and the only reason given was that they were favorites of the deceased. It hasn’t been easy to preach the gospel after such performances. Let’s follow the example of Jacob and carefully plan our funerals to the glory of God. Joseph not only promised to fulfill his father’s wishes, but later he also asked his brothers to make the same promise to him that he made to their father (50:24-26).