This is Jacob’s dying request. Jacob was confident of the promise of God represented by the Promised Land. Even here, in Egypt, Jacob’s heart longs for the fulfillment of God’s promise to him, his fathers, and his sons.
Things were good in Egypt, but Jacob recognized that there was something better yet to come. Joseph, one of two sons born of Jacob’s favored and dearly love wife, was ruling this powerful nation. Jacob and his family had provisions while all around them were perishing in famine. Jacob’s sons were now all reconciled and his house was at Shalom. Even with all of this, Jacob held onto the belief that God’s plan was better…better than the imagined.
There are times in life when we’re blessed by “perfect moments”; times of eternal joy. Mine often reach back to Christmas time as a child. These moments are a gift form God. We must remember, as Jacob did, that these are fleeting, and temporary—we must remember that there is something far better yet to come (I recommend reading C.S. Lewis’ “Weight of Glory” for more on this reality; it’s excellent).
As we approach the Christmas season, let us revel in the moments of joy, but let us also have appropriate expectations by remembering that these moments are fleeting and simply remind us of something much better yet to come.
