When Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed and breathed his last and was gathered to his people. Genesis 49:33
The old man blessed his sons, breathed his last, and he was gone. “Then Joseph fell on his father’s face and wept over him and kissed him” (50:1). It’s not just the family who grieves over Jacob. We are told that “the Egyptians wept for him seventy days” (50:3).
When Jacob died, there was an extraordinary outpouring of affection. This highlights the remarkable change that took place in the later years of Jacob’s life. The miserable old man who arrived in Egypt proved to be a blessing, not only to his family, but also to his Egyptian neighbors.
Seventy days of grieving means that Jacob was the focus of people’s attention and conversation for more than two months. People were talking about him. People shared their stories and their memories of him.
When a person is grieving the loss of a loved one, you may sometimes hesitate to speak about the one who has died, because you do not want to upset the person who is grieving his or her loss. But the loved one who has died is constantly in the mind of the person who is grieving, and a bond is formed when it becomes evident that the one who has died is in your mind too.
Is there someone you know who is grieving the loss of a loved one? Could you bless him or her by sharing a memory of the one who died?
