GENESIS: Jacob's Eulogy and the Testimony of His Life; "So Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt. And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen, and it was a very great gathering."

Then he [Jacob] charged them and said to them: “I am to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite as a possession for a burial place. (Genesis 49:29-30)

"There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah. The field and the cave that is there were purchased from the sons of Heth.” And when Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people. (Genesis 49:31-33) 

Interesting note that Rachel, the wife Jacob so loved, the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, she was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). (Genesis 35:19) He did not take her to the burial site, but he did bury Leah there, just like his father and grandfather did with their wives.  Even though Leah wasn't his preferred with, she was his first wife, and he showed her that respect as such.

Then Joseph fell on his father’s face, and wept over him, and kissed him. And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. Forty days were required for him, for such are the days required for those who are embalmed; and the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days. (Genesis 50:1-3) 

We mentioned it in a previous study, but the Egyptian society was very advanced in many areas.  This is the first time we hear of embalming, to preserve a corpse from decay, originally with spices during this time. It would be necessary to embalm Jacob, because they would have to travel from Egypt into Canaan to the burial site, and that would take many days.

Now when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the hearing of Pharaoh, saying, ‘My father made me swear, saying, “Behold, I am dying; in my grave which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me.” Now therefore, please let me go up and bury my father, and I will come back.’” And Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.” (Genesis 50:4-6) 

So Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, as well as all the house of Joseph, his brothers, and his father’s house. Only their little ones, their flocks, and their herds they left in the land of Goshen. And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen, and it was a very great gathering. (Genesis 50:7-9) 

What a funeral procession! This Jacob, who had stolen his older brother, Esau's blessing from their father Isaac (Genesis 27); who ran away from his brother and went to his mother's family in the land of Haran to get a wife, but had a dream on the way that lead to his conversion (Genesis 28); who worked seven years to pay for a wife, but after being tricked by her father and being given Leah as a wife, worked another seven years to pay for Rachel (Genesis 29-30); who ran away from his father-in-law with his wives, children and all he had, but later would make a treaty agreement with Laban (Genesis 31); who was reconciled with his brother Esau after years of separation, after wrestling with the Lord God and receiving His blessing (Genesis 32-33); who returned to the promised land with great wealth and acquired much of the land of Canaan (Genesis 35); this Jacob was now returning to the promised land as royalty, with a great procession.

Jacob gave his eulogy best when he said, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a multitude of people, and give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.’ ... God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has fed me all my life long to this day, the Angel who has redeemed me from all evil,... (Genesis 48:3-4, 15-16)

God had truly blessed and protected and provided for Jacob all his life, and the promise He made to Abraham, Isaac and also to him, that "In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed,..." (Genesis 22:18, 26:4, 28:14) That promise would be fulfilled through the genealogy of his son Judah, which God revealed to him through prophecy, even though he didn't live to see it come to fruition on this side of eternity. (Genesis 49:8-12) What a life and what a testimony of walking with God in faith

Then they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and they mourned there with a great and very solemn lamentation. He observed seven days of mourning for his father. And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a deep mourning of the Egyptians.” Therefore its name was called Abel Mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan. (Genesis 50:10-11) 

So his sons did for him just as he had commanded them. For his sons carried him to the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as property for a burial place. And after he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers and all who went up with him to bury his father. (Genesis 50:12-14)

Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples! 
Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; talk of all His wondrous works! 
Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord! 
Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face evermore!
Remember His marvelous works which He has done,
His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,
O seed of Abraham His servant, you children of Jacob, His chosen ones! (Psalm 105:1-6) 

He is the Lord our God; His judgments are in all the earth.
He remembers His covenant forever, 
The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations, 
The covenant which He made with Abraham, and His oath to Isaac,
And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
Saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan as the allotment of your inheritance,” 
When they were few in number, indeed very few, and strangers in it. (Psalm 105:7-12) 

When they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people,
He permitted no one to do them wrong; yes, He rebuked kings for their sakes, 
Saying, “Do not touch My anointed ones, and do My prophets no harm.” (Psalm 105:13-15) AMEN!