Genesis 49:29-33

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29 Then he 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, 30 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. 31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah. 32 The field and the cave that is there were purchased from the sons of Heth." 33 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 49:29-33

Today, we conclude our study of Genesis 49 where we will witness the final words and moments of the life of Jacob. These are the last moments of a man who had finally come to live in anticipation of the great promises of God. These promises had guaranteed great things to come in Jacob's future, even after his death. Jacob's life and his hopes had transcended his earthly reality that was a civil war in his soul between the deceiver and the prince with God or the believer and the unbeliever. The hope of Jacob was his sure hope of the coming Messiah and His eventual victory over sin through His death on the cross. 

In this passage we see the names Abraham, Isaac and Jacob known as the patriarchs of the nation of Israel. These three are never used in the Bible in reference to the Church, only in reference to Israel. One's understanding that Israel and the Church are two separate entities is very important when it comes to one's interpretation of the Bible. Throughout the Bible, these three names are used by God to identify Himself with the nation of Israel and His commitment to them.

In v.29-30 of today's passage we read, "29 Then he 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, 30 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.'"

These final words of Jacob are proof of his undying faith in the God of the Bible. Admittedly, there were moments in his life when it was not as obvious, but his faith in the God of the Bible endured to the end. When Jacob said, "I am gathered to my people" it meant that he was well aware of what God had promised his father and grandfather and subsequently to him. When Jacob mentioned the purchase of this cave and this field by Abraham so long ago proves he was anticipating the coming of the Messiah. He knew that all of the sons of Israel were to participate in ushering into the world the Messiah who would conquer sin and death. 

Hidden in all of this is the fact that Abraham also believed in the resurrection from the dead. In Hebrews 11:19 we read of Abraham, "... concluding that God was able to raise him (Isaac) up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense." This is the only explanation that makes sense of the scene in Genesis 22 when God ordered Abraham to slay his son as a sacrifice. It was the hope of the resurrection that caused Abraham to be within inches of thrusting the knife through his son. In fact, Abraham had told his servants that he and his son would return from the mountain. When Abraham tied up his son and raised the knife high over him, it was all because he believed God would raise Isaac from the dead. When the angel stopped Abraham and God provided a substitute for Isaac, there was still a sense in which Isaac had been raised from the dead, if only figuratively.

Jacob then identified the field of Machpelah as being before Mamre in the land of Canaan. The word "before" means "in the face of." Literally, it was "in the face of Mamre." He then noted that the field was bought from Ephron the Hittite as a possession. Ephron means "of the dust." His name reminds us of the fact that God created man from the dust of the ground.  Man is a unique combination of earthly, natural material and life-giving power from God Himself. In addition, the word Hittite means "terror." Jacob's reference to Ephron the Hittite provides for us a picture of Adam who chose Lucifer's definition of himself rather than God's. This resulted in Mankind being brought to a state of terror. From Ephron, a fallen man, Abraham bought the cave of Machpelah. Machpelah means "double." It signifies the double delivery from death which the Lord Jesus procured for all who would believe in Him. The Lord Jesus came to purchase the title deed for the Jews and also for the Gentiles. His death filled this double role.

The cave that was in the field of Machpelah is symbolic of the earth, the repository for the dead. This is seen time and time again in the Bible. Jacob knew his body was going to that repository to be buried with his people. Instead of saying the cave bought by Abraham, he first said, "the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite." Then, he called it "the cave that is in the field of Machpelah." With the addition of the word Machpelah reveals it was a double cave. It contained Jew and Gentile, male and female, all who are redeemed by the Lord.

The next word mentioned in v.30 is Mamre which means "bitter." It represents the bitter, fallen world which the Lord Jesus came to redeem and to reclaim. After this, Canaan is mentioned. Canaan means "humbled" or "subdued." Only those who have been ravaged by sin and broken and thus "humbled" are qualified for Christ's redemption. Once qualified and we have turned to the Lord for help are we "subdued" by the Holy Spirit.

In v.31-32 of today's passage we read, "31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah. 32 The field and the cave that is there were purchased from the sons of Heth."

Buried in this cave which was bought from Ephron the Hittite were Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, and Leah. With the addition of Jacob in the cave, there will be the three great patriarchs and their wives, each of which was an ancestor of the Lord Jesus. That is six people, male and female, who then represent all humans with six being the number for incomplete man. And then, as a final follow up, Jacob mentioned one more time that the field and the cave were purchased. They had a new owner. The old owners were "the sons of Heth" or the sons of fear. Again, the name Heth comes from the word Hittite which means fear. These words provide for us a picture of all the people of the world who are in Adam and who live in fear of death because we cannot meet God’s standard of perfection.

In v.33 of today's passage we read, "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."

Jacob’s words were a command which looked forward to the wondrous day when the world of terrified, fallen man would be bought back by the Lord. And now, at the end of a long life filled with blessings and trials, joys and sorrows, Jacob was ready to receive his final reward. Jacob lived 147 full years and finally expired in the year 2316 BC. The most recorded and detailed life in the book of Genesis finally came to an end in a most peaceful way. Jacob "drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last." Having blessed his sons from a sitting position, sustained by God Himself, Jacob laid down and breathed his last breath picturing the condition of all who have been forgiven of their sin.