Sunday Sermonette: We have read a book

Herewith Genesis comes to an end.Joseph threw himself on his father and wept over him and kissed him.2 Then Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So the physicians embalmed him,3 taking a full forty days, for that was the time required for embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days. There ' s evidently some mystical significance to " 40 days " in the Bible. In one version of the Noah story, it rained for 40 days and 40 nights. (In another version, it was 150 days, but who ' s counting?) In a while we ' ll see Moses spending 40 days on the mountain in a cloud. After he got the Ten Commandments, he didn ' t eat or drink for 40 days. Goliath presented himself 40 days. Ezekiel lay on his side for 40 days. (Really! Bedsores.) There are many other examples, the most famous being Jesus spending 40 days in the wilderness being tempted by the devil and of course ascending into heaven 40 days after the resurrection. Dunno what it ' s all about. 4 When the days of mourning had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh ’s court, “If I have found favor in your eyes, speak to Pharaoh for me. Tell him,5 ‘My father made me swear an oath and said, “I am about to die; bury me in the tomb I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.” Now let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.’”6 Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear to do.”7 So Joseph went up to bury his father. ...
Source: Stayin' Alive - Category: American Health Source Type: blogs