Haftarah V’yechi
“Dying Directives”
1 Kings 2:1-12
excerpted from TorahScope Haftarah Exhortations
Physical death is the penultimate part of life, which comes at the end of whatever amount of time one is given to reside in a perishable body (1 Corinthians 15). Most people do not spend much time contemplating their eventual corporeal end, or what they would want to communicate to loved ones before expiring. However, a few times throughout the reading and study of the annual Torah cycle, the inevitability of a person’s life on Earth coming to a close, presents itself for our consideration. V’yechi (Genesis 47:28-50:26), the concluding portion of Genesis, records the closing statements of Jacob and Joseph. The Sages connected this to King David’s dying directives in 1 Kings 2 as the complementary Haftarah reading. It is beneficial for us, as pursuers of God, to search out meaningful themes, which can help us in our walk with Him, and interactions with others.[1]
What is it about the dying directives of these three significant men in the history of Israel, which is similar or different? Is there something we can learn from these comparisons, which will be useful in our walks with the Messiah today? Is it profitable to pause at times during our Earthly lives, considering our future deaths, and what we want our dying words to be?
One would be hard pressed to find three men noted in the Tanakh—other than perhaps Abraham and Moses—who had more profound impacts on Ancient Israel than Jacob, Joseph, and David. Each of these three individuals had a special relationship with the Lord, and to varying degrees received: visions, dreams, revelations, psalms, and even a covenantal promise during the course of their lives. Jacob, the father of the twelve sons who constituted the Twelve Tribes of Israel, was of course renamed Israel, and both Joseph and David became emblematic types of the Messiah to come. Like both Abraham and Moses, all three were noted for their walks of faith in the Epistle to the Hebrews (11:21-22, 32). When one considers their recorded dying remarks, it can be seen that each of them believed in a resurrection and a future Kingdom to come (Hebrews 11:8-10; 13-16).
Even though Jacob, Joseph, and David had much in common, there are some distinctions which should be noted when one reviews the dying directives of these giants of faith. The author of Hebrews summarized how both Jacob and Joseph demonstrated significant faith in their final days:
“By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, when his end was near, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones” (Hebrews 11:21-22, WMB).
In this recollection, the writer of Hebrews mentioned the prophetic blessings Jacob bestowed upon his sons in Genesis 49, which followed the earlier blessings placed upon Joseph’s sons Manasseh and Ephraim in Genesis 48. The very last request of faithful Jacob, was found in his desire to have his remains buried among his fathers, mothers, and wife Leah, in the cave at Machpelah in Canaan:
“All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them, and blessed them. He blessed everyone according to his own blessing. He instructed 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 from Ephron the Hittite as a burial place. 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 therein, which was purchased from the children of Heth.’ When Jacob finished charging his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, breathed his last breath, and was gathered to his people” (Genesis 49:28-33, WMB).
It is interesting, that after all of the adoptive actions Jacob administered with his grandchildren Manasseh and Ephraim, and the prophetic statements made concerning his twelve sons—his dying request was to be buried in Canaan, the land promised to his immediate ancestors, Abraham and Isaac. Was there something about his final resting place, which prompted Jacob to ask his sons to return him to the Promised Land? Were the promises which God made about this place, being where He would place the foundations of His Heavenly city, part of his reasons? Or was the important thing for Jacob, simply wanting to be buried with his family? Or is it possible that God put this on Jacob’s heart, so that the land purchased by Abraham would be of utmost importance for Israel down through the ages? Even though Scripture indicates that when Jacob breathed his last, he was gathered to his people in Sheol (the netherworld), his remains were not transported to Canaan until a few months later. Consequently, the mourning sons and their descendants, would forever be attached to the burial site of the patriarchs and matriarchs of Israel.
Additionally, when you review the dying directives of Joseph, the preeminent son of his generation, the precedence established by his father Jacob was followed. On what appeared to be Joseph’s deathbed, the desire to be returned to Canaan, and in particular the specific land near Shechem purchased and conquered by Jacob (Genesis 33:19; ch. 34), and promised to Joseph by Jacob (Genesis 48:22; Joshua 24:32), was requested of his brothers:
“Joseph lived in Egypt, he, and his father’s house. Joseph lived one hundred ten years. Joseph saw Ephraim’s children to the third generation. The children also of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were born on Joseph’s knees. Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am dying, but God will surely visit you, and bring you up out of this land to the land which he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.’ Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, ‘God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.’ So Joseph died, being one hundred ten years old, and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt” (Genesis 50:22-26, WMB).
We find in further reading, that after all the years waiting for the return of Israel to the Promised Land, Joseph’s remains were finally laid to rest in Shechem during the Conquest by Joshua:
“They buried the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, in Shechem, in the parcel of ground which Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of silver. They became the inheritance of the children of Joseph” (Joshua 24:32, WMB).
The parallels between Jacob and Joseph are fairly consistent. Both in their dying moments, they requested, of their heirs, a burial in the Promised Land. From the Hills of Judea where Hebron is located in the south, to the hills of Samaria where Shechem is located in the north, Jacob and Joseph’s remains were eventually laid to rest. These two burial sites were important places recorded during the life of Abraham, who was initially given the promise of the land for his progeny. From the first significant incident recorded, after Abraham entered the land west of the Jordan (Genesis 12:6-7), to his ultimate resting place in the caves near Hebron (Genesis 25:8-9), the importance of this land was passed down from Isaac to Jacob to Joseph, and ultimately the Ancient Israelites.
In our Haftarah selection this week, 1 Kings 2:1-12 describes the dying directives of King David, and presents a different approach to the end of a life. David was not concerned about where his remains were going to be interred. But, just like the purchase of land in Hebron and land around Shechem, David had legally purchased the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite for the location of God’s House (2 Samuel 24:16-25). It was there in Jerusalem, the city of David which was situated between Hebron and Shechem, that David was confident his remains would rest. God had promised David an everlasting covenant regarding his progeny (2 Samuel 7:12-17), and instructed David to choose Solomon to be heir to the throne (1 Kings 1).
When you read through this, you find that beyond David encouraging a righteous walk with the Lord, David was concerned about consolidating and insuring the rule of Solomon after his death. Instructions to Solomon about how to resolve old issues with David’s enemies and detractors, dominated his dying directives:
“Now the days of David came near that he should die; and he commanded Solomon his son, saying, ‘I am going the way of all the earth. You be strong therefore, and show yourself a man; and keep the instruction of the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and his testimonies, according to that which is written in the Torah of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn yourself. Then the LORD may establish his word which he spoke concerning me, saying, “If your children are careful of their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail you,” he said, “a man on the throne of Israel.” Moreover you know also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, even what he did to the two captains of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner and to Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war on his sash that was around his waist and in his sandals that were on his feet. Do therefore according to your wisdom, and don’t let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace. But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table; for so they came to me when I fled from Absalom your brother. Behold, there is with you Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim; but he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by the LORD, saying, “I will not put you to death with the sword.” Now therefore don’t hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man; and you will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring his gray head down to Sheol with blood.’ David slept with his fathers, and was buried in David’s city. The days that David reigned over Israel were forty years; he reigned seven years in Hebron, and he reigned thirty-three years in Jerusalem. Solomon sat on David his father’s throne; and his kingdom was firmly established” (1 Kings 2:1-12, WMB).
Clearly, King David’s last words were much different than the last words of Jacob and Joseph. David seemed to have a number of unresolved issues he wanted to have dealt with after his death. Imagine being the sons of Jacob at his deathbed requests, or the relatives of Joseph hearing his last request—compared to being Solomon and his entourage hearing the words of King David. Would you rather be responsible for transporting a body back to Canaan for burial, or settling some of your father’s unresolved problems with a rebellious general of the army and a prominent Benjamite citizen who cursed your father (2 Samuel 16)?
The more I dwelt on this topic, the more I thought about the fact as stated earlier, that these Scriptures have been preserved for our spiritual edification (2 Timothy 3:16). Is there something we need to learn from these contrasting dying directives, which we can apply to our own situations today?
Jacob, who lived one hundred forty-seven years, seemed to handle his physical demise in a stellar fashion. Recognizing that he was about to die, he took the time to communicate some wonderful things regarding his grandsons to Joseph and the brothers. He also made sure that all of his sons heard his final words about what he foresaw concerning their futures. While some of the words might have been a little discomforting (especially when you consider the statements made to Reuben, Simeon, and Levi),[2] the fact that Jacob made these declarations, allowed them to accept their positions in the family. It helped establish order and minimized any potential for bitterness which might have erupted among this large and diverse family. In fact, the result was that these twelve distinct tribes were able to maintain their cohesion, through the days of the Exodus, until they could finally return to the same land where their father would be buried.
Joseph, who lived one hundred and ten years, also gives us a great example of how to be prepared for death today. As it is recorded, Joseph’s brothers were extremely concerned about how Joseph was going to deal with them after the death of Jacob. The brothers were not convinced that the evil they had done to Joseph was totally forgiven. However, Joseph not only forgave all of them, but he thought it was his God-ordained responsibility to take care of the brothers and their families (Genesis 50:15-21). The example of Joseph, gives all of us today, a great model of how we are to forgive those who have wronged us, and resolve any potential relational conflict which might be real or perceived—long before one’s actual death.
In what appears to be a way to not depart Earth, one can learn from King David what not to do. David truly loved and trusted the Lord. Yet at his deathbed, David was not entirely content in letting Him handle any ongoing problems, with those whom he continued to have unresolved conflicts. Palace intrigue must have been bothering him, despite the fact that he had a covenant with God. The transition of power to Solomon was nearing completion. Perhaps the fact that David was not concerned about his funeral arrangements, allowed him to spend time instead worrying about the consolidation of power which Solomon was going to have to perform. Would it have been better for Solomon to have just trusted in the Lord, and not approve the executions of Adonijah, Joab, and Shimei? Did the actions King Solomon had to perform, to consolidate his power, impact his style of leadership?
One can ask many questions and surmise a number of scenarios, but the records in Scripture speak for themselves. Personally, I believe that the dying directives of Jacob and Joseph are far more desirable, than what transpired on David’s deathbed. Perhaps God can use these passages from Genesis and 1 Kings 2, to give each of us a wake up call on not only the reality of death, but the need to pass on blessings to the next generation without any unresolved conflicts. I believe that if we can do this in our lives, the Lord will not only be pleased, but that we will experience more blessings before we go. Such is an inheritance which cannot be priced!
NOTES
[1] Cf. 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
[2] Genesis 49:2-7.
