What does Joseph's instruction about his bones reveal about his belief in God? Setting the Scene: Hebrews 11:22 “By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions about his bones.” Joseph’s Last Words in Genesis Genesis 50:24–25 records the moment: • “Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am about to die, but God will surely visit you and bring you up from this land to the land He promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ ” • “And Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath and said, ‘When God surely visits you, you must carry my bones up with you from this place.’ ” What Joseph’s Request Reveals About His Faith • Trust in the unbreakable covenant – God had sworn the land to Abraham (Genesis 12:7; 15:13-16). Joseph stakes everything on that promise. • Certainty about the coming exodus – He speaks of it as a settled fact long before Moses is born. • Personal identification with God’s people – Though second-in-command of Egypt, he refuses an Egyptian tomb, choosing to rest in Israel’s inheritance. • Expectation of physical participation in God’s future work – Asking for his bones to be moved signals confidence that God’s redemption concerns real bodies and real soil—an Old Testament hint of resurrection hope (cf. Job 19:25-27; Isaiah 26:19). • Enduring witness for later generations – Every Israelite who handled or heard of Joseph’s bones—from Moses (Exodus 13:19) to the settlers at Shechem (Joshua 24:32)—received a tangible reminder that God keeps His word. Scriptural Threads Woven Together • Genesis 15:13-14—God foretells the four-hundred-year sojourn and deliverance. • Exodus 3:6-8—God appears to Moses, echoing Joseph’s language: “I have surely seen… and I have come down to deliver.” • Psalm 105:8-11—God “remembers His covenant forever.” • Hebrews 11:13—The patriarchs “acknowledged they were strangers and exiles on the earth,” looking ahead to a homeland. • Acts 7:15-16—Stephen cites the burial of Joseph’s bones at Shechem as proof of God’s faithfulness. Carrying It Forward Joseph’s simple instruction about his remains stands as a living testimony that God’s promises outlast death, empires, and centuries. His bones preached for four hundred years, urging Israel—and us—to keep trusting the God who always, unfailingly, comes for His people. |
    |