Joseph’s Bones Weren’t The End of Joseph

Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely take care of you, and you shall carry my bones up from here.” So Joseph died at the age of one hundred and ten years; and he was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt. Genesis 50:25-26

Life does not begin and end with me. Live begins and ends with God. Though I may lie in a grave, life associated with me is far from over if I’m God’s child. My faith, and all the promises of God that I embrace for myself and my family, live on. Fulfillment of God’s covenantal blessing over my people will unfold long after I’m gone.

The promises God made to Jacob and his descendants, realized through Joseph and his descendants, are still coming to pass today. Thousands of years later, Joseph’s life and the choices he made matter. He is not only a teacher when I review his story, but he is also a catalyst for the coming redemption of Israel. His coffin hold the remains of his mortal body but heaven and earth feel the present effects of spiritual activity associated with Joseph’s faith.

Genesis reveals the narrative themes of scripture. Creation. The Fall. Redemption. Restoration. Not only are these revealed in the overall storyline of the book, they are evident in the individual stories of God’s chosen leaders. I can see this pattern in my own life, can you?

I am praying for you as I finish writing today. You are meant to see redemption in every area of your life ~ then restoration. To see God create, only to be defiled from sin, is to live bitter. Despair results from living in a story line that is unfinished. Like Joseph, we are to wait for God to redeem what is broken. We wait for God to promote us on the other side of captivity. Yes, we faint under the ‘waiting’, but God will give us the grace to be tenacious in our faith. Just like Joseph. They bruised Joseph’s feet with shackles, his neck was put in irons, till what he foretold came to pass, till the word of the Lord proved him true. Psalm 105:17-19 Captivity never has the last Word for anyone determined to prevail in the promises of God.

To You, God of Joseph, be all the glory. To You, my God, be all honor and praise. In Jesus name, Amen