What About the Bones?
God always keeps His promises; neither obstacles nor the passage of time can defeat His purpose.
A woman in the Adult Sunday School class asked, “Why did they take such good care of Joseph’s bones… Is there something sacred to consider?”
That penetrating question got me thinking.
What was the purpose of preserving Joseph’s bones? Was it an Egyptian custom Joseph wanted observed? Or was there something more?
The answer in Genesis 50:24-25 (ESV) is multi-layered: “Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.’ Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, ‘God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.’”
Joseph’s number one concern was for his family to remember that God always keeps his promises. The family knew that God had promised Abraham that after a specific amount of time in Egypt, his descendants would come back to the Promised Land of Canaan (see Genesis 15:13 & Exodus 12:40).
But Joseph’s motive ran deeper than providing a reminder. Joseph was the ruler of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh. Ancient kings were acutely aware of land claims and ownership. By requiring his descendants to carry his bones back to Canaan, Joseph was affirming their ancestral claim to the land the LORD God promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Why?
Because a family’s claim to the land was asserted by where they and their ancestors were buried. Joseph was the divinely appointed leader of Israel’s family (see Genesis 49:26 & 1 Chronicles 5:1). If he allowed his bones to remain in Egypt, it could indicate the family had permanently surrendered their rights to Canaan. They might as well become citizens of Egypt.
Joseph’s instructions affirmed that Egypt was not their permanent home. Their future lay in the land God had promised.
That future was certain because God is not a man that He can lie (Numbers 23:19), neither will anything He decrees be unsuccessful (Isaiah 55:11).
The primary truth for you and me is this: God always fulfills His promises. Obstacles may seem insurmountable, and fulfillment may seem delayed, but nothing can defeat His purpose.
Israel had to wait for God’s appointed time. You and I who believe in the physical return of Jesus Christ are still waiting for His appointed time—but Jesus will return, and we are to “encourage one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 ESV).
Personally, I don’t think I need to worry about my bones because my legal home is secured by the resurrected Jesus Christ who promised, “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:2-3 ESV).
Today, let Joseph’s bones remind you to trust God’s promises in all of life’s situations. Live ready for Jesus Christ’s return—He will certainly come, and it could be today!
