In last week’s lesson on faith from Hebrews 11:20,21, we learned that repeating a prophetic message requires a certain degree of faith: Faith in God’s ability to be able to communicate clearly with us, and faith in His ability to be bring to pass what He has promised! Now let’s go on to Heb. 11:22 for the lesson in faith that comes to us through Joseph:
“By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.” (Heb. 11:22 NIV)
Let’s read the story directly from Genesis: “Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of 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, ‘God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.'” (Gen 50:24-25 NIV)
We are not told that God specifically visited Joseph with this message. In fact, the Genesis record would lead us to understand that this is something Joseph simply believed, for it was common knowledge that God had personally promised the land of Canaan to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
After so many years in Egypt however, was this even considered a desirable thing? The Israelites were not oppressed in those days; in fact, just the opposite was true. When they first arrived in Egypt, Joseph’s family was received like royalty. In Pharaoh’s own words: “Your father and your brothers have come to you, and the land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land. Let them live in Goshen.” (Gen 47:5-6). And they did, and it is recorded a few verses later that they prospered there: “Now the Israelites . . . Acquired property there and were fruitful and increased greatly in number.” (Gen 47:27). Remember that up until this point in time, their sojourn in Canaan had been just that: A sojourn. They had wandered from one place to another, and though they had prospered, it could hardly be said that the land had been given to them. As good as they had it in Egypt, it might have been hard for Israel to have even wanted to go back to Canaan!
But despite all of this, Joseph held onto an old promise that had not even been given directly to him. Joseph knew God, and his faith in Him made it not matter that this would mean leaving a luxurious life in a land of plenty to return to being sojourners. His faith in God made him not only believe a two hundred year-old promise, but also desire it. And this is the message he shared with his family on his death bed: “God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob . . . And then you must carry my bones up from this place.” (Gen. 50:24-25 NIV)
Friends, is your faith in God such that you can believe in an ancient promise? Is your faith strong enough to believe that what God has promised is better than what you currently have, despite all evidence that points otherwise? Is your faith strong enough to repeat that promise to others around you, to even make plans for what to do when the promise is finally fulfilled? Joseph’s was, and because of this, he earned himself a spot in the book of Hebrews: By faith Joseph . . .
Enough to ponder, friends. But do ponder this: Faith in God may require us to believe in promises given years earlier. It may require us to believe that what God has promised is better, despite the evidence we may see that points to the contrary. Faith in God may require us to plant a vision in those around us, to even make plans for the future. Keep hanging on to that promise of God, friend, “for He who promised is faithful.” (Heb. 10:23)
Join us next week for the next lesson in Faith to be learned from the life of Moses’ parents!
God bless you!
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, Author, Moderator, The Nugget, Scriptural Nuggets website, www.scripturalnuggets.org , Answers2Prayer Ministries, www.Answers2Prayer.org .
(To access tne entire “Faith” mini-series, please click here.)