“When the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, ‘Now if I have found favor in your sight, please put your hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me. Please do not bury me in Egypt, but let me lie with my fathers; you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.’” (Genesis 47:29-30 NKJV)
Jacob’s life is coming to a close, and he begins to think about the resting place for his body. And Jacob is adamant. He does not want to be buried in Egypt! He wants to be buried in Canaan … The land promised to his grandfather, Abraham, to all of Jacob’s descendants!
Genesis 50 tells us a similar story about Joseph: “And Joseph said to his brethren, ‘I am dying; but God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land of which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.’ Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, ‘God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.’” (Genesis 50:24-25 NKJV). Joseph, knowing that he, as a high official of Egypt, would receive the highest honours in an Egyptian burial, also wanted to be buried in Canaan!
I believe there is a powerful lesson to be learned in this … Despite the fact that both Jacob and Joseph were living amongst those who their future decedents would call “goyim” or “gentile” and would not want to associate with, they weren’t worried about where they found themselves in the moment. Rather, their concern was where their bodies would spend their time on Earth. They wanted to ensure that the bodies left behind once their spirit was departed from them would not stay in Egypt; but would be taken to the Promised Land.
We also live in a world that believes differently than we do. It isn’t easy to be different. It isn’t easy to not be influenced negatively by what goes on around us. It isn’t easy to say no to the temptations that the world calls “normal”. I think the way to survive our stay in this world is to do what Joseph and Jacob did: In our thoughts we need to be constantly reminding ourselves that we don’t belong here! We are but foreigners, voyagers, passing through to our own “promised land”, Heaven itself, and the Earth made new with Jesus as our King!
The truth of the matter is, this world is NOT our home: “For this world is not our permanent home…” (Hebrews 13:14a NKJV). Jesus recognized this. He, Himself, was not at home here. He even prayed the following for us: “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.” (John 17:14-15 NKJV). Just like Jacob and Joseph, our eyes must also look beyond our current home to our permanent one: “…we are looking forward to a home yet to come.” (Hebrews 13:14b NKJV).
We know from Scripture that the people were faithful to these requests. The bodies of both Jacob and Joseph were carried to Canaan. Jacob, immediately after his death and embalmment; and Joseph, during the Exodus (See Genesis 50:12-14 and Joshua 24:32). We also know that God is faithful. When He calls us to leave this Earth, we can trust Him to be taking us to our forever Home with Him, for: “… the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.” (Deut. ;7:9 NKJV).
Let’s pray: Lord, this world is full of trouble and temptation and sin. Help us to keep our eyes fixed on our true homes with You!
In His love,
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart
Author, Moderator, Acting Director, Answers2Prayer Ministries
(To access the entire “Teacher Joseph” mini-series, click here!)
