Genesis 50:25,  And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.

Again we see Joseph’s clear understanding of the plan of God for he knows that the land of Canaan is theirs and that God will surely bring Israel into the land that he gave to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Jacob desired that his bones be carried to Canaan upon his death.

Joseph desired that his bones return to Canaan with Israel when God determined that to be.

Jacob looked to the past with a desire to be where his loved ones lay in the land of promise.

Jacob was of the generation of Abraham and Isaac.

Joseph was of the generation of the sons who were to make up the tribes that would occupy the promised land.

It was right that his bones stay with those tribes.

Joseph looked to the future when those promises would begin to be fulfilled.

Jacob looked to the past when those promises were made.

Both desires were desires based on faith.

Joseph is identified with the house of Israel as it is to be perpetuated in Egypt, down to the exodus in the time of Moses.

And what a symbolic act in keeping his bones in Egypt this was down through the centuries in remembering the oath that the brothers made to carry Joseph’s bones to the promised land.

To them was the promise from Joseph: Surely God will visit you!

To us: Jesus is coming again!

No doubt this contributed to the unifying of the tribes into a nation for each individual had a responsibility to see to it that Joseph’s bones were to be carried to Canaan.

And how this reminded each of God’s promises that Canaan was owned by Israel.

Throughout the enslavement of Israel how this must have brought hope to each.

Genesis 50:26, So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

Pay attention to this!

A coffin is all Joseph had at the end of his earthly existence.

He was a man of greatness in the land of Egypt and could have been buried with the Pharaohs but he knew that he was not to stay in Egypt.

But like Joseph, those who know Jesus Christ know that our earthly existence is not the end.

Those who know Jesus Christ are heirs of all things.

So a coffin may be the body’s resting place but those who know Jesus Christ have hope beyond any earthly coffin we may rest in.

His mission was over for now but he continued to be an inspiration to Israel by preaching through this command concerning his bones that God would surely visit them.

This was to be the rallying cry of the tribes as they suffered persecution in the next centuries.

He left them a memorial body to be cared for and when the great night of the Exodus was to come his bones would be faithfully taken with the tribes toward Canaan.

Moses will tell of this event in his book about the exodus.

Exodus 13:19,  And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.

Joshua will complete the story as he tells us that Joseph was buried in Shechem.

Joshua 24:32,  And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.

Genesis 33:18-20,  And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padanaram; and pitched his tent before the city. And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for an hundred pieces of money.  And he erected there an altar, and called it Elelohe-Israel.

Remember that this is the place were Dinah was defiled and where Simeon and Levi killed all males of the city because of Dinah’s defilement.

Joseph was not buried with his father Jacob and Abraham, and Isaac in the cave of Macpelah, because that cave was in the territory allotted to Judah.

But Joseph was to be buried in the territory allotted to his two sons Ephraim and Manassah on the parcel of ground that Jacob had purchased from Hamor, the Shechemite.

This ground lies near the border of the two tribes of Israel that came from Joseph, Ephraim and Manassah.

Joshua had just completed his conquest of Ai, and had gathered on the opposing mountains of Ebal and Gerizim for the renewal of the covenant.

Perhaps it was appropriate at this ceremony to also bury Joseph in the land that was given Israel by God through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

It is also interesting to note that the only land actually purchased by Abraham, Isaac and Jacob ended up being used as a burial ground by the most central figures in the history of Israel up to this time.

It was as if God was establishing or impressing this land into Israel by the burial of these central figures.

So Joseph the most Christ-like of men in the Bible, dies like all men die for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

This body is a body of death and must be discarded to get a new body, a Christ like body.

But Joseph has taught us of Christ.

His character displayed Christ to us.

Joseph displayed personal innocence, and blamelessness, he showed us meekness and gentleness, but he also showed us his commanding and authoritative wisdom and his benevolence.

We have seen his personal purity, his spotless and stainless integrity, the grace that he extended to all, his testing and his trials.

All these things simply were provided to us as a pattern of one who was to come, to one who would be holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners.

Notice also Joseph’s unresisting and uncomplaining endurance of wrong, his capacity to rule and govern, that point to the one in whom we put our faith, the beautiful one, the governing one, the one who is always strong and who is always right, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Joseph’s personal history is so typical of Jesus Christ.

How he was subjected to personal humiliation, but what glory that followed.

He suffered not for any sins of his own but through the sins of those to whom he would do good.

He bore the blame and the punishment which others had deserved.

His betrayal, his selling to men, his imprisonment provides a picture of what God’s son faced for the sins of others.

We saw Joseph’s elevation, after his suffering, to the right hand of the Pharaoh, with full authority and command over all of the kings resources throughout his kingdom.

And all this power was given to him that he would give life to many.

He was indeed a Prince and a Savior. He saw his mission to save much people alive.

To the many it was deliverance from death, it was the filling of the hungry with good things.

He was a light brought to the Gentiles, for he came unto his own and his own received him not.

His brethren, the sons of Israel, to whom he carried a message of peace from home, cast him out.

It was in Gentile Egypt that the first light of his saving power and glory shone.

How alike this is to the dispensation of the gospel during our age.

Now are the times of the Gentiles, Now is Jesus Christ the light of the Gentiles.

But the Lord has not cast off Israel for blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.

But in the end all Israel shall be saved.

And even in the death of Joseph we see Jesus Christ and his word.

For in his death we hear the words, Cleave not to Egypt.

Be not drawn to the world’s smiles to love the world.

Egypt is not your home.

Think of the land promised of God wherein you will dwell.

Earth may be to you a house of bondage, it may be a place of sadness and trouble but think on God’s land.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18,  But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.  Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Joseph was 17 when sold into slavery: 37:2

Two full years before he stood before Pharaoh he interpreted the dreams for the baker and the butler: 41:1, Joseph was 28

Joseph was 30 years old when he stood before Pharaoh: 41:46

When Joseph stood before Pharaoh at age 30 Joseph interpreted Pharaoh's dream to be 7 years of plenty followed by 7 years of famine: 41:29

And unto Joseph were born two sons (Manasseh, first born, and Ephraim) before the years of famine came: 41:50. Joseph was between the ages of 30 and 37 during the famine.

Joseph revealed himself to his brothers two years into the famine years: 45:6, Joseph was 39, He left home at age 17 so he was now in Egypt 22 years

Jacob tells Pharaoh that he is 130 years old, this is in the second year of famine: 47:9, Joseph was born 39 years ago from this time, therefore Jacob was 91 when Joseph was born. Joseph was born in Haran at the end of the second 7 year period. Jacob still had 6 years left of the twenty he spent in Harran. So Joseph was 6 years old when he came to Canaan. So the time betwen Haran and the beginning of the Joseph story in 37:2 is 11 years.

Also since Jacob fled to Harran after deceitfully receiving the blessing from Issac and he was 14 years there when Joseph was born he must have been 91 minus 14 or 77 years old when he fled to Haran.

Rueben - 4

Simeon - 6

Levi - 3

Judah - 3, 2 had died in Canaan, also had 2 grandchildren

Issachar- 4

Zebulon - 3

Dinah

Leah

33 souls

Gad - 7

Asher - 5, also had 2 grandchildren

16 souls

Joseph - 2 in the land of Egypt

Benjamin - 10

14 souls

Dan - 1

Naphtali- 4

7 souls

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