The Journey of the Bones of Joseph
Grady Henley
November 2004
INTRODUCTION:
A few years back there was a story written about a two men from Texas. They were two old retired Texas rangers that moved to the Northwest. One of them died and on his death bed he caused the other to make an oath that he would return his body to a pecan orchard around Austin, Texas and bury his bones. Soon as the spring thaw set in the survivor set off with those bones in a buckboard. (“Lonesome Dove” was the name of the book.)
Folks that heard about such a thing laughed at the old ranger for being so ignorant. Why not just bury him somewhere along the way. He’ll never know where the words hurled at the old ranger.
The old ranger would not be deterred from his oath. By the time novel ends, the old ranger is buried in a pecan orchard, the one place where he found just a little bit of peace and one of which he fond memories.
What a unique story! Two men who thought so much of each other and had been together for so long that one would do this much for his friend. The story plot for that novel that was later made into a TV series came right out of the bible. The story in the bible has so much more than the one about the rangers.
Gen 50:24 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. Gen 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.
Exo 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.
Have you given much thought to the story of the children of Israel caring for the bones of Joseph for so many years? Now think about that for a few moments! Some folks have their loved one cremated and cast their ashes to the wind. My ex-sister-in-law had her husband cremated and took half of his ashes to Arkansas and kept the other half in Pearland, Texas. Other folks keep the bones of their loved one in mauselums.
We do not know just where the bones of Joseph were kept for their day of departure, but we know for a fact that someone knew their location.
What made the bones of Joseph more important? Why not carry all the bones of other dead Jews back to the Holy Land? Why should Joseph’s bones receive such special treatment? Once we find the answer, we need to apply it to our lives.
I. THE JOURNEY OF THE BONES
Where you aware that it is quite possible they carried for his bones for over 600 years before burying them? Thinking about this story makes us realize that it was an unusual request on the part of Joseph, and dedicated duty on the nation of Israel.
Did you think the nation of Israel took care of those bones for 430 years? Did you based your thinking on Exodus 12:40 where we read: Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years? A closer reading of that passage tells us how long they were sojourners in Egypt, not how long they cared for his bones.
Once we begin to ponder this subject, we come to understand that from the time he made his request until they buried them in the Promised Land, a period of almost 500 to 600 years transpired.
Let us compare some scripture with scripture and do some reasoning on the subject. The years they cared for those bones is arrived at by comparing scripture to scripture. Observe:
· For 430 years the children of Israel were (sojourning) in bondage, Exo 12:40 Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.
· They wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, Num 14:34 After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.
· 430 years + 40 years of wilderness wanderings under Moses = 470 years.
· Caleb made a plea for his mountain, at least five years into the conquest of the land of Canaan. Josh 14:10 And now, behold, the LORD hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the LORD spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old. Five years is reached by allowing Caleb to be 40 when he surveyed the land with Joshua.
· Now the number of known years the bones have been in transit is 475 that we can tally, and they are not buried yet.
There are other numbers of years to consider, indirectly, in this request by Joseph to bury his bones. If you recall the conversation of Jacob with Pharaoh we find some more numbers that give us insight to the age of Jacob and Joseph. Observe the following:
1. Joseph was 17 when sold into slavery, Gen. 37:2.
2. He was 30 when he stood before Pharaoh, Gen. 41:46.
3. He was about 37 when his brothers came to Egypt the first time. We know this because the seven years of plenty had passed, Gen. 42.
4. He told his brothers on their second visit that there were five more years to endure before the famine was finished, Gen. 45:11.
5. Thus by the time the brothers go and get Jacob, Joseph would be approximately 39 when Jacob and the family came to dwell in Egypt.
6. Jacob was 130 when he appeared before Pharaoh, Gen. 47:9.
7. Jacob lived in Egypt 17 years and died at the age of 147, Gen. 47:28.
8. By adding the supposed age of Joseph (39) when he met his father, to the 17 years that Jacob lived in Egypt, we find that Joseph was about 56 when Jacob died.
9. By subtracting the age of Joseph (56) at the death of Jacob from the number of years Jacob live (147) we come to know that Jacob was 91 years old when Joseph was born.
10. Jacob would be roughly 92 or 93 when Benjamin was born.
11. Joseph died at the age of 110, Gen. 50:26. By subtracting 56, the age of Joseph at the death of Jacob, from 110 the age of Joseph’s death, we find that Joseph lived 54 years after the death of his father.
12. From the death of Joseph until the evil Pharaoh took the throne and began to persecute the nation of Israel is an unknown period of time. I would estimate at least 150 to 200 years was the interval, Exo 1:8.
13. I allow this number of years for the generation of Egyptians that knew and remembered what Joseph accomplished to die.
14. If we consider the United States in 1776 to where it was in 1976, we know that our nation has not recall the great deeds of our forefathers or the sacrifices they made.
15. Thus, it would not be too far fetched to say that 200 years passed between the good hearted Pharaoh and the hard hearted Pharah, Exo 1:8. If such be the case then 675 years would not be too long of a time for the nation of Israel to care for the bones of Joseph. The number could be greater or lesser. I believe it was closer to 200 years, but that is my opinion and not biblical fact.
“What does it matter,” you may ask, “how long they cared for the bones? The number of years is insignificant. What is important is they buried the bones!”
Such reasoning is superficial and does not reveal the greater lessons to be learned from their dedication to his unusual request. This nation remembered and honored his request for at least 475 years and I tend to think the actual number would be closer to 675 years.
Joseph lived to see his great-great-grand children. He was the greatest type of the Lord Jesus in recorded history. There is something for us to learn from his life and there are things to learn from his request in relation to his bones.
II. THE LESSONS TO LEARN
What can we learn from these people and their dedication to carry out his request? What we have here are a couple of principles to apply in our daily living and a lesson in faithfulness for the rest of our lives.
A principle is a code or standard that is established where by we as individual strive to meet, keep, or obtain the merits of adhering to the conditions to the principle.
What is the principle learning from these people that carried around some old skeleton for hundreds of years? The answer is found in Reaching Your Generation. For Joseph it was reaching unto the time of Deliverance from Egypt. For us it is reaching our generation with Gospel until the time of deliverance as well.
A. PRINCIPLE # 01: Reach Your Generation With The Gospel.
Jude warned the believers in his day ( and us) that faith was once delivered unto the saints, Jude 1:3. He told us to earnestly contend for this faith. What that mean is, it was delivered once in the person of Jesus Christ. It is up to each generation to persuade the next that the faith delivered is worth the contention it generates. Jesus said He came not to bring peace, but a sword. If we fail to reach them, apostasy will be the rule of the day and suceeding generations pass into eternity lost and undone.
Josephs’ legacy lasted for several generations. Remember that he lived to see his gr-gr-grandchildren and several generations later his family carried his bones out of Egypt. He reached his generation and beyond!
1. That prophecy.
There was a prophecy that affected the family of Abraham. It was handed down from one son to the next and the prophecy had to do with them being in bondage for many years. Abraham received it from God. Abraham then passed it on the Isaac. Issac gave it to Jacob. Jacob gave it to his son(s). It would be wishful thinking to say that all 12 of his sons embraced this prophecy as truth. At least 10 of the 12 cast it aside as a legend and not worth the time to retell or even consider it coming to pass.
Not so with Joseph. I believe he knew the prophecy and somehow he knew he would play a vital role in it coming to pass. Gen 15:13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; Gen 15:14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.
Josepeh knew a time of bondage and deliverance was coming. When he made that request for the nation to carry his bones out of Egypt, he was looking unto the future and the time of deliverance. Lev 26:45 But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the LORD.
2. There is a prophecy on your house as well.
The family of Abraham is not the only family with a prophecy of impending bondage pronounced upon them. The prophecy of our family is found in Gen 5:1, 5:5 where we find that Adam had a son in his likeness and in verse five we find that Adam died. Once we learned the difference between right and wrong, we were shackled to bondage, sin, and death. The only way we can obtain deliverance is to ask the Lord to remember us. Job 14:13 O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me! Psa 103:14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.
This is what Joseph did. He asked his brothers to remember him and though he would not be delivered in person, he gave them a prophetic picture (a sign) to remember. That physical sign was his bones, for the Jews require a sign, 1 Cor 1:22.
3. Give your family a sign.
Each of us must start with ourselves and our families. We have to make them aware of that prophecy that one day we are going to die. The urgency of this warning must be instilled to the next generation. Mankind will place us in a grave. However, the only way we are going to get
out of that grave is for the Lord Jesus Christ to remember us.
Each generation must be persuaded to follow and maintain the legacy, or chaos becomes the rule of the day. Luke 18:8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? The history of the Jewish nation as recorded in the book of Judges is proof positive of the downward spiral of a nation that forgets God and His word.
Every generation must be reached with the gospel: Psa 78:1 Maschil of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. 78:2 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: 78:3 Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. 78:4 We will not hide them from their children, showing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. 78:5 For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: 78:6 That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:, (Passing it on is not an option: it is a command!)
Psa 71:17 O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works. 71:18 Now also when I am old and greyheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have showed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come.
Deu 11:18 Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. 11:19 And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 11:20 And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: 11:21 That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.
3. Create a legacy in your family for following the Lord.
After 40 years of wilderness wanderng that second generation that came out of Egypt learned to follow the Lord.
We can not assume that just because we are steadily working in the church that our descendants will automatically do so. They will be more likely to follow the Lord whole heartily if we leave them a legacy and instruct them by living what we preach.
The legacy of Joseph last hundreds of years past his last breath. The nation of Israel respected and remembered the vows they made. That generation that came out of Egypt did not cast those old bones aside as unworthy objects. The honor of the nation was tied up in those old bones of a man long dead.
Will you start a legacy in your family of being a type of the Lord Jesus Christ so that future generations will honor your words and strive to live up to the principles established in you by the living words of God?
B. PRINCIPLE # 02: That Old Baggage.
The second principle we learn from those old bones is a lot of your old baggage (bones) will not “disappear” until you have learned to fill your life with the Holy Spirit, and walk in the Spirit! Gal 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
1. Luggage and baggage.
Once we begin to think about the life of Joseph, we come to understand that his unusual request was one way for him to hold the nation accountable for their actions. How did he come to reside in Egypt? He got there through no fault of his own as his brothers sold him into slavery.
Have you pondered the ordeal Joseph endured from his family?
Ø He was sent by his father unto his brethren to see how they fared.
Ø Upon finding them, what did they do? They ‘conspired to kill the messenger.’ They did not like his person, his position, or his coat of many colors. (Echos of Jesus Christ is it not?)
Ø This cruel act of selling your own kin into slavery was the lesser of two evils, as their first intentions were to kill him, Gen 37:18 And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him. V. 28 Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.
Ø These brother set out to rid themselves of his flesh and bones. (We will not have this man rule over us!)
Ø All they brought back to dear old dad, (Jacob) was the tattered robe of many colors dipped in goat’s blood. These brothers were so cold-hearted they said: “…This have we found: know now whether it be thy son’s coat or no, Gen 37:32. They would not even acknowledge him as their brother. They showed no remorse for his supposed death!
With this one act they heaped upon themselves some luggage and baggage. Their actions reminds each of us to be careful of our actions for every action has an opposite and equal reaction. What we say and do has eternal consequences. Each of us must consider our ways and count the cost before we act.
2. Lugged it around for many years.
If we continue to read the story of Joseph, we realize those ten brothers did not unload this burden. It is not recorded that they apologize to their aged father or their brother for the grief they heaped upon each.
They did reminded Joseph that at some time in the past, it was reported that Jacob told Joseph to forgive them, Gen 50:16 And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, 50:17 So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him.
These brothers would not come to him in person. They sent a messenger! Even then, he forgave them, but his siblings, did not say they were sorry. They just said they would be his servants. Gen 50:18 And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants.
Regardless of what they said, it would stretch the scriptures to say that these brothers confessed their sins.
C. The ploy of Satan.
Those old burdens (baggage and luggage) are the number one reason the devil has us replay our failures and re-enact in our own minds the mistakes we made. He does this to keep the memory alive and maintain the bones of our past ever before our face. Because we are constantly on a guilt trip, we seldom experience God’s forgiveness.
If you recall when the brother’s had their first meeting with Joseph how they reacted? Gen 42:22
And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child;
and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required. As we would say in our native East Texan slang: “I told ya’ll, but nooooooo…you wouldn’t listen!
For the past 17 years, they carried the baggage of their deceit with them. Each morning as the sun arose they got up, put on their robes, sandals, and strapped on the luggage of their lies and deceit in their dealings with Joseph and Jacob. This baggage was a continual burden in their hearts and on their minds.
1. What is your baggage and where do you bear it?
We look back at these brothers and wonder: “YOU BUNCH OF FOOLS! Why did you carry that guilt around with your for so many years?” Why didn’t you just confess and forsake your sin?”
Alright! If confessing and forsaking is the right thing to do in their generation, would it not be the same in ours as well?
1. Do you have some bad memories of a wrong done unto you?
2. Is it a burden in your heart? Does it come out in anger?
3. Do you bear an unforgiving spirit?
4. Do you lash out in self-defense because of some insecurities?
5. Is there a bone of contention between you and some member of the church? Your family?
6. Have your wronged someone and refuse to repent?
7. How many skeletons do you have in your closet? Are you afraid to enter your prayer closet, Mat 6:6, because there are some old bones laying around in there that remind you of your evil and sinful deeds?
2. Time for a funeral.
Is it not time for a funeral? For how many years will you take that bone of contention around with you? How long will your allow them skeletons to hang in your closet? Do you realize that as long as there is ought between thy brother and self, we will never be all that God wants us to be until we bury them bones? Mat 5:23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 5:24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
Is it not time to bury them bones? Is it not time to have a final funeral and bury them and refrain from doing as the song says, “I’m digging up bones!”
3. It is expensive to maintain the bones.
If we do not bury them bones and leave them buried, it will make us sick.
1. Some folks will spend their hard earned money on doctor bills and prescriptions.
2. Other folks will require counseling.
3. Some will move from one physical relation to another instead of enjoying a spiritual relation with the Lord.
4. Nervous and mental fatigue will follow those that refuse to repent.
5. One of the Proverbs reads as, Prov 14:30 A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.
6. King David said, Psa 51:3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
REMEMBER THE DUCK:
Johnny was trying out his new slingshot at his Grandparents’ farm one day. He aimed at one of their ducks and to his surprise and horror, the stone flew straight at the duck and it fell over like a…dead duck. He was mortified. He panicked and hid the dead duck in the woodpile. That’s when he noticed his older sister, Ann, witnessed the whole thing.
After lunch, Grandmother asked Ann to help with the dishes and she said, “Oh, I think Johnny wants to help with the dishes.” Then she whispered to Johnny, “Remember the duck?”
The next day, Grandpa offered to take Johnny into town and Ann said, “I think Johnny wants to stay here and do my chores and let me go into town, don’t you?” And her look said it all, “Remember the duck.”
After several days, Johnny couldn’t stand it any longer. He went to his grandmother and confessed to the whole dirty deed. His grandmother hugged him and said, “I know Johnny, I saw the whole thing from my kitchen window, and because I love you, I forgave you then.”
He said, “But why didn’t you tell me?”
She said, “I was just waiting to see how long you’d let your sister make a fool of you!”
That’s what God must surely say to us when we continue to worry about our forgiven sin. He says, “Because I love you, I have forgiven you, so don’t let the devil make a fool out of you!”
The three steps in putting a wrong behind us are:
1. Apologize to the one you offended, Mat 5:23-24.
2. Confess and forsake your sin to the Lord, Prov 28:13.
3. Forgive yourself and move forward, Phil 3:13-14.
II. FAITHFUL LESSONS.
The dedicated duty of the nation of Israel over these bones remindes us to be faithful in our duty and to remind others to do so as well. These reminders extend from our immediate families to our national leaders as well. Consider the man Moses:
Ø raised in the home of Pharaoh,
Ø nursed by his mom,
Ø killed an Egyptian at the age of 40,
Ø lived on the backside of a desert another forty years,
Ø at eighty he answers God’s call.
Ø How much Jewish history did he know?
Someone told him of the oath concerning the bones of Joseph and as a leader he realized the significance of the the bones and the oath.
A. From One Generation to the Next.
Talk about an inheritance from your dad! Imagine dad walking up to you and saying something to the effect, “Son, you are the only one I can trust with the family skeleton-in-the-closet. Therefore, I am entrusting unto you the bones of gr-gr-gr-grandpa Joseph! I know! I know! Such was not exactly what you wanted, but such is what you got. He’s been dead for 200 years. We’ve been in bondage 150 years and that prophecy he made about God visiting us did not come to pass in my life, so I am holding you personally accountable! Watch out for them bones! Do not loose any of them! If our people are still in bondage when you die, pass them on to your most dependable heir.”
What does all that mean? It means that someone in each generation:
1. Provided for the bones.
2. Someone kept the memories alive.
3. Attached special importance to the bones.
4. Someone passed on the oath.
5. Someone was accountable for the oath.
Real Life Story:
Back about 1960 my grandfather, Marlee Henley, built some tombstones out of concrete. He went to the old family cemetary and placed those stones on the graves of some of his grandparents and other near kin.
A while after the stones were in place, one of the famly members, Ivy Lewis, came up to him and said, “Marlee, you have that tombstone in the wrong place for gr-grandpa Loggins graves.”
Grandpa looked at him and said, “Ivy, my daddy showed that grave site to me when I was just a lad. At the time he showed me there was not a marker there to mark the location, just a stone. I don’t know whether I have it right or not. But regardless, Ivy, you can’t prove I placed the tombstone in the wrong location!”
B. Where are the Bones?
Have you considered that if Joseph was buried in a coffin, Gen 50:26, someone had to know the exact location of the burial spot? Someone had to be able to walk up to a plot of ground, that cave, or pyrmiad hundreds of years after the body went into it and say, “My gr-gr-gr-granddaddy is buried right here!”
We do not know if the bones were buried in a coffin or were stored in a box. We do not know much about them bones, save that they were carried and cared for by dedicated people. Those bones and their transportation back to the Holy Land pictured an event that God said would come to pass, Gen 15:13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; Gen 15:14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.
1. A lesson in faithfulness.
There are many facts related to this story of the “Journey of the bones of Joseph” that are missing. Regardless, there is much to learn from these people in their faithfulness to their commitment. As we think of the nation of Israel and their faithfulness to Joseph’s requirement, can we say that we have been as faithful in our generation to One that is greater than Joseph? 1 Cor 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
Keeping up with the bones of Joseph may seem like an undemanding task until we remember a few things:
1. As was stated previously, someone was accountable and responsible for passing Joseph’s oath, from one generation to the next, Gen 50:25.
2. He had been dead for hundreds of years. If, and I say if, for we do not know he was buried, someone had to know the location of the grave.
3. How many of us can locate the graves of ancestors dead for 400 years? How many of us know where we left our bibles yesterday, much less some bones buried or stored in a box for hundreds of years?
4. Carrying this reasoning a step farther and supposing that the bones were buried, and now it is time to head for the Promise Land, someone had to know where to dig and excavate the bones, taking care not to crush them to sand.
5. Someone had to take extra care in packing those bones on the mule or the camel each day.
6. Once those bones were in the possession of a family member, those bones were constantly in the care of someone for over 40 years of wilderness wanderings. What was the daily task of such a bearer of the bones?
Ø What did you do today?
Ø Well, I carried them bones!
Ø Their day went something like this:
Ø Set up the tent at the end of day.
Ø Take care of the bones that night.
Ø Take down the tent in the morning.
Ø Pack up the bones
Ø Carry the bones again all day.
Ø Take care of them again that night.
Ø Day in and day out the routine was the same. The moment the pillar of fire started to move, the packing started.
Ø Once the law was given, ever who touched those bones had to make the proper
sacrifice for coming in contact with a dead person.
7. That first generation that came out of Egypt, 40 years old and upward, died in the wilderness wanderings. Thus, the second or possible even the third generation out of Egypt, picked up the baton, and carried the bones.
8. They were in someone’s care while the nation conquered the Promised Land.
9. Once they were in the Promised Land and the land titles secured, it is now time to bury the bones.
10. Someone has to know the location of the family burial spot, even though no one of the generation that bore the bones back home had ever seen the burial plot.
11. This brings to mind that when Joshua cast lots, Josh. 17-19, it just so happened (luck of the draw? Not hardly! God was bringing to pass the prophecy. He was showing the nation that faithfulness has rewards!) that the family burial plot belonging to Joseph fell to children of Joseph, Josh. 24:32.
Generations of kin were faithful in their duty!
2. Application.
What we learn from all this is it may be our lot in life to dutifully carry out and perform some menial tasks for years. That is, we may have to perform a duty within the our local congregation that is not the most noteworthy. Paul made mention of this when he compared the body to that of a church, 1 Cor 12:12-27. There are members of this body of flesh that perform tasks day in and day out that is discussed little. However, each bodily function is necessary.
In any local church body there are task that needs to be done and they must be done so that the forward momentum of the church is not hindered. We may be asked to do a job that on the surface offers no personal glory. Of all the duties that befell these families during the past hundreds of years, bearing the bones of Joseph was not the greatest or the most elaborate. (Would you rather be a High Priest as was Aaron or would you rather be the bearer of the bones? Which one placed you in the eyes of the people everyday?)
It matters not that the bone bearing family was not in front to the nation every day. Theirs was a job that needed to be done, for his vow pictured a prophecy. Their dedicated duty to his vow, fulfilled the prophecy.
So it is with our Christian duty. We may not ever:
· Preach the gospel in a foreign land.
· Preach the gospel before thousands of people
· Be responsible for leading someone to the Lord that obtains great fame for the Lord.
· Be a Christian millionaire.
However, that should not stop us from being faithful to the work wherein we are called. Do that lowly task; bearing in mind that our labor is a labor of love for the Lord and not for men, Col 3:23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
3. Our reasonable service.
It is our reasonable sevice to present our bodies a living sacrifice for the Lord. If we witness to a beggar on the street, to the president of a nation, or to a CEO of some company, if any of the lot accept the gospel message, our reward in heaven is the same regardless of the personality or position of the one accepting. The issue is not who receives it. For us the issue is being faithful to our calling. The nation of Israel was faithful in this calling by Joseph.
If our lot in life is caretaker of the church grounds, than by all means make the grounds the most beautiful spot in the city! If our lot is to tend to the infants in the nursery, then by all that is within you, take care of those babes. (Would we want a scandal in our local body of the magnititude of the one that rocked the Roman Catholic Church?) Parents have entrusted into your care the next generation of soul winners and preachers. Do not consider your lot in the working of the local church a burden. Serving the Lord is not a heavy burden. My yoke is easy; my burden is light, Mat 11:30.
4. A far greater than Joseph.
A far greater than Joseph has requested us to be faithful until He returns.
Ø Did you lay your hand to plow and look back?
Ø Did you pull a Demas and get side tracked with worldly lust?
Ø Have you been found missing in the ranks?
Ø Did you tell the pastor you would do a job for him and then when it came time, you had other things to do?
Ø Every time we witness, every time we live the fruit of the Spirt in our lives, we are prophecying that one day Jesus is coming.
Ø Are we as faithful as was those that bore the bones of Joseph?
C. Any Bones Missing?
How many bones were missing once they arrived at the family plot? The bible does not say, but I believe all 206 were laid in the family plot.
Such should be our responsibility and commitment in carrying out our Christian duty. Every basic bible doctrine that was entrusted to us, that faith once delivered to the saints, needs to be taken care of and handed to the next generation with the utmost of our ability. Jesus said in relation to the Apostles:
John 18:9 That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none.
Have we lost:
1. One or two basic bible doctrines entrusted to our care?
2. Lost our first love?
3. Lost our desire to tithe?
4. Is it a burden to get the family stirred each Lord’s day?
5. Have we grown weary in carrying the bones?
6. Is it too much trouble to make visitation each week?
7. Can others see the fruit of the Spirit in our daily conduct?
8. Do we have love one for another? By this shall all men know we are His disciples…
9. Is the virgin birth a reality or a Christmas story?
10. Do we faithfully carry the bones or do we allow a bone of contention to carry us from one conflict to another?
11. Are was as zealous for the Lord as we were the day we were saved?
Do not lose any bones along the way! We live in a day that many are so set on accommodating the unbeliever, and making it easy for them to come to church, that they are willing to leave some of "Joseph's bones" behind because they "just don’t fit " into today’s modern society.
Each time we preach the gospel in some manner, we carry on a two thousand year old prophecy that one day Jesus will return. Is that not what Joseph told his brethren, that one day God would visit them? Is that not our message as well, that one day God would come and get us?
We must be convinced in our hearts and actions that we believe such. Furthermore, we must pass it on to our children. After we are gone, our children should be Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Titus 2:13. They will, if we do not fail in our duty.
CONCLUSION:
Once the Promised Land was conquered by the children of Isreal, the bones of Joseph found rest, Josh 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. Those brothers that hated the bones of their brother took those very bones back to the very land from which they had expelled him. Poetic justice to say the least.
There are significant learnings attached to these stories about some old bones. Jesus told
Thomas to touch Him and know for a certain that a spirit does not have flesh and bones. These stories are not some mythical twice told tale. They are the living words of God.
As we study this unusal request made by Joseph we find there are lessons each of us may learn and apply. Each of ought to meditate on their oath and commitment and determine if we have such in our lives. We need to realize the power in these stories and carry that same commitment and zeal as those of whom we read; especially as the church is tossed on the waves of life from one generation and era unto another.
If we want the blessings of the Lord, we need to get committed to the cause of Christ and grow in our dedication to His local church body. These people cared for and maintained those bones for hundreds of years. Surely we can make a commitment to be dedicated to the Lord’s cause for our alloted three-score ten years.
One day the righteous Judge will administer justice to all. Today He offers mercy and grace. Each of us must decide which of these we want! Grace today or justice tomorrow. Why not take grace today and establish a legacy in your family that will reach far beyond your life time? Why not set your face like flint and be as committed to His cause as the nation of Israel was to their oath.
Portions and thoughts for this lesson came from:
“Keeer of the Bones” By Pastor Glynn Davis
“The Bones of Joseph” by Bill Butcher
