Joseph’s Faith
"By
faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of
Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones." (Hebrews 11:22)
Because he believed God, Joseph refused to become or
even be regarded as an Egyptian. His faith in Christ compelled him to identify
himself with Christ, his people, and his worship.
Joseph was not asked merely to
be an Egyptian, or even one of the nobles of the land. He was made the prime
minister of the land, but refused even the place afforded him by Pharaoh. He
was a loyal citizen in the land where God placed him. He served the land of
Egypt better than any man in the history of that nation. But, because he was an
Israelite indeed, a true believer, he would not be identified with the
Egyptians. C. H. Spurgeon made the following, interesting observation.
“In Sakhara,
hard by the pyramid of Pharaoh Apahis, stands at this day the tomb of a prince,
whose name and titles are in hieroglyphic writing. The name is ‘Eitsuph,’ and
from among his many titles we choose two — ‘Director of the king’s granaries,’
and the other an Egyptian title, ‘Abrech.’ Now this last word is found in the
Scriptures, and is that which is translated, ‘Bow the knee.’ It is more than
probable that this monument was prepared for Joseph, but he declined the honor.
Though his resting-place would have been side by side with the pyramid of one
of Mizraim’s greatest monarchs, yet he would not accept the dignity, he would
not be an Egyptian.”
Following Christ
If we would follow Christ, we must
constantly refuse to align ourselves with this world. We must choose rather to
identify ourselves with the people of God and the worship of God (1 John
2:15-17; 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1).
Faith
in Christ is manifest by love for God’s people (1 John 3:14). And Joseph
demonstrated, both in his actions and in the most public manner possible, his
love for his brethren. At the very time of his death Joseph’s heart was engaged
with the future happiness of Israel (Ps. 137:5-6). This same unselfish faith
and love was later demonstrated by Eli’s daughter-in-law as she was leaving
this world (1 Sam. 4:22). It is that same love which was perfectly and
infinitely demonstrated by our Savior (John 13:1).
Believing
God
1As Joseph
believed God, though everything seemed to contradict his Word, let us believe
God, though everything seems to contradict his Word (Isa. 59:19; Matt. 16:18).
Faith in Christ caused him to
see the unseen, and to look to the spiritual blessings of grace pictured in the
carnal things that represented them. Faith gave him an eye to the spirituality
of the covenant. His hope was not in the earthly Canaan, but in the spiritual.
"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. 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. So Joseph
died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put
in a coffin in Egypt" (Genesis 50:24-26).
Joseph believed that God would graciously visit his
people in deliverance, bringing them out of bondage. – That salvation which
Moses would accomplish was typical and prophetic of our salvation by Christ. He
believed not only that God would bring them out of Egypt; but that he would
bring his chosen, redeemed people into Canaan, which portrayed the believer’s
heavenly inheritance of grace in Christ, in resurrection glory.
Assurance
Joseph
so thoroughly believed God that he was assured that he would, himself, enter
into the land of promise. He made his brothers swear that they would not bury
him in Egypt, but embalm him and carry him into Canaan. – Embalming, though an
Egyptian custom, was adopted by Joseph, by an act of faith, to be an emblem of
the hope of the resurrection. Joseph’s bones were buried in Canaan with
Joshua’s, after the Lord God fulfilled every promise he had made to Abraham and
the nation of Israel concerning that land (Jos. 24:29-32).
Submission
Faith in
Christ involves the resignation of my life to his dominion, the resignation of
my will to his will (Luke 14:26-33). Joseph’s faith in Christ made him
submissive to the will, purpose, and glory of God. Because he believed God,
Joseph was willing to wait God’s time for the promised blessing. He waited for God to exalt him. He bowed to God’s
providence. He waited for God to deliver Israel.
His
bones were not buried until Joshua had conquered and divided the land. But Joseph
believed that God would do as he had promised. And he waited for his God in
patient faith unto the end. May God the Holy Spirit give us such confident,
submissive faith.