Faithful to the End
Genesis 50:22-26 (ESV)
22 So Joseph remained in Egypt, he and his father's house. Joseph lived 110 years. 23 And Joseph saw Ephraim's children of the third generation. The children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were counted as Joseph's own. 24 And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” 25 Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” 26 So Joseph died, being 110 years old. They embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.
In all the stories and events we have of Joseph, we have no record of any sin. Almost every other Biblical character we turn to has one sin or more recorded in the Bible. But, not Joseph (Job, in the beginning may be the other Bible character). There is no doubt he sinned. But, we simply don’t have those occurrences in the narrative God gave us about this man. Why? Perhaps it is to show us the faithfulness of a man of God. Joesph, throughout his life, is a picture of Jesus Christ. He suffered and became as dead to his father and brothers. He suddenly came back to life and brought them to his home with him. We can see the pictures. (Remember, everything in the Old Testament is a story of Christ.).
In the above text we see the final days of Joseph’s life. He could have, now that his father was dead, turned on those brothers that did evil to him. Joseph, however, stays faithful to the end. Joseph lived on promises. He had faith that God would fulfill all the promises God gave him. Note what the writer of Hebrews says about Joseph:
22 By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.
Joseph’s father, Israel (Jacob), told him that he would have the mountain of Schechem:
21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers. 22 Moreover, I have given to you rather than to your brothers one mountain slope that I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow.”
Joseph held to that promise as he held, by faith, to all of God’s promises. That allowed him to live a blameless life. Faith is the avenue to pleasing God:
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
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