²² By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones.

Miniseries of Joseph’s life are well known. The eleventh son of Jacob, the first of his favored wife Rachel’s, he was the love of his father. The story of his life and relationship to the rest of his family includes all the elements of a modern day mystery novel: envy, deception, betrayal and lust. But it also includes reconciliation, redemption and restoration. It is the story of God’s preservation of the promised “seed,” the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God used this single individual, Joseph, to save the budding, promised “innumerable descendants” from extinction.

Joseph was remarkable in so many ways that we might think it natural to include him in this chapter of the heroes of the faith. Though he was the subject of favoritism growing up which resulted in excessive sibling rivalry and jealousy, Joseph never responded with anger or bitterness. He was loyal to his family in the end, including his brothers. He provided for them at his own risk (knowing that the Egyptians despised nomadic shepherds, which Joseph’s family were). He had the temerity to challenge his brothers’ integrity, but also showed compassion in recognizing their agony of guilt. In the end he used his exalted position for the benefit of providing for all their needs.

The most notable action of Joseph’s, it would seem, would be his magnanimous speech upon the death of his father, Jacob. When his brothers approached in fear, thinking that Joseph might take revenge upon them, Joseph responded knowingly and graciously: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. (Gen 50:20). He believed God’s purposes included and superseded the brothers’ betrayal years earlier. This was nothing short of faith.

But the incident noted by our writer to the Hebrews as being the most noteworthy act of faith was his mere mention of the sometime-future exodus of his family, the promised descendants of Abraham, then only about 70 strong, from the land of Egypt to the land God had promised his great-grandfather, Abraham. He believed the same promise Abraham believed in, namely that God would give the patriarch a land and the descendants that would change the world. He wanted his remains to be buried in that land. That was faith!

It may very well be that this parting instruction of Joseph reverberated for 400 years in the collective memory of the descendants of Jacob, sustaining them until the day a new deliverer would arrive, in the person of Moses.

Lord, help me see with eyes of faith the future You have planned for Israel.