The significance of bones:

1. Begin by looking at

Though Egypt initially was a place of chaos and pain for Joseph, it had become a place of comfort for 80 years.

For Joseph, getting comfortable would have been easy, because for all intents and purposes, Joseph had become an Egyptian; but he never lost sight of his identity as a Hebrew and the covenant God had made to his ancestors.

2. Taking a look back

“With the death of Jacob, leadership of the family fell to Joseph.”
- Andrew E. Steinmann & Tremper Longman III

Despite the chaos in each of their lives and families, God faithfully honoured his covenant to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and now Joseph, and continue to do so.

3. Taking a look ahead

“With the placing of Joseph’s body in a coffin, four centuries of the life of the people of Israel will be passed over in silence. The last word in Genesis – Egypt – reminds us that there is more to the story. Egypt is not the home of God’s ancient people, but it is the place where the next book of the Bible will begin as the Israelites move towards their Promised Land. Yet even that place was not their ultimate goal, since like all of God’s faithful people they professed ‘that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth…”. - Andrew E. Steinmann & Tremper Longman III

Throughout the chaos of the Exodus and the 40 years of Wandering in the Wilderness, God was faithful to honour his covenant with Abraham and his descendants, fulfilling His promise to bring them home.

So what?

1. Don’t get too comfortable

Between the time of Joseph’s death and a new Pharoah in Egypt who would oppress the Jewish people, Egypt became a place of comfort. As humans, when we get comfortable, we settle in, become complacent and are easily conformed to the world around us.

“The first call every Christian experiences is the call to abandon the attachments of this world.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer (The Cost of Discipleship)

2. Follow through on your commitments

FOMO (fear of missing out) may be part of the reason we struggle with keeping our commitments, because are always looking for the next things that seems to better than what we currently have.

“Despite delay and difficulty, the Israelites made good on their ancestors’ commitment through Moses and Joshua taking responsibility for its completion. This faithfulness to honor Joseph’s desire for burial in his homeland serves as an example to us. We should also be true to our commitments, especially with regard to spiritual matters, so that our testimony points to the faithfulness of God.” Les Crawford

3. Remember your citizenship

Our citizenship carries with it the responsibility of allegiance, alliance and assistance. Thus, it should dictate how we live our lives daily, how we act when away from our homeland, how we treat others, and where are primary allegiance should be found.

“By faith, he (Joseph) also identified as an Israelite despite his high position and home in Egypt, which meant that his final resting place must be Canaan rather than Egypt. We would do well to follow his example, believing God’s promises and looking for our final resting place in God’s presence as citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20–21).”
Les Crawford

4. A circle back…

Because of whom God is, and who He remains to be, He is still able to turn chaos into covenant blessing, as He is way more committed to us then we will ever be to Him. He continually calls to us “Return to Me”

“Give up yourself, and you will find your real self. Lose your life and you will save it. Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favorite wishes every day and death of your whole body, in the end submit with every fiber of your being, and you will find eternal life. Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.” C.S Lewis (Mere Christianity)

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
1. You may feel that your life has become chaotic. Which is often a time when it’s easy to lose sight of the most important things. What might help you to regain focus on important things?

2. Why is it important to look back at what God has done in the past, as well as to look forward to what He is able to do in the future? How does this help us to keep a good perspective on life?

3. If you find yourself in a place of “comfort and complacency” in your life, what changes could you make starting today? Do you sense any urges from God to change?

4. How are you doing at keeping your commitments? How does a balance of grace and faithfulness help us, with the Spirit’s power, to keep our commitments?

5. What does it mean to you, if you are a believer, that you are ‘citizen of heaven’? How does this citizenship influence how you live your life each day?