Hebrews 11:20, the faith of Abraham was passed down to his son, Isaac. Isaac grew old and his eyes became weak, he could no longer see the world around him, but his spiritual side was sharp. When Isaac was dying, he called his sons Jacob and Esau, he spoke blessings over them that would define their futures. Isaac spoke about things that had not happened yet, as if they were facts. Then came Jacob, Jacob’s life was full of struggle, he wrestled with men and he wrestled with God, but at the end of his life, while living in Egypt, he demonstrated profound faith, he was dying in a foreign land, but he knew his family would not stay there forever, Hebrews 11:21.
Then their was Joseph, he had been sold into slavery by his brothers, he had been thrown into prison for a crime he did not commit, he had risen to become the prince of Egypt, he had saved the world from starvation. Joseph had every reason to be comfortable in Egypt, he was rich and powerful, but Joseph knew Egypt was not home, he knew God had promised the land of Canaan to his great grandfather, Abraham. As Joseph lay on his deathbed, he made his brothers promise something strange, he told them that one day God would visit them and bring them out of Egypt and when that day came, they were to take his bones with them. Hebrews 11:22, a dead man’s bones waited in a coffin for hundreds of year, every time the Israelites looked at Joseph’s coffin, it was a sermon. It said, God keeps his promises. It said, that we are leaving this place someday.
Joseph’s faith reached beyond his own lifetime, centuries passed, the Israelites became slaves, the Egyptians treated them brutally. The king of Egypt, Pharaoh, commanded that every baby boy born to the Hebrews, must be thrown into the nile river and killed. A time of terror, but one couple, Amram and Jochebed refused to surrender to fear, when their son Moses was born, they saw he was a special child, they hid him for three months, they defied the most powerful king on earth, because they feared God more than man, Hebrews 11:23. Moses was eventually adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter, he grew up in the palace, he ate the best food, he wore the finest clothes, he had the best education, he could have been a prince of Egypt forever.
Then their was Joseph, he had been sold into slavery by his brothers, he had been thrown into prison for a crime he did not commit, he had risen to become the prince of Egypt, he had saved the world from starvation. Joseph had every reason to be comfortable in Egypt, he was rich and powerful, but Joseph knew Egypt was not home, he knew God had promised the land of Canaan to his great grandfather, Abraham. As Joseph lay on his deathbed, he made his brothers promise something strange, he told them that one day God would visit them and bring them out of Egypt and when that day came, they were to take his bones with them. Hebrews 11:22, a dead man’s bones waited in a coffin for hundreds of year, every time the Israelites looked at Joseph’s coffin, it was a sermon. It said, God keeps his promises. It said, that we are leaving this place someday.
Joseph’s faith reached beyond his own lifetime, centuries passed, the Israelites became slaves, the Egyptians treated them brutally. The king of Egypt, Pharaoh, commanded that every baby boy born to the Hebrews, must be thrown into the nile river and killed. A time of terror, but one couple, Amram and Jochebed refused to surrender to fear, when their son Moses was born, they saw he was a special child, they hid him for three months, they defied the most powerful king on earth, because they feared God more than man, Hebrews 11:23. Moses was eventually adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter, he grew up in the palace, he ate the best food, he wore the finest clothes, he had the best education, he could have been a prince of Egypt forever.
