Connected to history

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Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here.”

- Exodus 13:19

Hundreds of years after Joseph’s death, Moses followed through on this ancient promise.

Joseph was one of the 12 sons of Jacob. He was sold into slavery by his brothers, brought to Egypt and – through an indirect route – elevated to the position of Prime Minister over all of Egypt. His wise leadership saved Egypt from a famine. And he saved his family as well, bringing them to Egypt to escape the famine in their home country.

The Exodus narrative begins by telling us about Joseph and his family. But it also tells us that the Pharaoh’s and the Egyptian leadership forgot about Joseph after he passed away. But Moses didn’t forget.

Moses took personal ownership over Joseph’s bones. He honored a dying request from a patriarch, someone he had never met but someone who left a powerful historic legacy. Joseph’s bones were a reminder to Moses that God’s people were not meant to live in Egypt forever, that God had something more for them.

Moses honored Joseph’s legacy.

We can so easily forget those who’ve gone before us. We get caught up in the immediacy of our day-to-day lives. But wonderful things happen when we maintain a sense of connectedness to our history.

Sometimes we can see God’s hand at work in the past. Sometimes we grieve over the sins of our ancestors and ask God to help us break any patterns that might continue on through the generations.

But great things happen when we acknowledge that the great things of God did not begin the day we were born and did not simply happen because of our own gifts and abilities. When we can look back and see how God has worked and gone ahead of us, it roots us in the larger story and faithfulness of God.

Who can you acknowledge who’s gone before you and made a way for you? Whose memory can you honor? How can you act today in accordance with their memory?

2 Comments

That's really wonderful, Karen.

My wonderful mother-in-law was the first person who told me to trust Jesus..even when I did not know him. And then my sister in law led me to a prayer meeting and I began to seek and find. My mother in law died decades ago but she was an angel for me.

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