Topical Studies
What the Bible says about
Joseph's Faith
(From Forerunner Commentary)
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Genesis 50:24-26
Genesis 50:24-26 contains the story of Joseph's final instructions before his death. Notice Joseph's confidence in these verses. He says twice that God would surely visit the children of Israel. There was no doubt in Joseph's mind that his brethren would be led back to the land God promised to his fathers. His trust in God's future deliverance prompted him to make the children of Israel swear that whoever was alive at that time would carry his bones with them as they left Egypt and returned to their ancestral land. When Joseph says that God would visit them, he is not using that word in the sense of a social call—it is not used that way in reference to God. God "visited" Sarah when she miraculously conceived Isaac (Genesis 21:1). God decreed that He would "visit" the iniquities of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Him (Exodus 20:5). When God "visits" someone, it may be with either benevolent or with punishing intent, but God is always shown acting or performing a work. Thus, Joseph signifies that God would be acting on Israel's behalf when He brought them out of Egypt and back to the land of their fathers. By faith, Joseph made mention of this (see Hebrews 11:22), and the reason is found much earlier, in the story of Abraham: Then He said to Abram: "Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete." (Genesis 15:13-16) Romans 10:17 instructs us that "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (emphasis ours). There is no record of Joseph personally hearing words from God, nor did he have the written Word of God as we do. Instead, God's words to Abraham were relayed to Joseph either by his father, Jacob, or by his grandfather, Isaac, whose life overlapped Joseph's by a number of years. Joseph believed those words to his fathers and acted on them at the end of his life. God promised Abraham this, and Joseph heard this from his father, if not his grandfather. If we add to this the other promises given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, particularly concerning the land, we can understand the "word of God" that Joseph heard and which made up the basis of his faith. Joseph believed the words that God spoke to Abraham concerning what would befall Abraham's children, and he believed that God would judge the strangers whom they would serve. He also believed that God would bring them out of that strange land and into the Promised Land. These words to Abraham, handed down through Isaac and Jacob to Joseph, formed the trust and confidence in his mind that God would "visit" the children of Israel in a positive way, and then they would be led to their ancestral lands.
David C. Grabbe
The Faith of Joseph (Part One)
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Psalm 105:16-19
God's sovereignty and involvement with the details of Joseph in Egypt persist from beginning to end; everything happens when, where, and how God planned. Undoubtedly, God is already working in and through Joseph as a lad of 17. But between 17 and 30, Joseph's life is a veritable roller coaster ride from top to bottom and from bottom to top. The story shows his faith in God; through it all he trusts Him, not fully understanding every detail until after it is over. But God works throughout those years and in all the details toward a purpose and a time He had determined in advance. The same is true regarding Abraham and Sarah's 25-year wait for Isaac.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Sovereignty of God: Part Four
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Hebrews 11:22
Joseph lived 110 years, during which he exemplified honesty, integrity, faithfulness, patience, grace, restraint, wisdom, and numerous other excellent qualities. He endured slights, wrongs, and assaults that were undeserved. For much of his youth, his circumstances were outside of his control, and he bore it all without complaint or bitterness. Yet, out of all the remarkable events in this man's life, God draws our attention to a single one in the "faith chapter" of Hebrews 11. The incident that God marks out as being the pinnacle of Joseph's faith happened literally at the very end of his life—though it had its genesis much earlier. Joseph's faithfulness throughout his long life is above question, but it was this final act of faith that God emphasizes and sets before us as an example. Why were these last words of Joseph more important to God than the many remarkable qualities and experiences from the rest of his life? The verse reads that Joseph "made mention" of the departing of the children of Israel, and the margin says that he "remembered" it. At the time, though, Joseph was still in a position of high honor and esteem, if not authority. The families of his brothers were likewise in a good position, and there probably was not any inducement for them to leave. But Joseph "remembered" something that made him mention that this large, extended family would one day leave Egypt. Verse 22 also relates that Joseph gave commandment concerning his bones. This is interesting in light of Egypt's culture at the time. In Egypt, the Pharaohs were considered to be essentially gods. Joseph was not a Pharaoh, but it is quite possible that his position under Pharaoh might have earned him a place in a royal mortuary. At the very least, he would have been entitled to the Egyptian equivalent of a state burial, with all of its ceremonies and trappings. Were he a materially-minded man, he might have been obsessed with the size and grandeur of his tomb or which Pharaoh his tomb was next to. He might have fretted over his legacy and his place in history, wanting to make sure that future generations gave him reverence. He could have taken his place with the kings of old, but because of his faith, he left instructions for his remains to be removed rather than glorified.
David C. Grabbe
The Faith of Joseph (Part One)
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Hebrews 11:22
The pinnacle of Joseph's faith involved his confidence in the promises passed down from Abraham about his descendant's return to the Promised Land. Joseph commanded that his bones be carried back to the land by the Israelites. But his reason for wanting his remains returned to the land was more than mere sentiment. Notice his father's words: Then Israel said to Joseph, "Behold, I am dying, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers. Moreover I have given to you one portion above your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow." (Genesis 48:21-22) Thus, it was not just the children of Israel in general that would return to the Promised Land. As he lay dying, Jacob was rightly confident that God would bring Joseph specifically back to the land of his fathers, which is why Jacob tells him that he would receive a double portion. However, Joseph lived his entire life without receiving his inheritance. As Hebrews 11:39 says, he "obtained a good testimony through faith" but "did not receive the promise." Had God been unfaithful? On the contrary, the next verse explains: "God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect [in the resurrection] apart from us." So, when Joseph gave the command regarding his bones, he was contemplating the resurrection! This is highly significant because, as far as we know, there had never been a resurrection up to this point. In the absence of a direct revelation from God, it is likely that Joseph's faith on this point stemmed from Abraham's story and faith. God considered Abraham to be faithful because he accounted that God must resurrect the "sacrificed" Isaac for the promises to be fulfilled (Hebrews 11:19). The Bible does not tell us precisely what was explained to Abraham about the resurrections, nor does it say what was taught to Joseph. Yet, we know that God's promises were passed down, as undoubtedly was the story of Abraham's accounting, giving Joseph an example of how to reason and conclude correctly. From the story of Abraham and Isaac and Abraham's demonstration of faith that death does not hinder God's purpose, Joseph must have correctly determined that for him to inherit the double portion, he would be resurrected! Thus, Joseph gave a commandment regarding his bones. He wanted his bones back in the land of his fathers so that when God resurrects him, he will already be there. Exodus 13:19 records that, hundreds of years later, Moses took charge of Joseph's bones. He cites the fact that the children of Israel were put under a solemn oath: When God visited them, they would be obliged to carry Joseph's bones with them. Later, Joshua 24:32 reports that the bones of Joseph were finally buried at Shechem after the death of Joshua. Moses, hundreds of years after Joseph's death, was well aware of the solemn oath, and he did his part to see it fulfilled. The Israelites carried Joseph's bones out of Egypt during the Exodus. They were carried through the Red Sea and for forty years through the wilderness. After Moses died, Joshua became the protector of the bones and had them carried across the Jordan. After Joshua died—like Joseph, at the age of 110—Joseph's bones were finally buried. We know that the children of Israel, through Joshua's time, knew about the oath they were bound to. But thoroughly intertwined with that oath was the faith that Joseph demonstrated in prophesying of Israel's deliverance from captivity, and his absolute assurance in the resurrection of the dead that would bring him back to life in the land of his fathers. Joseph's faith did not die with him; it was carried with Israel all through the wilderness and throughout the settlement of the Promised Land. Joseph's coffin was a testimony to all who remembered the story that God was absolutely dependable in carrying out His promises and that death is not the end. God saw to it that Joseph's faith was continually recounted for generations to come as the Israelites transported his coffin everywhere they wandered. Hebrews 4:1-2 relates that the gospel was preached to the Israelites. The gospel is about the Kingdom of God being established on this earth, including the future resurrection of the dead. The resurrection resides at the very core of the gospel, and we see that the Israelites carried a reminder of a future resurrection with them throughout the long lives of Moses and Joshua. Could Joseph's coffin, and thus the story of Joseph's solid belief, have been a significant part of the preaching of the gospel to them? Joseph could have taken his place among the great leaders of Egypt, but he chose instead to demonstrate his faith in what God had said to his ancestors by instructing that the children of Israel carry his bones with them when they returned to Canaan. Even though resurrections were apparently still theoretical then, he was confident that he would live again. Just as Abraham had accounted, Joseph trusted that God was able to raise him up to fulfill the promises. This is the faith of Joseph that God highlights in Hebrews 11.
David C. Grabbe
The Faith of Joseph (Part Two)
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