From Egypt to Shechem: Carrying Faith and Hope Across Generations

John 14:3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself.

Some promises take lifetimes to be fulfilled.

Joseph died in Egypt at the age of 110. Before he died, he gave what sounded like a simple burial instruction. But it was more than that.

“God will surely visit you, and you must carry my bones with you from this place.”— Exodus 13:19

This request wasn’t about sentiment. It was a bold expression of faith.

Because Joseph remembered what God told Abraham many, many years ago:

“Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions.”— Genesis 15:13-14

Joseph believed God's promise. God will visit us. He will not leave us here.

He died in a foreign land, far from the promised land to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But Joseph trusted God's promise.

So, the people embalmed his body and placed it in a visible location to remind them that God always finishes what He starts. He always fulfills His promises.

Then, time passed—four hundred years of it.

Bricks and Bones

Generations were born in Egypt into bondage, not blessing. They made bricks without straw. They cried under oppression.

They heard of God's promise, but lived in chains.

Can you imagine some weary worker, back sore and hands raw, glancing at the coffin and thinking: “Will this ever happen? Will we ever leave?”

But Scripture tells us:

“God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.”— Exodus 2:24

God remembered His covenant. He called Moses, and ten plagues later, they were walking out of Egypt—with Joseph’s bones on their shoulders.

“Moses took the bones of Joseph with him.”— Exodus 13:19

Bones in the Desert

Picture this: the desert with tents, dust, and wandering feet. Grumbling voices and daily manna. And somewhere among them, a coffin with Joseph's bones.

They didn’t leave it behind. They didn’t question it. They didn’t make alternative plans.

They carried the promise. Through storms. Through setbacks. Through 40 more years of wilderness.

Until the day they reached the promised land.

“The bones of Joseph, which the people of Israel brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem."— Joshua 24:32

Four hundred years. One oath. One God who keeps His word.

So What About Us?

Israel carried a dead man through the desert because they believed in a promise.

We have a resurrected Christ as a reminder, not a dead body.

“If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself.”— John 14:3

Joseph’s bones were a reminder that God would bring them home. Jesus’ empty tomb is the reminder that we’re going home, too.

Don’t Let Go of What God Said

You may feel buried under bricks right now. Still in Egypt. Still in the wilderness.

But hear this: God has not forgotten you. He hears your groaning. He sees your wilderness.

And He remembers His covenant, sealed at the cross. So hold on. Carry the promise. Keep walking.

Jesus Christ will come to bring you home.

A Prayer for Today

Lord,

Even when I feel stuck in the wilderness, thank you for reminding me that You are faithful.

Help me to carry Your promise, even when it's hard to believe.

Just as You remembered Israel, you will remember me.

You will bring me home too.

I believe Your Word.

I trust Your timing.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

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