Hope for Imperfect Families From the Story of Josephნიმუში

Day 5: Ending at the Beginning

Scripture tells us that Joseph’s story—and his family- never got uncomplicated. It all matters. When you get a chance, fill in the gaps by reading Genesis 38–49. For now, we will focus on what we can learn from the final chapter.

Read Genesis 50:22–26.

Joseph’s request doesn’t reveal any strange superstition that he believed the location of his bones mattered after his death. He hadn’t adopted the pagan beliefs of his Egyptian neighbors regarding the afterlife. This request was, in many ways, the final sermon of Joseph’s life.

To understand why, we must keep Joseph’s family line in mind. Abraham was Joseph’s great-grandfather. Read Genesis 12:1–3. What did God promise Abraham?

God kept His promise. God always keeps His promise. Even though he’d seen his dad take his last breath in Egypt, just as he was about to do, Joseph’s faith in God did not waver. In every season of his life, even as he lay on his deathbed in foreign territory, Joseph saw that he was safe and secure in the palm of God’s hand.

Consider Romans 8:37–39. Did any of Joseph’s trials separate him from God’s love?

Joseph trusted the love and faithfulness of God through the many highs and lows of his life. He also trusted that God was going to keep the promise He made to bring nations and kings from his family, despite their deep dysfunction.

Hebrews 11:22 lists two things as evidence of Joseph’s faith. What were they?

Joseph didn’t need his bones where he was going, but he did need the God of his forefathers. Even with his final breaths, he proclaimed that his faith was in Yahweh.

If I were writing Joseph’s story, I’d put Exodus 13:19 on the final page. Read that verse now.

Finally, after so much turmoil, Joseph got to go home.

I think we love the story of Joseph so much because we identify with it. We know what it’s like to:

·Have families fractured by sin

·Be betrayed by the ones who share our last name

·Be pulled from one pit only to be thrown into another

·To be separated from the ones we love

·To long for the redemption of all that is broken and fractured in our families and our world

We also know what it’s like to have a God who keeps His promise that He has so much more in store.

·Your family may remain fractured in this life . . .

·Your prodigal children may not return to God in your time frame . . .

·Patterns of sin that have gripped your family may continue to wreak havoc for a while . . .

But because God is faithful, soon enough, you’ll go home to be part of the family of God forever. Joseph’s story didn’t end in death. Because of Jesus, your story—and your family’s story—won’t either.

Is your family story in need of redemption? Find hope and healing with The Story of Joseph: How God Can Redeem Imperfect Families 8-week Bible Study by Erin Davis.