I think it's appropriate that Genesis ends with Joseph's death and the oath made to carry his bones to the Promised Land. Joseph, he was a far-seeing guy. His passing is an excellent transition from the time when he held preeminence and established a place within Egypt to the time when no one really remembered him or what he did for Egypt (or maybe, didn't care) and how the Egyptians then turned on the Israelites. Out of fear, out of jealousy, they enslaved a nation living within their borders. And God, looking out for His people and His promises, raises up this guy: Moses. Moses, who was born and lived when he shouldn't have. Who was put into a reed basic and sent down the Nile (apparently among any of the seven cataracts that dotted the Nile, thankfully). Who is raised to straddle the line between Egyptian and Hebrew and will eventually lead his people out of slavery and towards the Promised Land. And Joseph saw it coming. He saw it well enough that he made the descendants of Israel swear they would carry his bones out of Egypt and into the Promised Land to be buried. They took that oath seriously enough that they embalmed him and entombed him for later recovery. Dates for the Exodus vary, but it is believed that something like 400 years existed between the end of Genesis and Exodus (though I am still fact checking. I'll update the post if I find I'm mistaken). For 400 years (at least), the Israelites remembered that promise and kept true to it and to Joseph. That's amazing. If only they had kept true to their promises to God! The story of Israel may have been something else entirely.
Tomorrow's Reading: Exodus 2:11-3:22 (Exodus, yeah, baby!)
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