In the Torah portion of בְּשַׁלַּח/Beshalach, “when he sent,” before Israel marched out amidst the cries of Egypt, before the Lord led Israel as the “pillar of cloud by day” and the “pillar of fire by night,” before Israel crossed the Red Sea, before the triumphant Song of Moses, before the bitter waters were made sweet, before manna rained down from heaven and water was provided from the Rock, before all of the supernatural provision, the Torah records a seemingly incidental detail.

וַיִּקַּח מֹשֶׁה אֶת־עַצְמוֹת יוֹסֵף עִמּוֹ כִּי הַשְׁבֵּעַהִ שְׁבִּיעַ אֶת־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

לֵאמֹר פָּקֹד יִפְקֹד אֱלֹהִיםאֶתְכֶם וְהַעֲלִיתֶם אֶת־עַצְמֹתַי מִזֶּה אִתְּכֶם

“Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Josephhad made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here” (Ex. 13:19).

Imagine the chaos of that evening. Egypt has been through a long season of plagues. Then, on the evening of the Passover, after the plague of the firstborn, with the cacophony of screams emanating from homes across Egypt, as Israel begins to gather to march out, one man is heading in a different direction. Who is it?

Moses, the leader of Israel is turning back to the heart of the Egyptian society in order to fulfill a vow. He is going to lift the bones of Joseph. Moses, who should be at the front leading, turns back in order to fulfill the vow made to Joseph, that: “when the Lord, פָּקֹד יִפְקֹד, surely attends to you, you will not forget me and leave me here.”

Why? Joseph spoke hope to Israel. When a latter Pharaoh forgot and did not know Joseph (Ex. 1:8), plunging them into a season of death and bondage, the bones of Joseph, even before the generation facing that horror was born, were set as a future hope for Israel. His bones represented the future promise that the Lord would “attend to you.” He would fulfill His promise to Abraham His friend (Gen. 15:14).

Moses, the leader of Israel, gathered the people for exodus, and then, from the front, he went back and took a yet future hope with them. As the Israelites carried their possessions and matzah (unleavened bread), Moses carried Joseph as well. Why? Joseph represented the hope of return. Still, it would not be Moses who brought Joseph’s bones into the Promised Land fulfilling the promise, but Joshua and the second generation from the exodus: “As for the bones of Joseph, which the people of Israel brought up from Egypt, they buried them at Shechem, in the piece of land that Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of money. It became an inheritance of the descendants of Joseph” (Josh. 24:32).

Joseph, by faith (Heb. 11:22), blessed Israel to know that God would attend to them, and deliver them out of Egypt, and he spoke of his own return and rest in the land of his birth, the Promised Land, in Israel’s hope. Joseph leaned on the promised exodus, therefore a future hope; and he spoke that hope to the seed of Abraham (Gal. 3:29) as well. Moses, by fulfilling the vow to Joseph, carried hope out with Israel into their unknown. Even during those forty years in the wilderness, hope remained in the camp of Israel, not only by God’s presence, but also in the presence of Joseph’s hope represented by his bones.

How does this connect with you today?

I often remind the congregation I lead to look to the left, to the right, to the front and to the back of the sanctuary. Why? Evidence of the resurrection, and the evidence of the future hope. Paul tells us, “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guaranteeof our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory” (Eph. 1:13-14).

Brothers and sisters in Messiah are living evidence of His promise, His present and future promise, wrapped up in the person of Messiah Yeshua/Jesus (1 Cor. 1:20) to each other. In this hope, even as it was operative in the exodus generation, we find hope and healing as we prepare to march forward toward His coming. He is the “hope of glory” in us (Col. 1:27); and in that hope we find the future hope and future blessing that He has prepared, is preparing, and presently is providing.

Moses turned to the past vow in Joseph, picked up the dry bones of that vow and brought them to life in the generation that walked out on that night. Before the mighty miracles, the promise made to Joseph had to be remembered and honored. As we tend to each other, just as the Lord tends to us, we revive and rekindle His future hope and future promise in those wrestling in this present age. The Lord would supernaturally provide His presence and light, the way when the way was closed, joy in the midst of trial, the sweet from the bitter, the bread from heaven and water from the rock, but the reminder of His Word and Promise strengthens us to follow and receive in hope.

You, dear reader, are not dry bones. You are a living “Joseph,” a living reminder of the faithfulness of God, and unto Him, the faithfulness of His people revealed for a very real and present hope in Christ.

Be well. Shalom.