Word of Salvation – Vol. 14 No.02 – January 1968

 

Our Goal In Life

 

Sermon by Rev. W. F. Van Brussel on Hebrews 11:22

Scripture Reading: Genesis 50:15-26

Psalter Hymnal: 203; 211:5,7; 236:1 to 4; 236:5 to 7; 452:3

 

Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ,

What is our goal in life?

This question receives an amazingly beautiful answer in this statement of the famous Chapter 11 of Hebrews, concerning Joseph: “By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites, and gave directions concerning his burial”.  This means that Joseph had been given the grace which enabled him to see what he had been living for, what he had been working for, what he had received children for, and so on….!

The stories of Joseph are familiar to any Bible-reader.  They fascinate children and young people, and they remain captivating, over the years.  And now we find that, when all the marvellous stories which we find recorded concerning Joseph in the book of Genesis, were coming to their conclusion, and when he was about to die, Joseph gave an amazing evidence of his faith which, thanks to God’s admirable faithfulness, he had not lost.  On the contrary, all that he had experienced had made him all the more convinced of what the real goal of a man’s life is.

Said he to his brothers: I am about to die.  He knew that he would soon be gone.  And as he thought of that, he appeared to have a special thought concerning his remains, his bones.

Joseph was a statesman of remarkable qualities.  He was aware that there were various possibilities in regard to his death and burial, and also with a view to his relations and the future people of Israel.

The statement of our text is very brief.  Nothing is said concerning the battle which Joseph must have gone through until he came to this decision concerning his mortal remains.

Joseph was a man of power.  In his condition and position he was entitled, no doubt, to an impressive funeral, at the expense of the Egyptian State.  He might have had a pyramid erected for himself.  Yet, it is marvellous to see how he chose to remain an Israelite with the Israelites, especially in his death.  He preferred to be a member of the chosen people of God, even after his death.

We don’t need much imagination to understand that this victory of faith did not come to Joseph of its own accord.  No person of flesh and blood ever conquers by faith, without a battle.  It was not easy for Joseph to let it all go, and to prefer a simple grave in Canaan.

This indeed was a choice of faith, in his particular conditions.  This choice had to do with what he was so privileged as to see as his goal and which should be any Christian’s aim in life and death: the Covenant of Grace and the Kingdom of God!

As a result of the remarkable course of his life Joseph had been engaged in the great affairs of the world of his day.  But amidst all such experiences he never lost sight of the main issues in this world.  And that became evident emphatically – if it had not become sufficiently plain before – at his life’s end.  It must strike us, first of all, that Joseph was the only son of Jacob whose name is mentioned in Hebrews, Chapter 11; and secondly that nothing is said of the many things that are recorded in the book of Genesis concerning him but this thing which he said when he was about to die.  Not what he had done during his lifetime, but what he expressed in his will, received a place of honour in this chapter.  For his will especially is to be seen as a document of his faith.

It would have been easy for the author of this letter to dwell on various outstanding features of Joseph’s life, for a while.  Stephen once did that, in Acts 7:9.  Much indeed could have been stated concerning his wisdom, his righteousness, his courage in endurance.  But the author, under the direction of the Holy Spirit merely mentioned this aspect: his faith regarding the future of his people, that is: God’s people.

We can imagine that, if Joseph had preferred to be buried in Egypt he would have received a great deal of honour.  His pyramid might have become a memorial and constant reminder, concerning this man who had managed to save the Egyptian nation during a period of grave danger.

And would not this also have been in the interest of Israel as a nation?  As a result Egypt would have respected the nation of Israel, all through the future years and ages.  Yes, could not Joseph have served the interests of his own people far better by means of a royal funeral in Egypt?  Even his bones might have meant a great deal for the future welfare of the Israelite nation.

Yes, we can be sure that it won’t have been easy for Joseph to take this resolution concerning his bones.  For a resolution of faith is exactly the opposite of what human pride, or the eye’s desire, or a statesman’s wisdom, would have dictated.

This means that Joseph considered God’s Word and promise more valuable than the visible facts and the logical reasoning of man.  By faith he knew and trusted that for the people of the Covenant, Canaan was the land of promise, and that from that country the salvation of the world would break forth.

Personally, Joseph had never found much pleasure or satisfaction in Canaan, during the years of his boyhood.  His ninety three years in Egypt had brought him all that a man could have longed for, as he had expressed this, e.g. in the names of his two boys.  One of them he had named Manasseh, since God had made him forget the hardships of Canaan in Egypt.  The other one he had given the name Ephraim, because the Lord had made him fruitful in the land of his affliction.

Yet he believed that Israel was not allowed to make Egypt its new homeland.  Israel would have to leave the country of Egypt again, one day.

Before he was going to die, Joseph called his brothers around his deathbed to talk to them about these things.  He said: “I am about to die”.  That is: Your protector here in Egypt who always has been caring for you and for your respective families down here, will be gone soon.  But you should not worry about this, for my high position here in Egypt can by far not be compared with what you may expect from our God Who is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  I am about to die, but God’s work will go on!

This is something for us to consider very carefully today.  This is why Joseph was a hero of faith.  Because he said: I am about to die, but God…. God will visit you, and bring you up out of this land which He swore to Abraham, and Isaac and Jacob.  (Must you not think here of the song of Zacharias, many centuries later, as he rejoiced in God Who came to visit His people?)

It is as if Joseph wanted to say: I can foresee that the times will be going to be very hard for you, for our people, after my departure; but do never forget that it is God, our God, Who is in charge of everything in the world!  We have experienced this, ourselves, haven’t we?  (Just think of vs.20 of Gen.50 in this connection: “As for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”)

It may seem, sometimes, that things develop entirely the wrong way, but trust God to look after His own affairs.  And our family, our people, are God’s own affair, in a very special and a gracious way!

The history of this world and the history of God’s people are not things made up by men, although it may seem so, time and again.  It is God Who planned everything, and it is according to that Plan that all things happen.

Joseph was so deeply convinced of these facts that he even added this command under oath, that whenever the day of exodus would come, his bones should be taken along to be buried eventually at Machpela, somewhere in the country of Canaan.

This command from his deathbed characterizes Joseph’s Christian attitude.  He spoke of the exodus long, long before it actually took place, merely because he believed that it must occur, one day, since God had said it.

It is worthwhile to have a close look at this point.  And to learn from it, how you and I are supposed to live as Christians in this world.  The exodus of Israel.  It was a strange thing to talk about, at that stage.  It did not sound reasonable at all.  Why should they ever leave this country of Egypt?  Why go back to Canaan?

Only faith could talk like that!

When Joseph spoke these words it was very unlikely that Israel ever would return to Canaan.  They were living in most comfortable conditions.  Goshen was the most beautiful and fertile part of the land of Egypt.  It was an irrigated land, and plain, a land fit for flocks, and the Israelites were shepherds!

Why should they leave?

At the time when Joseph gave this command it was exactly 144 years before the exodus, mind you.  The Israelites were not enslaved, yet.  They were well off; in the most privileged conditions.  All the conditions made it contrary to any necessity to go.

Why talk about leaving and going back to Canaan?  It is just like a successful migrant talking about going back to his original homeland.

But faith always looks beyond the natural outlook.  And Joseph believed!  Joseph realised, they were the people of God!  He knew that in the Divine purpose his people were not meant to stay in this foreign country.

We cannot say, of course, that Joseph could foresee what was going to happen to Israel in the future in Egypt.  He didn’t know that a period of slavery was waiting for them.  But he did see beyond it, and his outlook was that there must come a day of Exodus which God had promised to Abraham.

Joseph also knew that he himself wouldn’t live to see that day, but he was thoroughly aware of his relationship with his people, and he wanted his bones, at least, to go with them, whenever that day might come.

He knew he belonged among them.  He knew himself to be in this purpose of God.  In his heart the confidence was burning that, one day, God’s purpose must be fulfilled, however unreasonable it appeared at that moment.

This is faith!

Faith in the purpose of God caused him to make mention of the exodus.  He could not see anything that would lead to an expectation of the return to Canaan, at that particular stage; yet… he gave these directions concerning his mortal remains.

Somebody wrote, “Never was the greatness of Joseph’s statesmanship more adequately revealed than there when all statesmanship on the earthly level was ceasing, when he was at the end.”  Yes, here indeed faith surpassed statesman’s wisdom.

And thus Joseph’s bones became a warrant, a sign and seal, as it were of God’s faithfulness towards His people.  These bones have reminded the Israelites for years and years that, one day, God would allow their exodus to become a fact, perhaps on a day when it would seem to be most unlikely, if not impossible.

People have said: Isn’t it strange that this book of Genesis, the book of beginnings, would end with the words: “and he was put in a coffin in Egypt”?  Yes, this would have been very strange indeed, if it were not evident that this coffin of Joseph had a kind of sacramental value.  This coffin actually carried a message of life.  It even heralded a great future for God’s chosen people.  It underlined God’s promises to the patriarchs.

It spoke of the promised country, where the promised Messiah would come, where Christ would accomplish His unique work of salvation, where the Kingdom of God was going to be revealed; from where the world would be going to be conquered for God, by means of the blessed message of the cross of Calvary.

Now you remember, of course, that in verse 39 of this chapter of Hebrews it says: “And all these (among whom was this Joseph also) though well attested by their faith, did not receive what was promised….!”

That did not matter, really.  They believed, anyway, and they persevered despite all sort of difficult experiences.

You and I, however, have received what was promised, all of it!  We are so privileged as to know Christ.  We may say in personal faith that we belong to Him, that we are His own, together with many others.

Well, what is our outlook in life, today?
What goals do we have?
What did we migrate to this part of the world for?
What are we doing?
Are the fathers and mothers among us right when they look forward to the day when their children will be married, and have a pleasant home of their own, and a lovely family, and so on?  Will we be satisfied once we notice that our children feel more and more at home in Australia/New Zealand, and when we can expect that our children’s children most likely will be genuine Australians/NewZealanders?
Is that our outlook of faith?

Are we thankful, because we prosper, and found all the room we wanted for expansion and development in our vast, new land?  What is our aim?  What do we live and work for?

Are we really looking forward all the time to the great day of exodus?  And is all that we undertake meant to be directed towards that end?  What is our aim with our church-life?  With our Sunday School and Catechism instruction?  And our Youthwork?

Why do we want our children to be trained in a Christian atmosphere?  What does it mean to us that they received the sacrament of baptism?  And what does it mean to us that we receive the sacrament of the Holy Supper?

What do we hope for?  What do we live for as we bring – try to anyway – our savings to the Bank?  Why do we want to make progress in life?  Do we see our church and its future, our families and their future, and all our activities, under the light of the coming day?

The day when Christ will come and take us along to be, and to stay, with Him in the Promised Country, i.e. the new earth and the new heavens?

Do we really have in mind our final and ultimate destination?  And do we grasp what moved Joseph as he gave this command concerning his bones?

How beautiful to be able by faith to see beyond all that we have, and do, and experience in this life, and to be aware of the purpose and the power of our Almighty God and Father.

Are you in God’s purpose?

And do you love to be in it…?

Remember Joseph’s coffin in Egypt,…. and all that it means to those who truly believe in this God Who has visited and redeemed His people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David.

Blessed be this Lord God of Israel!

Amen.