The Charge of Joseph:
Clinging to the Promises of God
By Robert Fraser
Joseph is listed in the Hebrews 11 "hall of faith," making him a hero of faith. What mighty deeds did Joseph do that made him famous in God's eyes? What astounding works, what exploits of faith did Joseph perform in order to enter into this elite order? "By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones" (Heb. 11:22).
For years I read this seemingly bizarre scripture with only perplexity. As I was meditating on it one day, it hit me. Joseph's great-grandfather Abraham had been promised a rich land for his descendants - a land that was fully occupied by fierce inhabitants. And he had been promised that they would become a great nation, though they had entered Egypt as no more than about 75 nomadic ranchers. Yet now the promises were far off - they were in this rich, wealthy foreign land; they were multiplying and prospering; they were tasting of the "good life" as part of the greatest nation on the earth at that time. They eagerly partook of the riches, the cuisine, the art, the craftsmanship, the learning, the science, the government, the culture, and the extravagance of the Egyptian way of life - the most advanced and fabulous culture on the planet. It was clear why God has sent them here: to become strong, and to learn to build a great nation under the tutelage of the greatest nation yet perceived. But there was a problem: along with the greatness, there was sensuality and indulgence; the fabulous riches were seductive - they could forget who they were, they could forget the promises, they could forget the purpose for which they were designed; they could become comfortable and complacent; they could be assimilated. In his latter days, Joseph fell out of favor and the Jews were given hardship. This was God's mercy; they could grow strong and learn about nation building, but they would be safe from forgetting who they were.
As Joseph gave instructions for his bones, I can imagine his speech. "It is God's plan that we become a great nation in another land, as promised to our forefathers. There will be a day coming, some 350 years hence, when God will come for us to fulfill everything He has said. Until then we must make the most of this opportunity in Egypt. Though Egypt is our home today, it is not our destiny. Though we are here in Egypt, we must not become Egyptians."
"Soon I will die; and though I was great and wealthy in the house of the Pharaoh, though I have many friends here, this is not my true home. I place my bones in your care; place my bones in a box and take them with you when you leave this land. Bury them in the land God has promised. Though I will not live to personally see the day of promise, I will still participate in that great day."
By his astonishing declaration about his bones, Joseph proclaimed he lived for the promises, rather than temporal concerns; he refused to be identified with his accomplishments or the blessings on his life, but only with the promises. He proclaimed this Egypt was not his home (nor theirs), but the Promised Land was; he and they were but strangers and sojourners in the land of Egypt. His bones became a "monument of temporality" to his descendants, reminding them this life was but a warm-up for the life to come, and their promised inheritance in that other life.
Most commentators agree that Egypt is a type of the world. Joseph is a type of the marketplace Christian, anointed to govern but in a foreign country. But while he serves, his eye is on another country; he lives in awareness of the promises, and he is steadfast in making sure his legacy is in the promises; not the foreign country. The coming exodus is a type of the Second Coming of Christ, when He will confront darkness and lead his people in great power and wonders. Like Joseph, we want to be a part of this great drama, even if it's only our bones. The Promised Land is heaven. We don't want to be forgotten in Egypt, our only legacy a worldly legacy, nothing more than a passing of dust. We want our bones taken to the Promised Land, where we want our true legacy.
The Danger of Being a Marketplace Minister
We live in the wealthiest, most seductive culture ever to exist on planet earth. We face the same dangers that the Israelites faced in Egypt: we are in danger of being assimilated by the world. Every day the pleasures of life, dissipations, distractions, and desires and pursuits of other things war against our soul, seeking to undermine the promises, making them distant, seeking to make us forget who we are, and seeking to make us forget our true purpose.
Joseph's bones are a "monument of temporality" to us as well. Where do we want our bones buried? Where do we want our legacy? Do we want our legacy to be rotting trophies, bank accounts, homes, boats and automobiles, passing pleasures, and the temporary glories and praises of man, which, when the promised land is our home, will completely pass from memory, and even become an embarrassment to us? Or do we want a heavenly throng to greet us at the gate, our Father to praise and affirm us, and Jesus to receive the full praise and glory for a life that only tried to love Him well?
We are instructed and commanded to live as "strangers" on earth in our earthly journey. "Strangers" meant those who lived among others but were not one of them; foreigners, sojourners, those just passing through:
"Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God" (1 Pet. 1:17-21).
"All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth" (Heb. 11:13).
We are to treat our earthly journey as those simply passing through; those who are in and amongst, but not of the world; those who are fully here, but who have a different inheritance, a different people, and a different land. Like ambassadors in a foreign land, we do not seek our reward in the land of our service, but in our homeland, and only in the eyes of our King. To seek our reward in the land of our service would be a betrayal of our King, because it is Him we are to be serving and representing. We know our service is short, and we must faithfully discharge the trust He has placed in us, representing Him and His wishes as much as we are able, not our own, until we return home.
The Purpose of the Wilderness
Many saints have experienced severe seasons of "wilderness" - seasons marked by hardship, trial, and testing. Through these seasons, many express hurt and frustration, not understanding the purposes of God in such seasons. But the scriptures clearly lay out God's intentions in Deuteronomy 8:11-18.
God takes us through the wilderness to "do good to us in the end." His goals are (1) to keep riches, comfort and ease from becoming pride; (2) to humble us, so that we are unable to trust in the strength, wisdom and will of man; and (3) to understand that God alone is our source and supply. These three truths God is committed to driving deep into our souls, so much so that He is even willing to cause us temporary pain and hardship. But to God, who sees the end from the beginning, it is a price worth the result.
John Wesley was a classical scholar; he had a love of books and learning; he also had a passion for art, especially music and architecture. Yet he spent his life in the saddle, and a strenuous life. Visiting the beautiful grounds of an English nobleman, he said, "I too have a relish for these things; but there is another world."
Bob Fraser serves as a senior leader at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City and is the director of the Joseph Company. The Joseph Company is a ministry of IHOP dedicated to gathering and raising up marketplace ministers with a prophetic vision for funding the work of the Kingdom. Bob's new book, Marketplace Christianity, is available from the Forerunner Bookstore. For more information about the Joseph Company, please visit www.josephcompany.org.