When Joseph was dying he asked that his bones be carried to the Promised Land (Gen. 50:25). Hundreds of years passed while the children of Israel remained in Egypt; then at the time of the exodus out of Egypt Moses took the bones with him (Ex. 13:19). Forty years later, when their wilderness journey had ended, we read, “The bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel had brought up out of Egypt, they buried at Shechem.” God always takes the long view, and He is patient in the fulfillment of His counsels.

Nothing is revealed as to how this precious cargo was stored during the wilderness journey. God does not always tell us everything, only what we need to know. It is certain that Moses passed the bones of Joseph to Joshua in order to complete the mission and thus fulfill the oath made to Joseph so long before.

Finally Joseph’s wish was fulfilled. His desire concerning his bones may seem a bit strange to us, but it was important for faithful, godly Israelites to be buried in the land of their fathers. The bones of Joseph were a testimony to the children of Israel as they journeyed through the wilderness for forty years. They were a reminder that Joseph had died, yet his bones were also a surety of God’s promise to bring them into the land.

In like manner for us, the simple emblems of the Lord’s Supper look back as a memorial of His death but also look forward to the sure hope of heaven which lays before us, for we are to do this “till He comes” (1 Cor. 11:26).