24 And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” 25 Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” 26 So Joseph died, being 110 years old. They embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt. (Genesis 50)
This final chapter of Genesis begins with the death and burial of Jacob, the one God renamed Israel. In keeping with his father's wishes, Joseph had made sure Jacob was buried in the land of promise. As he prepares for his own departure, he asks his brothers to take his remans there as well, but not just yet. His body was to be a reminder of the hope that they had. Joseph had literally "lived out his dreams" in his lifetime, but there was still a dream he had that was bigger than he was: being together with family in the promised land. As we look at life, and death, may we, like Joseph, dream big dreams, live them out, all the while obeying God, hoping and trusting in him for the bigger dream for our bones: the Resurrection hope found in Christ.
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