**The Final Act of Joseph: A Story of Forgiveness, Faith, and Divine Providence**
The sun hung low over the land of Egypt, casting long shadows across the fertile fields of Goshen. The air was heavy with the scent of ripe grain and the faint murmur of a grieving nation. Jacob, the patriarch of Israel, had breathed his last, and his sons stood together in solemn unity, their hearts weighed down by the loss of their father. But amidst the sorrow, a deeper tension lingered—a fear that had lain dormant for years, now resurfacing in the hearts of Joseph’s brothers.
Joseph, the second-most powerful man in Egypt, had mourned his father deeply. He had commanded the physicians to embalm Jacob, a process that took forty days, as was the custom of the Egyptians. The people of Egypt wept for Jacob for seventy days, honoring the man who had fathered the great vizier who had saved their nation from famine. When the days of mourning had passed, Joseph approached Pharaoh’s court, his face lined with grief but his demeanor resolute.
“My father made me swear an oath,” Joseph said, his voice steady but filled with emotion. “He made me promise to carry his bones out of Egypt and bury him in the land of Canaan, in the tomb of his fathers. I ask your permission to fulfill this vow.”
Pharaoh, who held Joseph in the highest regard, nodded solemnly. “Go and bury your father, as he made you swear to do.”
And so, Joseph set out with a great procession—a company of Pharaoh’s officials, the elders of Egypt, and all the household of Joseph. His brothers and their families joined him, along with chariots and horsemen, a vast and impressive caravan. They traveled to the threshing floor of Atad, near the Jordan River, where they mourned for seven days. The Canaanites, seeing the profound grief of the Egyptians, named the place Abel-mizraim, meaning “Mourning of the Egyptians.”
After the days of mourning, Joseph and his brothers carried Jacob’s body to the cave of Machpelah, the field near Mamre that Abraham had purchased as a burial site. There, they laid Jacob to rest beside his wife Leah, his parents Isaac and Rebekah, and his grandparents Abraham and Sarah. The act was solemn and sacred, a fulfillment of Jacob’s final wish and a testament to the covenant God had made with their forefathers.
When the burial was complete, Joseph and his brothers returned to Egypt. But as the dust of Canaan faded behind them, an unease settled over the hearts of Joseph’s brothers. The memory of their past betrayal gnawed at them like a festering wound. They had sold Joseph into slavery, lied to their father, and lived with the guilt for decades. Though Joseph had forgiven them and provided for them during the famine, they now feared that his forgiveness had been tied to their father’s presence. With Jacob gone, they wondered if Joseph’s kindness would turn to vengeance.
“What if Joseph holds a grudge against us?” they whispered among themselves. “What if he repays us for all the wrong we did to him?”
Trembling with fear, they sent a message to Joseph: “Before he died, your father left this instruction: ‘Say to Joseph, “Please forgive your brothers for their great sin—the wrong they did in treating you so badly.”’ Now, we beg you, forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.”
When Joseph received their message, he wept. His brothers, seeing his tears, came and fell before him, bowing low to the ground. “We are your slaves,” they said, their voices trembling.
But Joseph’s heart was not filled with anger or vengeance. Instead, it overflowed with compassion and faith. “Do not be afraid,” he said, his voice gentle yet firm. “Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good, to accomplish what is now being done—the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.”
With these words, Joseph reassured his brothers, speaking kindly to them and easing their fears. He reminded them of God’s sovereign hand, which had turned their evil into good. Though they had acted out of jealousy and malice, God had used their actions to preserve the family of Israel and fulfill His promises.
The years passed, and Joseph continued to live in Egypt, surrounded by his brothers and their families. He saw the third generation of Ephraim’s children and the children of Machir, the son of Manasseh. His life was long and blessed, a testament to God’s faithfulness.
As Joseph’s own death drew near, he gathered his brothers and their descendants. His voice, though weakened by age, carried the weight of divine assurance. “I am about to die,” he said, “but God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land He promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath: “When God comes to your aid, you must carry my bones up from this place.”
With these final words, Joseph breathed his last. He was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt, a symbol of his unwavering faith in God’s promises. Though his body remained in Egypt, his heart was anchored in the land of Canaan, the land flowing with milk and honey, the land of God’s covenant.
And so, the story of Joseph came to an end—a story of betrayal and forgiveness, of suffering and redemption, of human frailty and divine providence. Through it all, God’s hand was evident, weaving together the threads of human history to fulfill His eternal purposes. Joseph’s life was a living testimony to the truth that what man intends for evil, God can use for good, and that His promises are sure, even when the path is shrouded in darkness.
The children of Israel would carry Joseph’s bones with them when they left Egypt, just as he had asked. And in that act, they would remember the man who had saved them, the man who had forgiven them, and the God who had been faithful to them through it all.
