Exodus 13:19
“And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.”
The last words of Joseph were, “And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.” (Genesis 50:25) Those bones that Moses took with him as he exited Egypt were more than a set of bones; they represented something much greater. The meaning of those bones were so great that Moses carried the bones. He didn’t have Aaron or one of the Levites take them, he took them because he was the leader. He understood the importance of what those bones meant to Israel, and he wanted to be sure that the meaning of those bones were not forgotten.
First, those bones represented that God fulfills His promises. The last words Joseph said was that God would “visit” Israel and bring them back to the Promised Land. Moses wanted the people to be reminded that God always fulfills his promise.
Every Christian needs to be sure that they keep God’s fulfilled promises in sight. It is interesting that it took four hundred years before the promise was fulfilled, but God always keeps His promise. You must always remember to look at the fulfilled promises of God so that you don’t give up when God has not yet fulfilled a promise in your life. God will fulfill His promises in his timing, and sometimes His timing is much longer than we would want. Always remember that the bones they are God’s promises fulfilled.
Second, those bones represented their heritage. Though Egypt forgot their heritage, Moses didn’t want Israel to forget theirs. He understood that if Israel was going to keep God’s blessings on their lives, then they must never forget their heritage. Likewise, you must remember the bones of your heritage. Don’t look at your heritage as a bunch of dead bones, but look at those bones and remember who you are and from whence you came.
Third, carrying those bones out of Egypt was a sign to the rest of the people that Moses was going to carry on what his forefathers passed down to him. Friend, every generation needs to pick up the bones of their heritage and carry it on. All it takes is for one generation to decide not to carry the bones, and the next generation will forget their heritage. Your children and grandchildren will only learn God’s heritage if you carry the bones. Don’t be negligent because it inconveniences you or is unpopular. Carry those bones for that is the only way the next generation will understand their heritage.
Fourth, those bones represented the responsibility of everyone carrying them. Moses wanted to be the one to carry the bones so that everyone from the top down would understand the importance. Keeping your heritage alive is everyone’s responsibility. We cannot just leave it to a few to fight to keep it alive, but every person must understand it is their responsibility to carry the bones of their heritage.
Are you carrying the bones of your heritage or have you laid them aside because they seem antiquated? Christian, we live in times when people are forsaking the bones of their heritage for something new, and it takes people like you to carry the bones. Don’t be ashamed of carrying the bones of your heritage. Carry them proudly and openly so that there is no mistake that you represent the God of Heaven and that you are not ashamed of what He has made of you.