Joseph, among all biblical figures, stands out for his exemplary life, marked by honesty, integrity, faithfulness, patience, grace, restraint, and wisdom over his 110 years. Despite enduring undeserved slights, wrongs, and assaults, particularly in his youth when circumstances were beyond his control, he bore them without complaint or bitterness. Yet, out of his many remarkable experiences, God highlights a singular act of faith at the very end of his life as the pinnacle of his trust in God's promises. This final act, emphasized in Hebrews 11, centers on Joseph's mention of the departing of the children of Israel from Egypt and his commandment concerning his bones. At the time of his death, Joseph, still held in high honor, recalled God's promise that his extended family would one day leave Egypt, despite their current favorable position. He rejected the grandeur of an Egyptian burial, which his status might have warranted, and instead instructed that his remains be removed rather than glorified, reflecting his faith over material legacy. This faith stemmed from the words of God relayed to him through his father, Jacob, or grandfather, Isaac, concerning the promises made to Abraham. Joseph believed that God would judge the strangers whom his descendants would serve, bring them out of that foreign land, and lead them into the Promised Land. These inherited promises formed the foundation of his trust and confidence that God would visit the children of Israel and guide them to their ancestral lands.

The pinnacle of Joseph's faith, as recorded in Hebrews 11:22, was his confidence in the promises passed down from Abraham regarding the children of Israel's return to the Promised Land. Joseph commanded that his bones be carried back to the land by the Israelites, reflecting not mere sentiment but a deep belief in God's assurance. As he lay dying, Jacob was confident that God would bring Joseph specifically back to the land of his fathers, promising him a double portion. Though Joseph lived and died in Egypt without receiving his inheritance, his faith remained steadfast, as Hebrews 11:39 notes that he obtained a good testimony through faith but did not receive the promise. When Joseph gave the command regarding his bones, he was contemplating the resurrection, a concept significant in its novelty at that time. Likely influenced by Abraham's faith, who believed God would resurrect Isaac to fulfill His promises, Joseph reasoned that for him to inherit the double portion, he too would be resurrected. Thus, he wanted his bones returned to the land of his fathers, so that when God resurrects him, he would already be there. Hundreds of years later, Moses took charge of Joseph's bones, aware of the solemn oath binding the Israelites to carry them when God visited them. The bones were carried out of Egypt during the Exodus, through the Red Sea, and for forty years in the wilderness, with Joshua later protecting them across the Jordan until they were finally buried at Shechem after Joshua's death. Intertwined with this oath was Joseph's faith in prophesying Israel's deliverance from captivity and his absolute assurance in the resurrection that would bring him back to life in the land of his fathers. Joseph's faith did not die with him; it was carried with Israel through the wilderness and the conquest and settlement of the Promised Land. His coffin served as a testimony to all who remembered the story that God is absolutely dependable in carrying out His promises and that death is not the end. God ensured that Joseph's faith was recounted for generations as the Israelites transported his coffin everywhere they wandered. The resurrection, central to the gospel, was symbolized by Joseph's coffin, possibly serving as a major part of the preaching to them. Despite enduring tumultuous years in his youth, Joseph's deathbed instructions, given without duress, signified a higher level of faith. He chose to demonstrate his trust in what God had said to his ancestors by instructing the children of Israel to carry his bones back to Canaan. Confident that he would live again, Joseph trusted, as Abraham had, that God was able to raise him up to fulfill the promises, a faith highlighted by God in Hebrews 11.