Joseph – Hero of Faith

Genesis 50:15-25

After Jacob died, Joseph’s brothers were worried. They were afraid that he would still be mad at them for what they had done years before. They said, “Maybe Joseph still hates us for what we did.” So the brothers sent this message to him: “Before your father died, he told us to give you a message. He said, ‘Tell Joseph that I beg him to please forgive his brothers for the bad things they did to him.’ So now we beg you, please forgive us for the bad things we did to you. We are the servants of God, the God of your father.”

That message made Joseph very sad, and he cried. His brothers went to him and bowed down in front of him. They said, “We will be your servants.”

Then he said to them, “Don’t be afraid. I am not God! I have no right to punish you. It is true that you planned to do something bad to me. But really, God was planning good things. God’s plan was to use me to save the lives of many people. And that is what happened. So don’t be afraid. I will take care of you and your children.” And so he said kind things to his brothers, and this made them feel better.

Joseph continued to live in Egypt with his father’s family. He died when he was 110 years old. During his life, Ephraim had children and grandchildren. And his son Manasseh had a son named Makir. Joseph lived to see Makir’s children.

When Joseph was near death, he said to his brothers, “My time to die is almost here. But I know that God will take care of you and lead you out of this country. God will lead you to the land he promised to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

Then he asked his people to make a promise. He said, “Promise me that you will carry my bones with you when God leads you out of Egypt.”