24“Soon I will die,” Joseph told his brothers, “but God will surely come to help you and lead you out of this land of Egypt. He will bring you back to the land he solemnly promised to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”25Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath, and he said, “When God comes to help you and lead you back, you must take my bones with you.” Genesis 50:24-25 NLT
Joseph’s words to his brothers and family as he is dying are very powerful, however they are not relevant at the moment that he was speaking to them. God has saved Israel’s (Jacob) family AND the Egyptians from the famine through the acts of Joseph, though none of them can predict what lies ahead for them. At the time that Joseph saves Egypt, and his family arrives in the country, the Egyptians already have a dislike for the Israelites because they are shepherds. Joseph even tells his family to inform Pharaoh that they are shepherds so that they can stay in Goshen, which is a fertile area and take care of Pharaoh’s livestock (Genesis 47). The Egyptians looked down on the Israelites from the start, and obviously this dislike only increased over the years as God continued to show favor on them in a foreign land among people who thought less of them. God constantly provided for and prospered his people, even as they’re oppressors increased their hate towards them, physical attacks, prejudiced business and social practices, and condemnation. I like these verses because it shows that God has a solution to a problem before the problem even occurs. Before the famine he allowed Joseph to be sold into slavery in Egypt (Genesis 37), manage Potiphar’s house (Genesis 39), manage a jail that he was imprisoned in (Genesis 40), and stand before Pharaoh and run the country (Genesis 41-47). God had a plan to save his people AND those who oppressed them before anyone realized what was going on. I believe that Joseph as a result of being a “dreamer” had divine insight into God’s plan, and knew that in spite of their current lowly status in Egypt, and the future troubles that lay ahead, God would deliver his people from their troubles in the Egypt. For those of you feeling the oppression, and may feel that things won’t ever change as there seems to be a never-ending story of killings, discrimination, lack of resources, exploitation, etc, I want to tell you that a solution for our deliverance was completed before the problem started. Jesus has already been resurrected and placed at the right hand of God, so we don’t need another Messiah/savior, great leaders in the form of Nat Turner, Harriet Tubman Frederick Douglass, Booker T Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois, Sojourner Truth, Malcolm & Martin, Marcus Garvey, Elijah Muhammad, Louis Farrakhan, Kwame Toure, John Cone, Medgar Evers, etc have already come and given a piece of the plan that can lead us to greater freedom in our current situation. What I’m saying is; that like Joseph gave this final message to his family, we have already received various messages and guidance that we are a chosen people, we will be saved, but we must be faithful/obedient to work/manage the plan that God has already given us. The current difficulties and problems that we are facing aren’t the first, and they won’t be the last issues we face in this country or world, yet if we continue to build our ethnic/race unity, educate ourselves and our people, and trust God, we will experience our heaven on earth which is his will and plan being fulfilled in and through us.
“Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds!”
marcus Garvey
Reflection Time
Do you believe that God cares about injustice? Do you believe that faith, or God has a role in civil rights/liberties? Do you believe that we as black people/African descent worldwide will achieve and realize our rights and heaven on earth?
