Day 350
Genesis 15:13-14; 50:24-25
"And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;
And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance." "And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel,saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up bones from hence."
When God told Abram, later called Abraham, that his descendants would serve strangers for 400 years and then leave with great substance, he believed. God told him his seed would return to the laud where he was - the Promised Laud. It is obvious that Abram believed God, because he passed the story on successfully to his descendants, and it was not forgotten. A person must be convincing to have his story repeated with no inconsistencies, for four generations. Joseph was so convinced that what Abraham said was true, he made his brothers swear that they would not leave his bones in Egypt when the promise was fulfilled. Long after Joseph was dead and the children of Israel were leaving Egypt, the story was still consistent, and Joseph's bones were carried out of Egypt and buried in the Promised Laud.
It is obvious that the patriarchs believed in the faithfulness of God. When God said something, they did not question whether or not He would do it. They passed the story on to their children, believing that if they did not see it come to pass in their lifetime, their descendants would.
If someone is not fully persuaded about something, he may or may not pass it on. If he does pass it on, it would not be passed on carefully and would possibly be lost or distorted after a while. However, if a person is convinced something will happen precisely as he has been told, he will make sure the details are understood and passed on to reliable persons who will preserve the prophecy until it is fulfilled.
Joseph was so sure that God's will was for the descendants of Abraham to inherit the promised laud, that he made provisions for his bones to be carried there, although he would be gone from the earth himself when the prophecy was fulfilled. Are we convinced to that extent of the faithfulness of God?
May the Holy Spirit illuminate my spiritual understanding about the faithfulness of God, until I convincingly declare the Word of God to everyone I have influence over. May the Word of God be so real to me that I study carefully to be sure I am passing the information on accurately.