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The narrative now hastens to a conclusion, but what a magnificent conclusion it is! It is not really the end. Indeed, it is another beginning, truly a new genesis. What is going to happen now that Jacob is dead? Joseph’s brothers have their ideas (v.15). They are not yet rid of their guilt (vv.16-17). Joseph is not interested in the question of culpability; for him the dream has come true. Joseph reassures his brothers (v.21). God had providentially used their evil designs to work a plan of redemption: You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good (v.20). God’s plans cannot be thwarted ultimately. His plans are for humankind’s good. Such a God is worthy of trust.
Joseph’s own commitment to the promise is beautifully portrayed in his death scene (vv.24-26). This is the articulated apex of his faith (Heb 11:22). He acknowledges God’s immortality: I am about to die. But God... affirms God’s fidelity (v.24b) and expresses the certain hope of God’s visitation (v.25). His bones symbolize his faith (v.26), and the Hebrews' care for them for four hundred years as the wish of a dying man. Through times of bondage and oppression they would be a reminder of the promise. While it was spoken of another, Heb 11:4 can readily apply to Joseph: “By faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.” His dead bones speak of a living theology and the future of the promise.