“²¹Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am dying, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers.”

– Genesis 48:21 (NKJV)

“Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am dying (a frank, unsentimental relation of fact by a man of God who has received confirmation in his spirit that his life “is drawing to even tide”), but God will be with you (a scene reminding us also of that pivotal handover of Moses to Joshua and his imploring him to be strong and courageous; for though he loses an earthly father and mentor – who, having persevered to the end, is now being taken up in glory – he gains a fuller knowledge of The One who is “an ever present help in time of need” : his Heavenly Father Who must become He upon whom he depends utterly and in all things) and bring you back to * the land of your fathers (with the promise that he, Joseph, too, will one day be taken up into glory . . . his father effectively leaves him with the full assurance of Hope for salvation unto eternity: a precious seal upon his heart, upon his arm, in a day when The Full Revelation of Our Lord Jesus Christ and our salvation in-, through- and by Him had not yet been received in all its fullness; or perhaps more fully – as seen in verse 16 – after all, than we might have previously imagined . . . ).”

* It is perhaps also worth noting at this juncture – in the beholding of the phrase “bring you back to” – the question of the existence of The Saints in eternity past, and if- , in a sense, our memories may have been voluntarily wiped for this earthly era, in order that we might re-learn obedience through that which we suffer [Hebrews 5:8], enlisted as ones who- , in His Service, seek the highest Glory for Our King through this here treacherous earthly mission.