Exodus 13:19, “And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had placed the children of Israel under solemn oath, saying, God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here with you.”

When God used Moses to lead the people out of Egypt, a promise was kept when they took Joseph’s bones with them to be buried in the Promised Land. Have you ever stopped to wonder whose job it was to carry those bones for over 40 years? Actually, it was more than 40 years. Joseph is not buried until the next-to-last verse in the Book of Joshua. The trip to the Promised Land had been completed. The land had been conquered and divided among the tribes. Joshua has died, and then the bones of Joseph were buried. We all know the names of Moses, Aaron, Miriam, and Joshua, and yet whoever these unnamed people were, they helped to fulfill an important promise. Joseph’s bones were buried. (Joshua 24:32)

Bone carriers are the people who do the unglamorous work that helps hold things together. They are the people who do the job that often gets overlooked. God’s kingdom needs all kinds of people with a variety of gifts. I’m grateful for the carriers of Joseph’s bones, and I’m grateful for the bone carriers that I’ve known through the years. Without them, a lot of what has been done would not have been accomplished.