2. NO MAN IS INDISPENSABLE TO GOD'S PLAN.
Joseph was valuable to God as a servant, but he was not indispensable. No one is indispensable or else God wouldn't let that person die (or leave this realm)! But, as we've already seen--all humans die eventually. Some people seem to act as if God couldn't make it without them, but that is simply not the case. As God said in Psalm 50:12 - "If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world is Mine, and all its fullness." God does not need us. He created everything, including us. He can take care of Himself without us!
Moses was an outstanding servant of God, but he eventually died and was replaced by Joshua. In other words, as valuable as he was, he also wasn't indispensable. Joshua 1:1,2 - "After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, saying: 'Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them - the children of Israel.'" David was an outstanding king of God's people, but he died and was replaced by Solomon; he was not indispensable either (cf. I Kings 2:10-12).
There has only been one man who has ever walked on this Earth that has been indispensable in God's plan--Jesus the Christ! Acts 4:12 plainly declares - "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." God desires that man be saved, and the only way for it to happen was for Jesus to live sinlessly and die for the iniquities of the world. Jesus did that; He could not be replaced by anyone else! He was vital to God's plan, but we are not! The will of God will be accomplished whether we are here or not or whether we support it or not! After Joseph died, God's plan continued unfolding for the nation of Israel. God's plan did not die with Joseph or with the decomposing of his flesh.
Today, salvation is only possible through Jesus, and believing in Him is a requirement - "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins" (John 8:24). No one can be saved without faith in Jesus. No one can come to the Father except through Jesus. He is indispensable, but we aren't. As He said in John 14:6 - "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
We will consider another truth we can learn from the bones of Joseph in our next lesson.