Joseph had predicted the seven years of famine and had prepared for them by laying up grain in the good years, but then he encountered a problem:
When the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all Egypt came to Joseph and said, “Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? Our money is all gone.” “Then bring your livestock,” said Joseph. “I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock, since your money is gone.” So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses, their sheep and goats, their cattle and donkeys.And he brought them through that year with food in exchange for all their livestock (Genesis 47:15-17).
The Egyptian government went into the grocery business and sold people the food that was in storage. When their money and livestock ran out and they had no way to pay, here is what Joseph did:
When that year was over, they came to him the following year and said, “We cannot hide from our lord the fact that since our money is gone and our livestock belongs to you, there is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land. Why should we perish before your eyes—we and our land as well? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we with our land will be in bondage to Pharaoh. Give us seed so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate.” So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. The Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields, because the famine was too severe for them. The land became Pharaoh’s, and Joseph reduced the people to servitude, from one end of Egypt to the other. . . Joseph said to the people, “Now that I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you so you can plant the ground. But when the crop comes in, give a fifth of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the fields and as food for yourselves and your households and your children.” . . . So Joseph established it as a law concerning land in Egypt—still in force today—that a fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. It was only the land of the priests that did not become Pharaoh’s (Genesis 47:18-21, 23-24, 26).
While he was careful to make Pharaoh, his boss, a lot of money, Joseph kept nothing for himself. He accepted no bribes or kickbacks. He took care of the people even though he taxed the people at a fair rate of 20%. (Some dispute that Joseph did good in this situation and feel he actually enslaved the people, enriching Pharaoh in the process. We will not debate that position here.) The people seemed grateful and declared, "'You have saved our lives,' they said. 'May we find favor in the eyes of our lord; we will be in bondage to Pharaoh'” (Genesis 47:25).
How creative are you when you face problems at work or in ministry you have never before encountered? Do you take care of the people or yourself? Do the people bless you for your role or speak ill of you? Does your presence benefit those who have employed you? Do you bring glory to God in what you and how you do it?
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