Pharaoh was very kind and gracious to Joseph’s family. He gave them the best land in Egypt to settle in and pasture their flocks. Joseph presented five of his brothers and his father to Pharaoh, and then Jacob blessed Pharaoh. This is one of those stories in the Bible that seems like it almost has a fairy tale ending. If time had ceased to exist, it would have been just that. To see how the story continues, one would have to read Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, right on through the whole Bible. God had a chosen people back then, and He still has a chosen people today. The Bible really is a book about our own history. Hopefully this study in Genesis will inspire us to keep on reading!
The famine continued in the whole region. Grain was available because of Joseph’s management of the surplus during the years of plenty. At first people came to him with money to purchase grain. When the money was gone, Joseph told them to bring their livestock in exchange for food. As the famine continued people were forced to sell their land to Pharaoh in exchange for food. They were glad to do this because it meant the difference between life or death. Life as servants of Pharaoh was better than the other option. Priests were the only ones who did not have to sell their land, as they were given an allotment of food. Joseph gave the rest of the people seed to plant, and in exchange they were to give one-fifth of their crops to Pharaoh. They could keep the remaining four-fifths for themselves to live on. Everyone was extremely grateful to Joseph for saving their lives by devising plans that would benefit them all.
Meanwhile, down on the farm, Jacob and his clan were steadily increasing in number. The land of Goshen was filling up with Israelites. After living there for 17 years, Jacob made Joseph take an oath to bury him with his fathers in his own land, not in Egypt. Joseph solemnly swore to keep this promise to his father.
When I think of Joseph and the strong leadership he showed during the famine of his day, I am reminded of a well known Christian psychologist, author, and speaker, among other things, who is providing leadership in our day of moral famine. Dr. James Dobson has been a tremendously influential leader in family values and ethical behavior. It isn’t food that we hunger for today…it is morality, integrity, and character. Somehow I think Dr. Dobson feels the same sense of urgency that Joseph felt in serving God and people. The following quotes from Dr. Dobson could have been passed from Joseph down to him. May these thoughts influence who we are and the way we live our lives:
"....you can see that I have chosen to make you visible and influential among my people for purposes that you may not comprehend. In so doing, I am making my church vulnerable to you. You will be able to hurt and disappoint the family of believers by the things you do and say. Don’t mess it up! Bridle your tongue. Guard your behavior. Raise your ethical standard. Protect my people!" (God speaking to Dr. Dobson)
"When I reach the end of my days, a moment or two from now, I must look backward on something more meaningful than the pursuit of houses and land and stocks and bonds. I will consider my earthly existence to have been wasted unless I can recall a loving family, a consistent investment in the lives of people, and an earnest attempt to serve the God who made me. Nothing else makes much sense."
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