LastCall: Practical Wisdom -Bob Caldwell

Practical Wisdom   "So they said, 'You have saved our lives; let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants.'" -Genesis 47:25 The evidence of God's gift of wisdom in Joseph's life continues to be revealed in its benefit to people all around him. In this chapter Joseph makes it possible to provide some of the best land in Egypt for his extended families. He also selected the most capable in his family to hold key positions in managing Pharaoh's livestock. Joseph's wisdom in how he managed this famine revealed great skill in serving both the interests of Pharaoh as well as the people of Egypt. First Joseph saved the nation from starvation by his wise management of the food he stockpiled, and he stockpiled seed to replant the fields once the famine was over. Joseph also negotiated a payment of one-fifth of the future yearly harvests to be given to Pharaoh. This provided a long-term financial resource for the operation of the government under Pharaoh. The truth we discover in this account is that God is willing to give us the wisdom we need to deal with the practical financial and management concerns we all must face in life. This is true whether we are managing the needs of our family, a small business, an international corporation, or a nation. We live in a very complex time, and managing even a small amount of resources can be stressful and confusing. This is where prayer for wisdom and the providential guidance of God can help us navigate the most difficult situations this world can throw at us.
Genesis 47:1-26  1 Then Joseph went and told Pharaoh, and said, "My father and my brothers, their flocks and their herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan; and indeed they are in the land of Goshen." 2 And he took five men from among his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh. 3 Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, "What is your occupation?" And they said to Pharaoh, "Your servants are shepherds, both we and also our fathers." 4 And they said to Pharaoh, "We have come to dwell in the land, because your servants have no pasture for their flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now therefore, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen." 5 Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, "Your father and your brothers have come to you. 6 The land of Egypt is before you. Have your father and brothers dwell in the best of the land; let them dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know any competent men among them, then make them chief herdsmen over my livestock." 7 Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and set him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8 Pharaoh said to Jacob, "How old are you?"
Joseph's Family Before Pharaoh (Verses 1-12) v. 1 Told Joseph – Joseph fulfills Pharaoh's request to be informed of the family's arrival (Gen. 45: 17-20). Goshen – It's generally held that this region was in the eastern part of the Nile delta, near Tanis. v. 2 Five – It's unclear why this amount was selected, but it seems to have had some significance among the Egyptians (Gen. 43:34, 45:22). v. 5 Pharaoh Spoke – This gracious attitude reveals again how God had so marvelously given Joseph favor before this powerful ruler. v. 7 Jacob Blessed Pharaoh – In Hebrew the word for blessed is "Waybaharekh." It means to greet a person by pronouncing a blessing upon them. This is the same word used of Melchizedek when he blessed Abraham (Gen.14:19). Keep in mind that scripture states the "lesser is blessed by the greater" (Heb. 7:7). Thus even though Pharaoh was considered the greatest political leader of his time, before God Jacob was the greater because of God's call upon his life as the Father of the 12 Tribes of Israel.
9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, "The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage." 10 So Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh. 11 And Joseph situated his father and his brothers, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. 12 Then Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father's household with bread, according to the number in their families. Joseph Deals with the Famine 13 Now there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine. 14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, for the grain which they bought; and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house. 15 So when the money failed in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, "Give us bread, for why should we die in your presence? For the money has failed." 16 Then Joseph said, "Give your livestock, and I will give you bread for your livestock, if the money is gone." 17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the cattle of the herds, and for the donkeys. Thus he fed them with bread in exchange for all their livestock that year. 18 When that year had ended, they came to him the next year and said to him, "We will not hide from my lord that our money is gone; my lord also has our herds of livestock. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our lands. 19 Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants of Pharaoh; give us seed, that we may live and not die, that the land may not be desolate." 20 Then Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for every man of the Egyptians sold his field, because the famine was severe upon them. So the land became Pharaoh's. 21 And as for the people, he moved them into the cities, from one end of the borders of Egypt to the other end. 22 Only the land of the priests he did not buy; for the priests had rations allotted to them by Pharaoh, and they ate their rations which Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their lands. 23 Then Joseph said to the people, "Indeed I have bought you and your land this day for Pharaoh. Look, here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land. 24 And it shall come to pass in the harvest that you shall give one-fifth to Pharaoh. Four-fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and for your food, for those of your households and as food for your little ones." 25 So they said, "You have saved our lives; let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants." 26 And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt to this day, that Pharaoh should have one-fifth, except for the land of the priests only, which did not become Pharaoh's.
v. 9 Years of My Pilgrimage – "Meghurim" (Heb.) is translated pilgrimage and refers to a person living as a stranger, one passing through. In Hebrews 11:13- 16 this is said to portray Jacob as having his heart set on heaven rather than seeking a permanent dwelling on this earth. Few and Evil – Few in relation to his father Isaac who lived 180 years and his grandfather, Abraham, who lived 175 years (Gen. 35:28; 25:7). Evil in that he saw much of his life overshadowed by the effects of sin. This included his own sin in relation to his brother Esau (Gen. 27-29), which was done against him by his uncle Laban (Gen. 31:36-42), as well as the evil behavior of his sons (Gen. 34:25-31, 35:23). Joseph's Economic Policy (Verses 13-27) v. 13 Famine Was Very Severe – Hieroglyphics have been discovered in Egypt in recent times that record the failure of the Nile to rise for seven years, which resulted in a terrible famine. The dating of these records correspond with the dating of these events in Genesis at around 1700 B.C. v. 14 And Joseph – What follows are six different actions taken by Joseph to save the people from starvation as well as serve the interests of Pharaoh. 1.       v. 14 He made the grain he had stored over the previous seven years available for sale. 2.       v. 15-17 The purchase of grain was opened up to the trading of livestock for grain. Keep in mind this livestock would have all starved to death anyway if it had not been brought under the ownership of Pharaoh. 3.       v. 18-20 Land was able to be used as a means to purchase grain. It should be noted that this proposal was implemented at the request of the people. 4.       v. 21 The next step was to bring most of the people into the cities for a more effective distribution of the food. 5.       v. 22 The priests were allowed to maintain their possession of land. 6.       v. 23-26 The Egyptian people were given seed to plant and harvest. They were then allowed to keep 80% and pay a tax of 20% to the government. These same arrangements were still in place during the days of Moses (v. 26). This arrangement seems to have been rather gracious in light of other taxation systems. The Syrians taxed 33% of seed and 50% of produce. The Turkish and Arabian tax was around 50%.

Devotions with Emotion

Michael James Stone

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