THE GIFT OF EVERYTHING

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In Christ, Mark

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

"There was no food, however, in the whole region because the famine was severe; both Egypt and Canaan wasted away because of the famine. Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan in payment for the grain they were buying, and he brought it to Pharaoh's palace.

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 used up."

"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.

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. However, he did not buy the land of the priests, because they received a regular allotment from Pharaoh and had food enough from the allotment Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land.

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."

"You have saved our lives," they said. "May we find favor in the eyes of our lord; we will be in bondage to Pharaoh." 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.

Now the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and were fruitful and increased greatly in number.

Genesis 47:13-27

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

The seven year famine raged on. And although there was plenty of food to feed everyone because of the plan God has given Joseph in Egypt, a problem arose. For people started to run out of money to pay for the food. The people brought the problem before Joseph saying, ""Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? Our money is used up" and we find Joseph responding, telling them to "bring your livestock…I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock, since your money is gone." And so the people did as Joseph requested, bringing Joseph their livestock and receiving food in exchange. We read in scripture that this went on for a year.

Soon another problem came up.

The people had exhausted their supply of livestock and were once again in a place where they could not pay for their food. So they came to Joseph with a request saying, ""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."

We see where Joseph accepts their proposal and buys "all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh.” All the Egyptians “sold their fields, because the famine was too severe for them” and the “land became Pharaoh's.” Joseph then “reduced the people to servitude, from one end of Egypt to the other." Note that although Joseph brought the people into bondage, he did not force them to leave their homes. Rather, he allowed them to stay where they were, work their land, and gave them seed to grow new crops. His only requirement was that a fifth of the crop go to Pharoah. The 20 percent asking fee was well below the average as most rulers demanded 40 percent or greater from their people.

So while allowing people to become servants and taking ownership of their land seems harsh in our present day terms, it really wasn’t as harsh as it seems in the days of Genesis. For then, it wasn’t unusual for the people to live in servitude to a ruler. In fact, the Egyptian people were already servants of Pharoah anyways and their land could be taken by him anytime if he decided to take it.

Thus, what happened was actually an act of mercy by Joseph. Many rulers of the time may have let their people starve to death but he was willing to make a way so everyone could eat while Pharoah’s kingdom still thrived. It was a win-win situation and the people came to learn that in life sometimes we have to be willing to give everything in order to survive.

This whole account got me thinking about myself and us as well. We go through each day looking to be provided for. We have our desires and dreams but in the end, we just wish to have a roof over our head and food on the table. Like in Egypt over 2,000 years ago, we face our own personal famines, times in life when things aren’t going so well, times when we wonder if we’re going to have enough to survive from one month to the next and sometimes from one day to the next. We find ourselves crying out like the Egyptians for help, willing to sacrifice whatever is necessary to make it through the times we’re going through. And as we cry out, we can always count on God being there for us like Joseph was for the Egyptians, ready to help us but not giving us everything freely. For like Joseph, God expects that we give Him everything we have, our possessions and ourselves.

Now go with me to Bethlehem and a lowly manger where a young couple named Joseph and Mary bring a young baby boy into the world, the baby Jesus, God’s only Son who came as the Messiah, the Savior of the world. Seeing a world that was starving from sin, a spiritual famine that would choke the very life out of man on the way to destruction, God chose to give up everything He had including His one and only Son Jesus so that all of mankind, so that you and I, could be saved.

As you await the coming of the Savior, Jesus the Christ, this Advent season, won’t you come to the manger in Bethlehem bearing your own personal gift, the gift of yourself?

Won’t you be willing to give yourself for Him just as He later in life gave Himself for you?

Won’t you invite Jesus into your heart this Christmas and embrace Him as the greatest gift ever given, God’s gift of His everything for everyone?

Amen.

In Christ,
Mark
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