Joseph’s economic planning
Joseph grew up counting nothing more complicated than sheep. He rose from slavery to be the second most powerful man in Egypt.
Joseph is given knowledge by God of a coming crop failure. With Gods inspiration and blessing he works through the situation for the benefit of all. But there are consequences of his actions, for the Egyptians and for his own descendants.
Economic planning
🔹He organizes a one-fifth levy on the Egyptians’ harvests and has the grain deposited in stores, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine (Gen 41:34-36).
🔹The 20 percent tax is something new to the Egyptians – not welcome. But they give because they have grain to spare. However, the grain is not given free to them during the years of famine. The Egyptians buy their own confiscated grain with their savings, thereby paying twice (Gen 41:55-56).
🔹Joseph stores up all the money / silver in Pharaoh’s palace that was found in Egypt and Canaan. (Gen 47:13-15). He did not re-circulate the money into the Egyptian economy. There was a sharp reduction in the money supply and in the velocity of money.
🔹Instead of using the strategy of borrowing and investing money, Joseph does the opposite. The Egyptians, sell their livestock, their land and ultimately themselves to pay for food. They are willing slaves (Gen 47:19). Joseph takes possession of everything aside from the priest’s land. Gen 47:21 states that he moved the people into cities, displacing them from their homes, to work the land on Pharaoh’s behalf, and continuing to pay him 20 percent of the harvest
🔹There are two ways to conquer and enslave a country. One is by the sword. The other is by debt. 400 years later the Egyptians were still farming the land their ancestors had sold to Pharaoh and paying him 20 percent of their harvests (Gen 47:26).
🔹Joseph enslaves the Egyptians. Some years later, a new Pharaoh enslaves the free Israelites (Ex 1) and they are treated more harshly than the Egyptians.
Gods’ Role. Where was God in this?
1.God foretold the Israelites’ enslavement to Abraham in Gen 15:13.
2.God’s revealed strategy for the Egyptian economy was a judgment on the nation and not a blessing.
3. The enslavement of a nation cannot possibly be taken as something good. It's hard to understand Josephs’ behavior, but this is God's overall plan. Joseph’s management of the economy and centralization paved the way for the Exodus, 400 years later.
4. Joseph acts in an extremely shrewd way, but he does so with God’s blessings.
5. Reference to 'God being with him' tells us the fact that God was working His purposes out, which continue to this day. This is a testimony to God's love, which involves God’s patience, human being involved and individual talent, all part of His remarkable redemptive plan for mankind.
What are the warnings for us from Josephs’ story, and what can we learn from this about our own response to personal / national debt and financial crisis?
What does the scriptures from Jacob through to the Exodus, teach us about God’s sovereignty ?
No comments:
Post a Comment