If You Had Been Joseph In Egypt …
Would YOU have done ANYTHING differently?
Exodus 47
18 When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands:
19 Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate.
20 And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh's.
21 And as for the people, he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof.
22 Only the land of the priests bought he not; for the priests had a portion assigned them of Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them: wherefore they sold not their lands.
23 Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land.
24 And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones.
25 And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace 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 UNTO THIS DAY, that Pharaoh should have the fifth part, except the land of the priests only, which became not Pharaoh's.
I wonder:
*Would we think differently if anyone other than Joseph orchestrated and implemented all of this?
*Would we think differently if this was happening to YOU and ME now, in real time?
*Maybe??
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I must admit, the story of Joseph brings to my mind a lot of questions for which I’m not sure I have many answers. I must also admit that I LOVE these sort of mental conundrums. They make me think.
Part of my intrigue with the Bible is that it will leave loose ends in the narrative. Well, at least, loose ends in my fertile mind.
When I read the Bible I take it very personally. That is, I put myself right in the middle of the narrative like it’s me and I’m there.
For example. When reading the Sermon on the Mount, I imagine I’m in the crowd hearing it all for the first time. And then, I try to imagine what my reactions and responses would have been as His wonderful words flooded into my ears right down into my heart.
But at other times … it’s a little more challenging for me.
Like, for example, the story of Joseph.
When I think about what I would have done in Joseph’s place, I’m not sure I’m sure that I’m sure I know what I would have done. I know that sentence is confusing but that’s just it … it stirs up uncertainty within me. It opens up an avenue for me to be stretched, pulled and dissected in ways I need. I appreciate that.
Why?
Because the things in the Bible aren’t just random wonderful fun facts to read and do nothing with. The Bible was written for every generation of God’s people, for all times, to help them know how to live in their own particular time period. Otherwise, the Bible is basically irrelevant for successive generations not living in the times and cultures presented in the Bible.
Now …
I realize much of this might not interest some of you. I understand that. But for those that have minds like mine and enjoy reading the Bible like it’s a hunt to find what’s buried just beneath the surface … I write for you.
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The story of Joseph
This narrative causes my inquisitive mind to focus upon a couple of elements that necessitate investigative pondering: Joseph’s Dream and Joseph’s Progression.
*Joseph’s Dream.
**Does the dream indicate the inevitability that, at some point in the future, the family will submit themselves to Joseph?
And if so, what does that imply … ?
**Is there anything anybody can, or should, do about it? Is there flexibility of choice pertaining to the eventual outcome?
*Joseph’s Progression. Were there moments at anytime when Joseph could have or should have —
**Made different choices,
**Taken different actions,
**Said “No” to Pharaoh?
In other words, did Joseph have to follow the path Pharaoh laid out for him? Meaning: Could he have said ‘No’? Did he have a choice? Would he have hindered God’s final outcome if, for conscience sake, he respectfully refused Pharaoh’s appointment?
To make it more personal and practical for us —
*What would you have done in his place? What would I have done in his place??
*Does every “open door” mean we’re supposed to walk through it? Or, are doors ever deliberately opened that we should say ‘No’ to?
*Does any of this even matter to us right now, in the times in which we live? I think it does.
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Question: How are we to decide difficult social and moral questions in the times in which we live?
*Do we wet our finger and hold it in the air to see which way the winds of opinion are blowing?
*Do we take a poll of our fellow believers to see what they would do, and then decide?
*Do we decide for ourselves what we should do, or not do, even if fellow believers (or the world) think otherwise?
These are questions our times are motivating us to personally grapple with now.
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For me personally —
Joseph’s Dream and Progression contain key elements for learning how to formulate my thoughts and develop my responsive actions in case “The Powers That Be” (in America or otherwise) start enforcing directives and objectives hitherto unwarranted. I want a contingency plan in place that will help me when deciding …
*Do I/should I/am I to blindly submit and do as I’m told when I believe it to be contrary to God’s Word, my conscience or … both?
or
*Do I/should I/am I to look to the life-guiding directives in God’s Word and follow ONLY that? I think I should.
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Admittedly, I don’t have all the answers. I’m still trying to formulate the questions.
But …
I’ve learned in order to have answers I must ask questions, hard questions, as I ponder and meditate upon the Word of God in search of wisdom and instruction.
Reading about Joseph over the years has, perhaps more than anything else, motivated me to ask probing and penetrating questions of myself. In the process, it has given me a platform from which to build strength of character for tough life decisions now and, hopefully, for the future days ahead.
So in closing, I return to the question I started with —
If You Had Been Joseph In Egypt …
Would YOU have done ANYTHING differently?
Remember, you would’t have known “The Rest Of The Story” like you do now.