More Than Enough: Genesis 47:13-26
When we fail to be content and realize we have enough, we are in danger of becoming an oppressor instead of the hands and feet of God. We are to be a blessing to those around us, not an overlord. When God gave us dominion, it was a call to service, not supremacy.
The famine continued. People continued to come to purchase food until their money was gone. The famine still wasn’t over, so the people sold their livestock to Pharoah in exchange for food. When the famine still didn’t end, Joseph exchanges food for the land and for the indentured servitude of the people.
By this point, Pharoah (and by proxy, Joseph) owned everything. Pharoah owned all the money, all the animals, all the grain, and all the people. They owned so much of everything when the famine lifted and people planted again, they got their seed from Joseph. Since everything belonged to Pharoah, a system was arranged where the people could work the land, but they had to give a fifth of everything back to Pharoah.
Joseph did well planning for the famine. He responded to God’s call and planned a way for the people to survive. That plan elevated his position in Egypt and ultimately saved his family. The role he played is to his credit.
At this point, however, I believe Joseph goes too far. He takes advantage of the situation. It is one thing to benefit from planning; it is another thing to forcibly bring an entire economy to its knees because you control the only resource. I don’t mind when people have great ideas and benefit from them, but benefitting from the dire circumstances of others is not how God calls us to act.
These verses articulate Joseph’s ability to take an entire population and place them in indentured servitude. He – with Pharoah – is responsible for taking free people and placing them in bondage. The argument may be made the people agree to his terms, but Joseph held all the power. If the people did not capitulate to his terms, they starved and died. They had no choice.
God called Joseph to save the people from famine. God did not call Joseph to enslave a population. Joseph fails to acknowledge when he – alongside Pharoah – has enough. Joseph fails to be satisfied. Joseph fails to be generous. Joseph takes the position God placed him in, prospers from it, and uses it to lower the social standing of everyone around him.
God blessed us richly. He’s given us a beautiful creation to explore and enjoy. Yet, we frequently fall into the same trap as Joseph. We fail to recognize when we have enough. We struggle to be content. Our demands outpace our genuine need. When we fail to be content and realize we have enough, we are in danger of becoming an oppressor instead of the hands and feet of God.
