There Will Be Pain

Sometimes the paths that the Lord takes us on aren't easy, happy, or pretty. We can't always envision the outcome for our lives, even though the Lord can clearly see. Often, we can't predict the course that we'll take and it often doesn't appear as we think it ought to. However, God knows what He's doing.

In the continuing story of Joseph, we find that a seven year famine has caused the surrounding people to barter their money and livestock for provisions. They didn't die from starvation, but they've becomes slaves in the process. (If you read carefully in verses 18 and 19, you'll see that it was the peoples' idea to willingly become slaves. This blows my mind.) I suppose I'd be willing to do the same, if my family were literally facing starvation.

The scriptures give us the unique ability to "zoom out" and see where a person's been, where they are and where they're going (Don't you wish that we could do that?). We'll see that the Lord strategically placed Joseph in Egypt, so that his father Israel and nearly 70 direct descendants could seek refuge during the famine. It was all part of a larger plan, although it likely didn't appear that way at the time.

Genesis 47 13-26 (The Message)

13-15 The time eventually came when there was no food anywhere. The famine was very bad. Egypt and Canaan alike were devastated by the famine. Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan to pay for the distribution of food. He banked the money in Pharaoh's palace. When the money from Egypt and Canaan had run out, the Egyptians came to Joseph. "Food! Give us food! Are you going to watch us die right in front of you? The money is all gone."

16-17 Joseph said, "Bring your livestock. I'll trade you food for livestock since your money's run out." So they brought Joseph their livestock. He traded them food for their horses, sheep, cattle, and donkeys. He got them through that year in exchange for all their livestock.

18-19 When that year was over, the next year rolled around and they were back, saying, "Master, it's no secret to you that we're broke: our money's gone and we've traded you all our livestock. We've nothing left to barter with but our bodies and our farms. What use are our bodies and our land if we stand here and starve to death right in front of you? Trade us food for our bodies and our land. We'll be slaves to Pharaoh and give up our land—all we ask is seed for survival, just enough to live on and keep the farms alive."

20-21 So Joseph bought up all the farms in Egypt for Pharaoh. Every Egyptian sold his land—the famine was that bad. That's how Pharaoh ended up owning all the land and the people ended up slaves; Joseph reduced the people to slavery from one end of Egypt to the other.

22 Joseph made an exception for the priests. He didn't buy their land because they received a fixed salary from Pharaoh and were able to live off of that salary. So they didn't need to sell their land.

23-24 Joseph then announced to the people: "Here's how things stand: I've bought you and your land for Pharaoh. In exchange I'm giving you seed so you can plant the ground. When the crops are harvested, you must give a fifth to Pharaoh and keep four-fifths for yourselves, for seed for yourselves and your families—you're going to be able to feed your children!"

25 They said, "You've saved our lives! Master, we're grateful and glad to be slaves to Pharaoh."

26 Joseph decreed a land law in Egypt that is still in effect, A Fifth Goes to Pharaoh. Only the priests' lands were not owned by Pharaoh.

C.S. Lewis once said "We were promised sufferings. They were part of the program. We were even told, 'Blessed are they that mourn'" and "We're not doubting that God will do the best for us, we're wondering how painful the best will turn out to be"

It would appear that he was right.

Good Night