Egypt in Slavery, Israel in Freedom

Introduction

There is a cry that has defined the mind of the western thinker in the last 400 years. A cry that was sparked during the Renaissance, grew through French philosophers, asserted itself in the English civil war, and made its perhaps greatest statement in the American Revolution. That cry is this: we will not be slaves. The advant of the idea of human rights brought the western world, and than the rest of the world, into a new way of looking at humanity and saw it as inherently attached to these right, which boil down to this one idea: every man and woman is their own and therefore have the right to life, freedom, and happiness.

In recent days, however, we have seen this mindset turn very destructive. The defense for abortion is rooted in this idea, as is the defense for same sex marriage and transgender theory. It is at the root of the sexual revolution and has spawned a way of thinking that sees each person as their own authority and flattens any kind of hierarchy as much as possible so that each person’s rights are as equal as possible.

We all are undoubtedly affected by this philosophy, in both good ways and bad. That is why I think we are likely to look at this text and question what is going on here. For us, the idea of enslaving an entire country as being part of God’s will, and the citezen being grateful about it is a completely foreign concept in a culture where our most fundamental value is, “we will not be slaves.” Nevertheless, we see here that freedom is not the greatest end in life. Indeed, freedom from God is slavery to sin and self. True freedom is not an option, and self is a cruel master. The Egyptians rejoice to be slaves of a godly and just master, and as believers we must adopt the same mindset and be willing to be slaves of an eternally just and righteous King who lifts us up in Christ beyond the position of slave to be sons and daughters in an everlasting Kingdom.

Joseph Enslaves Egypt and Blesses Pharaoh

This is one of those texts that many find a little difficult to fit into this story. It seems random and unnecessary to tell us how Joseph managed Egypt in the last three years of the famine. Furthermore, to most of us Joseph’s management may seem a bit unfair, or very unfair. Through the story so far we have had it established that Joseph is a godly man with integrity and the wisdom of God to lead. I know I’ve often asked myself why Joseph did not just give grain to their people?

But as we look at this text and ask ourselves what it’s trying to say, we can note a few details that give us clues:

All the money in Egypt and Canaan is gone. It’s all been spent to get food, but Egyptian farmers and Canaanite farmers are unable to grow any more grain. The only grain in the entire land is the grain that God had divinely given the wisdom, and thus all of Egypt is reliant on God and his servant Joseph.

The people of Egypt are not upset about losing all of their money, their livestock, and their freedom to Pharaoh. Instead, they show a great amount of gratitude.

Israel is not included in this mass slavery of the Egyptian people to Pharaoh.

In this interesting text, we see Joseph doing his job giving glory to God by being a blessing to the nations. We see Pharaoh blessed by God through Joseph’s actions, because he had blessed Jacob God was blessing him. And we see the end of God’s unfolding will through his people in the world in what happens. Israel is free in the foreign land of Egypt, but the Egyptians become slaves in their own home at the hand of an Israelite. However, they rejoice in that enslavement because of God’s mercy to them and blessing for them displayed through his servant Joseph. The end of it is that Joseph, through his faithfulness and through his reconciliation with his family, is used by God to bring Egypt in subjection to him.

Egypt Saved through Slavery

We could accurately say that in this salvation of Egypt through their enslavement. While this may seem tyrannical to us, that was not the perspective of the Egyptians. They were grateful that they had been saved from the famine.

Canaan left starving

Verse 14 tells us that all the money in the land of Egypt and Canaan was spent by the forth year. This leaves the Canaanites without any way to get food as they are not given the opportunities that the Egyptians are. In this detail we see that the Israelites had come to Egypt just in time. They have left Canaan which has had its economy completely collapse and have come to a land that God has blessed through Joseph. It is clear that the Egyptians have the blessing here despite the loss of their property and freedom.

Egypt’s Willingness to be Subjected

It is much better to be a fed slave than a starving freeman. In the Greek world 1/3 of the population were slaves at one point, and many of those slaves would never want their freedom because there was essentially no chance of them being able to make a living on their own. So at this point, the Egyptians are happy to be under the imposed slavery of Joseph for the sake of their lives. This subjection represents how God has subjected the entire country to himself through Joseph and at the same time blessed them. It’s not in our best interest to be our own master and have freedom, its in our best interest to be subjected to God’s care. Even though Joseph is technically second to Pharaoh, realistically its actually Joseph who has the authority for two reasons.

First, Joseph has a closer connection to the divine than Pharaoh does. In ancient Egypt, the Pharaoh’s legitimacy was very strongly connected to the idea that he was a son of a god. However, with Joseph’s interpretation it is clear that Joseph is the one with a stronger connection to the divine, and so in that sense he is in charge.

Second, because even though Pharaoh was still on the throne, Joseph was like a father to him (Gen 45:8), the lord of his house, and the ruler of all Egypt. So although this power is given to Pharaoh technically, its given to Joseph practically. That way, through the enslavement of the Egyptians Joseph becomes their master, representing the absolute rule of God, the people are blessed under that God-ordained power, and Pharaoh is blessed for blessing Jacob in accordance with God’s promises. Nobody loses.

Contrasting Egypt’s current slavery and Israel’s future slavery

There is also a lot of irony in this text when we compare what’s happening here with the enslavement of the Israelites 400 years later (Exodus 1). Here the Israelites are free and the Egyptians are enslaved in their own land at the hands of an Israelite. Furthermore, rather than being oppressed like the Israelites were, they are blessed in their enslavement and Pharaoh is likewise blessed for his righteous behaviour towards the people of God. This would all be completely reversed, and just as God blesses those who bless his people, he cursed that Pharaoh until his people were free.

In the end of this story, and as the whole book of Genesis draws to a close, we are left with God’s people being in a relatively ideal position in every respect except that they are not in the promised land. That is a thread that is not tied up here, which pulls us into the book of Genesis. Through his people, God’s means to conquer and enslave the nations, not in an oppressive way, but in a saving way. That is what is signified in our text today.

Israel Enjoys Freedom (shared with Priests)

In our text we see that there is one group among the people of Egypt that were not enslaved, and those are the Egyptian priests. They are given an allowance from the Pharaoh and so they are able to afford food when no one else is. And of course, Israel is free because of their political connection. What are we to take away from Israel’s freedom in a time when the rest of the country ends up in slavery to the government.

Not slaves, but sojourners. Israel is in the land of Egypt, but they do not belong there. If they were enslaved justly in this case, they would have an obligation to stay in Egypt. When they are eventually enslaved, it is unjustly and thus they have no obligation to submit to it when God leads them out. God’s people are not slaves in the world, even though we remain as sojourners here.

Hebrews 11:13 (ESV)

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.

God’s people are slaves, but slaves only to the LORD. He is a jealous God who does not share ownership of his beloved people with another lord or master. While he does have his people submit to worldly authority for the sake of his Name, they only belong to him. If they were legitimate slaves, it would be as if someone had a right to them equal to God’s right. It would also make Egypt their home with no right to leave for their promised land. Rather, they remain sojourners; the people of God simply visiting Egypt, but they belong to another place.

Israel a Kingdom of Priests displayed in the shared freedom with Priests.

A large theme that will continue through Israel’s history and even into the New Testament church is the idea of God’s people being a Kingdom of Priests.

Exodus 19:6 ESV

and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”

Although God is the God of all people, his chosen people are his priests, his holy people representing him to the world. This is hinted at in our text with Priests being the only people that are not subjected to slavery in Egypt. All of Israel are priests in God’s eyes. In fact, this is part of the reason for the practice of circumcision, which was a common mark for Egyptian Priests. Although the Egyptian priests get an allowance from Pharaoh that keeps them fed, God provides for his Kingdom of Priests in everything they need.

Joseph’s relationship to both Israel and Egyptian Priests (the family of freedom)

The people are God and in this way established as the Priestly family of freedom. This is enforced by Joseph’s family relationships. He is a son of Israel and a son of the Egyptian Priesthood by marriage, making the connection between the Israelites and the role of a priest even stronger.

This solidifies in the minds of the readers a clear idea that these Israelites do not belong in Egypt, but do fulfill the role of a family of Priests to the Egyptians. This same role is given to the church,

1 Peter 2:9 ESV

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

This is the way that God’s people ultimately become a blessing in the world. They bring God to the godless and show them how they may come to him and know him.

Jacob’s Request

Despite Israel’s freedom and security in Egypt, and despite Joseph’s high ranking place in the government, Israel is not at home in Egypt. He is in covenant with God who has promised him and his family a better country. Jacob asks Joseph to move his body back to Canaan after he dies. He wants his body to be laid with his fathers in that same tomb that Abraham bought from the Hittites to bury Sarah. It represents a down-payment of God’s promises, an assurance of an eternal inheritance that goes beyond death. Joseph was his dead son who came back to life, he was the savior of Egypt and the known world, he gave freedom to his family while dominating a grateful country, he blessed those who blessed God’s people, and he was the one who would bring his father’s body to the promised land. In these ways, we see reflections of the coming of Christ.

Christ the Resurrected son.

Christ the Saviour of the World.

Christ the Revelation of God.

Christ the King.

Christ the Liberator and Reconcillor of his People.

Christ the Deliverer of God’s People to the Promised Land.

Through Joseph’s obedience and trust in God, many were saved and God’s people were able to be united under Godly leadership. The reason many are confused about this text is because we tend to think of authoritarian leadership as inherently evil, and it usually is because sinful humans will use authority to sin. But when we look at Christ we see a master, a dictator, one who claims ownership over our lives in every way, and we rejoice because unlike any other authority he is truly good. To be the slave of a good God and Shepherd is infinitely better than to cling on to our sense of independence, starving in the land of Canaan by ourselves.

Conclusion

Only those with a heart subserviant to Christ will find in him the blessings of being his people.

To be subservient to Christ means to deny any human right we think we have before him and embrace a servitude for which we will find a reward in an eternal inheritance bought be Christ. While we in one sense are slaves of God, just as Paul the Apostle considered himself, we are also his children and the object of his unending affection.

The call of this text is to stop crying “we will not be slaves” and start crying “God be merciful to me a sinner!” Like the prodigal son, let us be willing to say to our heavenly father “I am not worthy to be called your son, make me a slave instead.” Those who call on God with such a heart are those that God holds closest as his most cherished children. Be willing to be an enslaved Egyptian seeking the bread of eternal life from Christ your King, and you will end up a free Israelite, a priest for God and a son or daughter of the Kingdom through Jesus Christ and his blood.