Genesis 41.53-57-Joseph's Wise Administration During the Seven Years of Famine
Thursday January 25, 2007
Genesis: Genesis 41:53-57-Joseph’s Wise Administration During the Seven Years of Famine
Lesson # 270
Please turn in your Bibles to Genesis 41:53.
This evening we will complete our studies of Genesis 41.
By way of review, we have noted the following in this chapter:
In Genesis 41:1-7, we read where Pharaoh of Egypt had two dreams and in Genesis 41:8, we read the account of Pharaoh summoning the priests who were skilled in the occult sciences in order to interpret his dreams but there were none that could.
Then we saw that Pharaoh’s cupbearer whose dream Joseph interpreted two years before made Pharaoh aware of Joseph and his ability to interpret dreams and this is recorded in Genesis 41:9-13.
This was followed by the Lord delivering Joseph from prison by causing Pharaoh to summon Joseph from prison to interpret his dream, which is recorded in Genesis 41:14.
In Genesis 41:15-16, we read where in response to Pharaoh’s flattery, Joseph ascribes to God his ability to interpret dreams, which demonstrates his great humility.
Then, we read where Pharaoh recounts his dreams to Joseph, which is recorded in Genesis 41:17-24 and this was followed by Joseph interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams, which is recorded in Genesis 41:25-32.
This was followed by Joseph making recommendations to Pharaoh in light of his interpretation, and this is recorded in Genesis 41:33-37.
Next, we noted that in response to Joseph’s recommendations, Pharaoh promotes Joseph to prime minister of Egypt to administrate the government of Egypt over the next fourteen years and this is recorded in Genesis 41:38-40.
Then, Pharaoh publicly installed Joseph as prime minister of Egypt through four ceremonial acts and this is recorded in Genesis 41:41-43.
In Genesis 41:44-45, we studied Joseph becoming a part of Egyptian aristocracy by Pharaoh giving him in marriage, Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On as well as bestowing him with a new name.
On Tuesday, we studied Genesis 41:46-49, which presented to us the record of Joseph’s wise administration during the seven years of prosperity.
Last evening we noted Genesis 41:50-52, and read of the birth of Joseph’s sons who he named “Manasseh” and “Ephraim.”
This evening we will complete our study of Genesis 41 by noting Genesis 41:53-57 and read of Joseph’s wise administration during the seven years of famine.
Genesis 41:53-54, “When the seven years of plenty which had been in the land of Egypt came to an end, and the seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said, then there was famine in all the lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.”
Genesis 41:55, “So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread; and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, ‘Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, you shall do.’”
Genesis 41:56, “When the famine was spread over all the face of the earth, then Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold to the Egyptians; and the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.”
Genesis 41:57, “The people of all the earth came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the earth.”
Genesis 41:53-57 records that not only did famine hit Egypt but also the countries surrounding it as well as the entire earth.
The five-fold repetition of the word “famine” and the word “severe” appearing twice emphasizes the seriousness and the magnitude of this famine.
The physical causes that God used to bring about the famine are not recorded.
However, Egyptian and other Ancient Near Eastern documents reveal that drought in Egypt came about due to the Nile running low because of droughts in the highlands so that the annual inundations, which irrigated the productive areas of Egypt no longer, took place.
In fact, seven year famines were not uncommon in the ancient Near East and are well documented in Egyptian and Near Eastern texts.
The Egyptian economy and agriculture was totally dependent upon the flooding of the Nile River caused by the river’s periodic rise during three summer months.
Inadequate rainfall in the southern Sudan would prevent the Nile from flooding during its usual three months in northern Egypt and without this annual flood, famine would occur.
The swelling of the Nile results from torrential rains in the Upper Nile Basin, which are carried down to the Delta by the Blue Nile.
In ancient times a complex series of artificially constructed irrigation works controlled the distribution and utilization of the flood waters.
The floods would usually come with great regularity, but there were years when the rainfall in the southern Sudan provided an insufficient amount of water.
If there was rainfall of just a few inches, this would result in no irrigation to the arid areas of the north and would deprive the arable land of its productivity, which resulted in famine.
Genesis 41:53-54, “When the seven years of plenty which had been in the land of Egypt came to an end, and the seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said, then there was famine in all the lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.”
The fact that the seven years of extraordinary bumper crops was followed by seven years of famine was according to Joseph’s prediction recorded in Genesis 41:25-32 demonstrating that his interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams was inspired by God.
The seven years of prosperity followed by seven years of severe famine upon the land of Egypt were a part of God’s plan and sovereign will from eternity past.
This is indicated in Genesis 41:32 with the statement “the matter (seven years of bumper crops followed by seven years of famine) is determined by God, and God will quickly bring it about.”
This divine plan is called in theology, the “divine decree,” which is the eternal plan by which God has rendered certain all the events of the universe, including both angelic and human history-past, present and future.
The divine decree took place in eternity past before anything was ever created and is God’s eternal and immutable will and so these seven years of famine and prosperity was part of God’s plan from eternity past.
God used the famine as the means to have Pharaoh promote Joseph to prime minister and to relocate Joseph’s family from Canaan to Egypt in order to protect them from the corrupting Canaanite influence.
The famine would cause Joseph’s family to go down to Egypt to buy food and this would result in Joseph’s brothers bowing down to him in fulfillment of the prophecy recorded in Genesis 37:5-11.
Therefore, these events would be a manifestation of the spiritual principle taught in Jeremiah 1:12, that the Lord watches over His Word to perform it.
Jeremiah 1:12, “Then the LORD said to me, ‘You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it.’”
It is also a manifestation of the spiritual principle taught in Isaiah 46:8-11 that the Lord will accomplish in time that which He has spoken and planned from eternity past.
Isaiah 46:8-11, “Remember this, and be assured; Recall it to mind, you transgressors. Remember the former things long past, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, ‘My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure’; Calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of My purpose from a far country. Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it.”
Genesis 41:54 also records that “there was famine in all the lands,” which is a reference to the countries that surrounded Egypt and of these countries would be Canaan where Joseph’s family resided.
The famine in Canaan was not due to the lack of rainfall in the southern Sudan resulting in the flooding of the Nile but rather due to the lack of rainfall in Palestine and Syria.
So there was no natural connection between the famine in Egypt and that in Canaan since the two had entirely unrelated causes.
Genesis 41:55, “So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread; and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, ‘Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, you shall do.’”
“Cried out” is the verb tsa`aq (qu^x*) (tsaw-ak), which means, “to cry out for help” and expresses extreme urgent need for food among the citizens of Egypt and expresses their desire that Pharaoh intervene and provide them with food.
The initial reaction to the famine by the Egyptians was to complain to Pharaoh.
They reasoned that it was the government’s responsibility to provide for them as if Pharaoh was God and could control the flow of water in the Nile!
In this case, the government was prepared for the famine and could in fact help its citizens thanks to God working through Joseph who held the office of “Overseer of the Granaries of Upper and Lower Egypt.”
The duties of this office involved the collection of tax payments on field produce (See Genesis 47:24) as well as the storage of the grain of bumper crops for distribution in years of famine.
Pharaoh demonstrates his total and complete confidence in Joseph’s administrative abilities in that he directs all of the citizens of Egypt to go to Joseph and obey whatever he commands them to do.
This verse also anticipates the next episode and explains why Joseph’s brothers had to appear in person before Joseph.
Genesis 41:56, “When the famine was spread over all the face of the earth, then Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold to the Egyptians; and the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.”
A comparison of Genesis 41:33-37 with Genesis 41:47-49 reveals that during the seven abundant years Joseph and the civil administrators he appointed in the various cities of Egypt gathered all the food and stored it in the cities of Egypt.
During this time he also exacted a fifth of the produce of the land and kept it in reserve in the various cities of Egypt where it would be guarded.
Here we see Joseph beginning to open the storehouses in the various cities that were held in reserve in anticipation of the famine.
The statement “When the famine was spread over all the face of the earth, then Joseph opened all the storehouses” reveals that Joseph waited until the famine was all over the earth before he opened upon the storehouses of grain.
He waited until the last possible moment in order to better conserve the grain that was available.
Joseph sells the grain to people rather than just giving it away since this would enable him to maintain strict control over the supplies in order to prevent looting, waste and corruption.
He knew that these vast reserves of grain that had been accumulating during the seven year of bumper crops would have to be carefully maintained to last throughout the seven years of famine.
It would have been irresponsible, unwise and shortsighted of Joseph if he had simply given away the grain rather than sell it.
Also, the grain had been acquired by lawful and fair means by devoting most of the government’s taxing and buying power to it for seven years.
To give the grain away would have meant bankrupting the government and thus destroying it.
Therefore, Joseph sold to those who could afford to purchase grain and it is reasonable to assume that he did not charge those who were unable to buy.
Or, more than likely he employed these individuals for government service in order to earn the necessary cash or credit to purchase grain.
Genesis 41:57, “The people of all the earth came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the earth.”
The entire earth was affected by famine and not only Egypt as indicated by the statement “the famine was severe in all the earth.”
When news reached the various nations that Egypt had grain in vast reserves, these nations would send caravans and missions down to Egypt to buy grain.
This would lead to Joseph’s father Jacob sending his sons down to Egypt as well to purchase grain since the famine was severe in Canaan as well.
Ultimately, this was the reason why God brought a famine upon the entire earth and put Joseph in Egypt to administrate during the famine.
God wanted Jacob’s family in Egypt to protect it from the Canaanite influence and the famine was the means by which God accomplished this.
Twenty percent of the produce during the seven years of bumper crops was sufficient to meet all the needs of not only the Egyptians but also for all the nations of the earth during the seven years of famine.
The population survived on only one-fourth of what had been available during the seven years of prosperity.
This testifies to both the overwhelming abundance that God provided during the first seven years and also to the exceptional efficiency of Joseph’s management of the reserves of grain during the last seven years.
It also demonstrates that people can get by with far less than they are accustomed to during good times.
Remember God graciously provides for our “needs” or in other words that which is necessary to sustain life but does not always provides for our “desires” or “wants” (See Philippians 4:19).
Therefore, we can see that God used Joseph’s wise administration during the seven years of bumper crops and the seven years famine to not only deliver Egypt from disaster and his family but also all the nations of the earth.
The fact that Joseph who was a descendant of Abraham brought blessing to the entire world through his wise administration was another manifestation of the fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham that through him and his descendants all the families of the earth would be blessed (See Genesis 12:3).
Notice that Joseph never takes advantage of his privileges, his authority or financial resources or exploit anybody or the famine for personal gain.
Joseph had the capacity to wisely administrate the entire nation of Egypt during this crisis at only the age of thirty because God put him through an intensive and experience oriented course in management under Potiphar and while in prison.
God prepared him for leadership and this awesome responsibility as prime minister of Egypt during the fourteen years of servitude and the three years of imprisonment under Potiphar.
Joseph learned from each experience under Potiphar and passed each test that God gave him and by doing so he learned to trust God even more.
By the time the Lord opened the door for him and promoted him, Joseph was ready to handle the power and prestige without falling victim to pride.