Genesis 47:13-26
13 Now there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine. 14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, for the grain which they bought; and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house. 15 So when the money failed in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us bread, for why should we die in your presence? For the money has failed.” 16 Then Joseph said, “Give your livestock, and I will give you bread for your livestock, if the money is gone.” 17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the cattle of the herds, and for the donkeys. Thus he fed them with bread in exchange for all their livestock that year. 18 When that year had ended, they came to him the next year and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord that our money is gone; my lord also has our herds of livestock. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our lands. 19 Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants of Pharaoh; give us seed, that we may live and not die, that the land may not be desolate.”
20 Then Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for every man of the Egyptians sold his field, because the famine was severe upon them. So the land became Pharaoh's. 21 And as for the people, he moved them into the cities, from one end of the borders of Egypt to the other end. 22 Only the land of the priests he did not buy; for the priests had rations allotted to them by Pharaoh, and they ate their rations which Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their lands. 23 Then Joseph said to the people, “Indeed I have bought you and your land this day for Pharaoh. Look, here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land. 24 And it shall come to pass in the harvest that you shall give one-fifth to Pharaoh. Four-fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and for your food, for those of your households and as food for your little ones. 25 So they said, “You have saved our lives; let us find favor 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 to this day, that Pharaoh should have one-fifth, except for the land of the priests only, which did not become Pharaoh's.
As the great famine progressed from Egypt even to Canaan, the money from the sale of grain was stored in Pharaoh’s house. The people of the lands ran out of money after this, and the solution was given to Joseph that they could barter their livestock for bread instead. When the animals were all Pharaoh’s, then the land of the people was bartered, leaving both livestock and land, the riches of the people, in the ruler’s hands. Then Joseph told the people to take that seed and plant it, sowing for the future as the drought was coming to an end with its famine. After they lost everything but their lives, hope was now to be sown. Along with this chain of events arose the law in Egypt to give a tribute tax of one-fifth of their harvest, sustaining the people as a pattern for the future government taxation which would also sustain the people in troubled times in the future. We learn most of all of God’s sovereign grace to deliver His people in the land they live in by giving wisdom and direction as to Joseph for the good of all. He gives rain for both the just and unjust, for His chosen people and those in whose land they live in. We see also that God owns all as ruler and we offer part of what He gives us back to Him as a tithe of thanksgiving and to sustain and feed His people. This is sowing and reaping in His sovereign care.
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