Learning from Joseph’s journey!

Anyone who has read their way through Genesis has been caught up in the adventure of Joseph. Whether you’re a Christian or not, the incredible experiences surrounding the man named Joseph pull the reader in.

If you’re new to Bible reading, I’d suggest starting in Genesis, chapter 37, then continuing through to the end of chapter 50.

As you’re reading, take a pause in chapter 43.

By Genesis 43, we’ve read about Joseph being thrown into a pit, sold into slavery, put into prison, etc. Life has been pretty rough for this guy! Nevertheless, through it all, God has been teaching him and positioning him for an amazing moment!

Not to give away all of the details, but a huge famine has hit the Middle East. Due to God’s work in Joseph, he is now the second in command in the entire Egyptian Empire. Furthermore, God has Instructed him to store up a massive amount of food because a season of famine was in the future.

The famine hits and Egypt is the only nation with food.

Joseph’s brothers (not knowing he was still alive since selling him into slavery many years previous) have come to Egypt to buy food. Low and behold, they unknowingly kneel before Joseph, begging for his mercy (to buy food).

“Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the one who sold grain to all its people. So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.  As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. “Where do you come from?” he asked. “From the land of Canaan,” they replied, “to buy food.”  Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him.” (Genesis 43:6-8)

Did you catch that?

Many have read this story and understood that Joseph’s brothers were in need of food. However, it’s important to also notice that they were not in need of money. They didn’t travel to Egypt asking for a hand-out, they came “to buy food“.

As I read this story, I can’t help but consider our current situation in the Western world. I see that Western society is increasingly more and more dependent on buying products and/or services rather than maintaining our own economic welfare. More importantly, do we have any reserves?

Consider the hypothetical for a moment.

I understand that this is not the major lesson from Joseph’s story, but I am left pondering, what good is money if there’s nothing to buy? Or perhaps the bigger question is, what happens if the surrounding countries won’t sell us their products and/or services?

Someday, we might turn to China to buy some commodities. And much to our surprise, they decide to deny us due to their own increasing need for that commodity. What happens then? What happens to the entire economic system within North America?