Feast and Famine

Today on the Saturday addition of Renewing Your Mind. When the famine came as severe as it was there.

Not only was on enough grain to feed the people of Egypt for this. But also people were coming from other countries that had no reserves that had no provision stored up who came to buy whatever they could buy from the Egyptian reserve supply.

We look around us today and ask God make anything good come from all of this discord and confusion reading the book of Genesis that he did during the time of Joseph God's wisdom, provision, provenance, and protection or on full display in this remarkable story and it's good during these challenging times to remember that our loving heavenly father is still in the business of supplying all our needs.

We continue now with our study of the life of Joseph first chapter of the book of Genesis and in our last session we saw the incident were Pharaoh called upon Joseph to interpret his dream and Joseph did that as a result, Joseph was elevated to second in command of the entire Egyptian nation.

We read in verse 45 of this chapter this conclusion to the matter and Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zach Nath Kania and he gave him as a wife as a Nath, the daughter of Potter Pharaoh priest of all. So Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt. The name that was given to Joseph is unclear in terms of its exact etymological meaning, but most commentators see it to be an Egyptian name that means God speaks and he lips which would be a powerful acknowledgment by Pharaoh that Joseph's power of interpreting his dream came from God and that the and an acknowledgment of Joseph's God, then we find. Of course, the statement that Pharaoh gives in marriage to Joseph, his own daughter and her name means belonging to the goddess in the class interesting and some have raised the question of perhaps here we find an overt sin in the life of Joseph. Inasmuch as he took to be his wife. This woman offered by Pharaoh who was named after an Egyptian goddess pagan goddess and the Joseph was now violating God's laws of marriage by entering into a union with a woman who was not a believer, presumably in the Jewish faith, but we recall that in the Old Testament that this was something that happened with regularity that the patriarchs themselves in various occasions talk to themselves. Wives from other nations who were not Jews versus but who became faithful in their service to Yahweh, and our assumption is that this woman Joseph married came under the tutelage and instruction of Joseph and became a true daughter of Jehovah, but in any case, we also realize that this woman who became his wife is called the daughter of Potter Pharaoh or conifer and that raises some interesting questions of speculation since the only other time we meet. This name in the Genesis narrative is with respect to the Lord of the of the Army, the captain of the guard of Pharaoh whose name was Potiphar, in whose house Joseph served and whose wife committed the treachery against him, which ended up in his being thrown in the prison and so on. But there's no reason to assume that this Potiphar who is mentioned in this text is the same Potiphar that the had bought Joseph into slavery.

Initially, just as in our day. In the ancient world. There were often many people who had the same name. And this particular Potiphar is identified as a priest rather than as the captain of Pharaoh's guard. So there it is.

I say we shouldn't jump to the conclusion that further irony is taken place here that the Joseph is given as his bride, the daughter of conifer and Potiphar's wife, which would now make if that were the case by the first wife, Joseph's mother and II think that's even too much irony and for God to endure. In any case we read in verse 46 that Joseph was 30 years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. That means that 13 years have transpired since Joseph's that was sold into slavery by his brother. And so it took a long time for the invisible hand of Providence to rescue Joseph from the ordeals that he suffered. Remember the story of John Knox, the great Scottish reformer who was committed to slavery on a galley ship and spent over a year as a galley slave before he was freed and rose to the position of the leader of the Reformation in Scotland, but his time of incarceration is worthy to be compared with the sufferings that were endured by Joseph of course Joseph wasn't 13 years in prison, but he was 13 years in exile and in the state of either slavery or incarceration is only rated Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went throughout all the land of Egypt. Now on the 724 years. The ground brought forth abundantly.

So I gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt and laid up the food in the cities he laid up in every city. The food in the fields which surrounded them. Joseph gathered very much grain as the sand of the sea until he stopped counting for it was immeasurable. So we see the fulfillment of the dream that Pharaoh had that indeed seven years of bountiful harvest followed after this dream, and during that seven year. As Joseph had suggested he ruled over the nation, and established store cities and build up an enormous reserve supplies of grain to guard against the impending famine then the text goes on to say that to Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came to mass and thus the daughter of Potter Pharaoh priest of on board to him. Joseph called the name of the firstborn, Manasseh, which means making forgetful, he said, for God has made me forget all my toil and all my father's house and the name of the second he called Ephraim for God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction now again critics of Joseph have raised serious problems about this incident. An episode of the naming of his two sons, and let me just say by way of the little excursion here that these two sons become extremely prominent in biblical history. Three.

Recall that Joseph's father Jacob had 12 son and from those 12 sons descended the so-called 12 tribes of Israel. When God numbered the people and divided the land after the Exodus, and he apportioned the certain territories. According to the tribes to which the people belong.

But you recall, there was no tribe of Joseph, but rather Joseph's portion was divided between his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh, and if you follow the subsequent history of Israel you will see that those two tribes Manassas and it Ephraim become two of the most important tribes in the whole history of the people and so their births are noted here in the text, but with respect to the names we are told. Joseph called his firstborn, Manasseh, which means making forgetful quote for God has made me forget all my toil and all my father's house. Here's the problem with that is Joseph saying now because of this great boom that I have received from Pharaoh and the new life to which I have been given and exalted to the position of authority. Now I can forget my former troubles and it's time for me to forget my family and my father's house and my heritage. The worst case analysis would be that Joseph now is abandoned his faith in the promises that he had received from God as a boy and I think that that would be an extremely jarring surprise in light of everything that we've learned so far about the character of this man, and certainly the rest of the narrative of Joseph life belies that conclusion. I think simply what Joseph is saying here is, I now can forget that I am cut off altogether from my family because God has given me a family of my own. Now I have a son. I am not alone and completely isolated from all of my family so that he had that God is giving him a new family. That doesn't mean that he's repudiating his old family, but his old family prior to this time was the only family that he had and that was troublesome to him because during his years of suffering he had no family present.

Now he does. He has a wife and he has a son and he's going to have another son as the text indicates is that the name of the second he called Ephraim many fruitfulness for God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction right then and there.

We could say that sentence summarizes and crystallizes whole life of Joseph and the whole significance for us of his personal history because it is the history of affliction upon affliction, which ends in divine reward and divine grace divine mercy and he names his son honoring the grace of God in that God has allowed him to have fruit in the midst of this barren life experience and out of the affliction comes great fruitfulness and so in a sense, the highest way that Joseph can show his gratitude towards God for vindicating him and giving him sweet fruit out of what had been nothing but a better Providence is seen by the name of his second son, then we read in verse 53 in the seven years of plenty which were in the land of Egypt and in the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said the famine was in all lands but in all the land of Egypt. There was bread. So in all the land of Egypt was famished. The people cried to Pharaoh for bread and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians go to Joseph whatever he says to do you do in the famine was over all the face of the earth, and Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians, and famine became severe in the land of Egypt. So all countries came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain because the famine was severe in all lands number. Remember that when Joseph stored up the great, he did so without major so that when the famine came as severe as it was there. Not only was enough grain to feed the people of Egypt for this. But also people were coming from other countries that had no reserves that had no provision stored up who came to buy whatever they could buy from the Egyptian reserve supply now that little detail is there is a literary device to set the stage for explaining why it is that Joseph's brothers would subsequently migrate south come down into Egypt in order to try to buy some of this food because it became known throughout the world that there was one nation that was able to survive the famine and the other thing we have to understand about this famine is that it was a seven year fan and the people didn't know when the famine first started. Obviously, that the famine would last that long. And obviously the other nations did not take the elaborate measures that Egypt had taken to store up reserves but if you just assume that there was this a modicum of judicial responsibility in other lands. You can't assume that they just completely consumed all of their resources that they had received over the seven years of plenty because there is abundance in other nations as well's that they would've simply just all of a sudden in the first six months of the famine have everybody starving in these other nations, they would have just naturally speaking a certain amount of reserve, not to the degree the Egyptians said so that there would be a gradual intensification of the experience of hunger in in Egypt and in the other lands so we can't assume that the first day of the second seven years, Joseph went and opened up all the storehouses and started distributing the great, but he had to manage this in such a way that he would distribute this reserve funds over a seven year. And keep in mind that the famine was in a and increasing dimension of severity one year. Famine is is one problem, but you compounded exponentially when you see that this is the year following the lien era. Famine is another year of famine and enter the third year in the fourth year and the 50 or so is the time passes, the problems of hunger and starvation around the world become intense and severe and so we are told them that after a period of time people are coming from other nations seeking relief from the Egyptians. The last verse of chapter 41 so all countries came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain because the famine was severe in all lanes of chapter 42 begins with these words. When Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons why do you look at one another and he said indeed. I've heard there is grain in Egypt go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may live and not die here some rather harsh words that the father is giving to his sons, his sons, you remember who had worked the family homestead they had been out taking care of their flocks when Joseph was sent out to check them earlier on in the narrative as we recall and we have to sit asked the question what happened to the flocks is not just the people who suffer from the loss of grain, but the livestock become really the first casualties when you have this kind of severe famine and this kind of severe drought. We are seated right now as I speak there such a drought going on in New Mexico and cattle ranchers are having terrible problems with the loss of their livestock because of the drought know people are dying yet of hunger. But the first ones to go are the animals and remember that Jacob had flocks and flocks and so I'm assuming that is flocks are perishing and leaving his sons with little or nothing to do because they're not running out taking care of the flocks, and Jacob looks at him as to what you guys doing just standing around here. There's a severe famine and were all going to die if we don't get any food and you are doing nothing about it. Jacob is up in years. His sons are responsible for providing the household with food and they're doing nothing and so Jacob takes charge of the situation and he said I've heard there is grain in Egypt.

Why do you look at one another. Indeed, I've heard about this grain in Egypt go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may live and not die.

Obviously Jacob still had money and what he didn't have was food, not something we need to realize you can't eat money. I remember hearing the horror stories of the Dutch people who under the five years of occupation by the Nazis in World War II were reduced to eating tulip bulbs in order to survive.

They still had money but they couldn't eat their money and there wasn't any food available because the Nazis were taking all of their produce and and their crops to feed their soldiers for the war effort and so all that was left for the people to live on her tulip bulbs and suddenly tulip bulbs became exceedingly expensive. Jacob now says go down to Egypt go down there by the food and bring it back will all going to die.

So this sets the stage for the dramatic encounter come to pass between Joseph and his one lost will look forward to that encounter. Next time, all the circumstances in Joseph's life were perfectly timed to save entire nations from starvation on sovereign will was at work through kidnapping, slavery, injustice and imprisonment. It's important to note that the pain-and-suffering that Joseph went through was real pain. It was real suffering, but it's even more important to note that Joseph knew that pain-and-suffering did not have the final word. Dr. RC Sproul series on the life of Joseph is our focus each Saturday here on Renewing Your Mind. You can contact us today with a donation of any amount and request this full series. We put it together with several other teaching series, including the parables of Jesus telling Scripture. Ecclesiastes, Galatians, and knowing Christ. We call it the RC Sproul teaching collection and you can request it with your gift of any amount when you call us at 800-435-4343.

You can also give your gift online and Renewing Your Mind.Ward. Our mission at legionnaire is to help Christians know what they believe, why they believe it how to live it and how to share it. We produce teaching material to help growing Christians do just that and with your financial help were translating these books and teaching series into Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic and Farsi so we appreciate you being part of this work today would you give a donation of any amount will send you a teaching series from the RC Sproul teaching collection. Our number again is 800-435-4343. At our web address is Renewing Your Mind.Ward. How do we respond when things are at their worst fears RC with a final thought force we mentioned earlier how that when people put their trust in God to provide for their needs. In times of crises that the way God usually provides for his the needs of his people is through human agencies.

Another had been where there would be in the future. An occasion where God would provide food for his people supernaturally immediately and miraculously from heaven, with the giving of the manna but those extraordinary measures. Those miraculous measures were not the ordinary way in which the divine providence provided is the word Providence suggests the needs of the people. The people were still required to do their due diligence and there is no piety in sitting back in the rocking chair.

As Jacob could have done and said well you know I trust God. God's going to feed us and I'll just wait for the rain quail from heaven. He takes the responsibility that all of us are to take in the situations and tells his son were hungry. Good down there use every means that we have at our disposal to secure the necessities of life. Take the money by the food we need to learn from that the trusting in God does not mean idleness.

Sitting around waiting for God to do something reckless for stuff that doesn't say anywhere in the Bible God helps those who help them set that's a better Frank but there is a truth contained in that aphorism that we are to do diligence in all things, and having done all, then we stand. How would you feel if you were betray and then face the person who betrayed you, Joseph will meet his betrayers next week as we continue Dr. RC school series on the life of Joseph Byron renewing