Day 4: Saving For A Rain-less Day

Genesis 41:34-36

New Living Translation (NLT)

Pharaoh puts Joseph in charge, Owen Jones 1869

34 Then Pharaoh should appoint supervisors over the land and let them collect one-fifth of all the crops during the seven good years. 35 Have them gather all the food produced in the good years that are just ahead and bring it to Pharaoh’s storehouses. Store it away, and guard it so there will be food in the cities.36 That way there will be enough to eat when the seven years of famine come to the land of Egypt. Otherwise this famine will destroy the land.”

So, Pharaoh had a couple of nightmares and couldn't find anyone who was able to interperet them for him. That is, until the king's butler remembered about Joseph, living life in the dungeons, who had once interpreted his and the baker's dreams. So at the butler's recommendation, Pharaoh had Joseph brought up to him, and spilled his guts about his nightmares.

Joseph told the king that it was God who provides the dreams, and the interpretations, and that God was showing him that there would be 7 years of plenty followed by 7 years of famine. The reason he'd dreamed twice was God's assurance that it was going to begin very soon. 

Joseph encouraged Pharaoh to appoint a wise man to be ruler over the land, and officers to ensure that enough grain was set aside to prepare for the years of famine. Pharaoh was so grateful to know what his dreams meant, and for Josephs counsel about saving a portion of the harvest, that he decided to appoint Joseph as the ruler of the lands, second only to Pharaoh himself.

Most people have a savings account, or retirement fund. I wonder how many people set aside what Joseph had recommended? not 10%, but 20%. One fifth of everything. On our income, that seems like a lot. In fact, on our income, that would be impossible. It's a struggle to give God 10% at the beginning of each week. The thought of trying to live on a meager 70% is just incomprehensible. But I can't argue the wisdom! For 7 years, Egypt stored up 1/5 of all the grain harvested... and then for 7 more years, that 20% in storage fed not only the Egyptians, but people from all the surrounding nations who were affected by the famine, who had not set anything aside.

I have a friend who would insert the phrase here "that's God's economy!" And she would be right. When we are obedient with what God provides, He blesses it more abundantly than we ever could have imagined.