29/06/2019
IN TIMES OF ABUNDANCE, WHAT DID JOSEPH DO? REFLECT ON THIS
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Do ‘El Niño’ happens only during modern times or our time?
Nope.
A similar phenomenon happened 3,500 years ago. And this is the time of Joseph in the book of Genesis in the Bible.
One lesson we can learn from the story of Joseph is the importance of saving.
We can call the discipline of saving “The Joseph Principle.”
If you don’t know the story of Joseph, we highly recommend you read it beginning in Genesis 37. After a series of bad events, Joseph was ultimately put in charge of Egypt.
The reason Pharaoh placed Joseph in charge of Egypt was because of the wisdom he displayed when Pharaoh needed to have his dreams interpreted. You see, as we see in Genesis 41:17-24, Pharaoh was having some odd dreams:
So Pharaoh told him the dream. "I was standing on the bank of the Nile River," he said. "Suddenly, seven fat, healthy-looking cows came up out of the river and began grazing along its bank. But then seven other cows came up from the river. They were very thin and gaunt-in fact, I've never seen such ugly animals in all the land of Egypt. These thin, ugly cows ate up the seven fat ones that had come out of the river first, but afterward they were still as ugly and gaunt as before! Then I woke up. A little later I had another dream. This time there were seven heads of grain on one stalk, and all seven heads were plump and full. Then out of the same stalk came seven withered heads, shriveled by the east wind. And the withered heads swallowed up the plump ones! I told these dreams to my magicians, but not one of them could tell me what they mean."
Pharaoh asked everyone but God to help him interpret the dreams. No one could help, until Joseph came as an agent for God and was able to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams. Joseph told Pharaoh the seven healthy cows (think angus beef) represented seven years of harvest. The seven gaunt cows (probably the kind of cows they use to make Steakums) represented seven years of famine.
This is a great reminder that economic cycles have been going on for thousands of years and are actually normal. Economies go up and they go down.
So, Joseph knew Egypt was in the midst of an economic boom (part of the economic cycle). Joseph told Pharaoh that for the next seven years they should save one fifth (20%) of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. This way, when the famine came they would have enough food to survive the coming famine. The plan worked to perfection.
Those that stored up provisionally during the boom time aren’t really affected by what’s going on right now. They are barely affected by any economic slowdown. Those that didn’t have the foresight to store up for the coming famine are faring much worse.
The Bible is clear in its warnings about debt, and looking at the financial statistics and trends, it's entirely too easy to see the potential for an economic upheaval sometime in the future.
Thankfully, God has given us principles to show us how to prepare during any remaining years of plenty: diligently work to get debt-free, fund an emergency savings reserve, invest for the future, and diversify broadly.
Joseph wisely saved 20% of the harvested grain, and was able to save not only Egypt during the famine, but the surrounding nations as well. That should be our goal—to be faithful stewards now while times are good, in preparation for any future hard times. In being faithful this way, we may find ourselves being used, like Joseph, as instruments of God's deliverance in time of distress. (Naturally, this preparation for the future shouldn't keep us from being generous givers now.)
God provides. But God also wants us to prepare.
Sources:
https://www.crosswalk.com/family/finances/the-joseph-principle-flourish-during-times-of-famine-11579748.html%3famp=1
http://www1.cbn.com/years-plenty-years-famine
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