“Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. And in the seven plenteous years, the earth brought forth by handfuls. And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same. And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number.” (Genesis)
Any Student of the Bible recalls the story of Joseph, sold into Egypt, which is recorded in Genesis. And how he managed to attain power by interpreting the Pharaoh of Egypt’s dream of seven fat calves and seven lean ones that eat them up. Joseph’s interpretation that there would be seven plentiful years followed by seven very lean years led the Pharaoh to give Joseph the power to build huge granaries that stored food, which would later save Egypt and give it great power in the region. I am sure if we had diaries of people who lived during those times, there would have been many naysayers of Joseph’s plan of storage. I’m sure many thought him a fool or a charlatan. Or worse yet, a reckless individual who was only interested in power. Alas, we know from the story’s ending that Joseph’s plan of accumulation was inspired. The stored food was distributed at the proper time when the famine struck. I am sure that before that time, there were many requests to drain that food from the Pharaoh’s granaries. But Joseph was a man of God and stuck with the plan. Ultimately, it saved the lives of countless individuals.
What of today? Recently, there has been criticism of my church regarding its use of resources. Some cry this, and some cry that. When the church gives to a charity, some cry, “Not enough!” When it gives to some worthy cause, they cry that it’s not from the heart. Some say they will now pay their offerings to whoever they deem worthy of it. But often, I think that cry is hollow. Is their truth in their criticism? When faced with a vexing problem, I often turn to the scriptures for answers. I found my answer to the above modern problem in the book of Genesis. At least, I am very comfortable with this answer for myself. Perhaps an objective, reflective study can benefit us all when faced with questions that arise in our lives. Add a pinch of prayer and a dose of faith, and most often, our minds are put at ease.
One thing I have learned over the past number of years is that you compromise your ability to make ‘independent’ decisions when you become financially dependent on any government. Look at any University or business organization. Are they independent of the influence of politics when their very existence is dependent upon funds that come from outside their control? I’m happy to belong to a church that appears to understand, like Joseph of old, that being independent comes at a price. And they seem to understand that!