Abundance

DEVOTION

GENESIS

ABUNDANCE

Gen 41:46-52

46 Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh's presence and traveled throughout Egypt. 47 During the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully. 48 Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it. 49 Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure. 50 Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. 51 Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, "It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household." 52 The second son he named Ephraim and said, "It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering."

NIV

To travel throughout Egypt must have been a daunting task on chariot. Surely he did not travel alone as the second in command in all of Egypt. He certainly had a host of servants, especially those how preceded his chariot, yelling “Make way”. We are not told any details about the method used to store all this grain that he ordered done in each city. We also are not told if he left any guards at the grain storage areas. We are going to see when the famine happens everyone will need to go to Joseph to buy grain. If the grain is stored in each city, he has to have it under lock and key somehow. Here again if we take any lesson about storing up our abundance for a later time of famine, we need to know what Joseph stored up and sold did not belong to him, all the money collected belonged to the king of Egypt. If we take any lesson from storing up, all that we store up belongs to our King, it is not for our personal use. However that is not the lesson we should be taking away here. What we know is the abundance the land of Egypt experienced was due to the hand of God, just as the famine that is to follow. The abundance of God is beyond measure, is our lesson for today. It seems we are good at keeping records of so many things in our life. We especially keep excellent records of the wrongs committed against us. We also do exceptional well at keeping records as to how much wealth we have. Most of our record keeping seems to be about ourselves and our stuff. Although Joseph attempted to keep good records, the abundance of grain was so plentiful it was just beyond being able to record just how much it was. This is how God works in our lives as well. His love for us is beyond our being able to keep a record of it. His grace is beyond our ability to record. Although we attempt to list all his gifts, even using his own words, they are actually beyond measure. His fruit which he produces in our lives is more then we can adequately keep account of. His blessings on our lives are so far beyond being able to record. How can the human heart, or mind ever be able to keep a record of God? There might be another more prophetic lesson here as well. There is a season of abundance for this earth, for the people of this earth. This season is what we call the age of grace. It is the season in which the Spirit of God rests on his people. The work of the Spirit is abundant throughout the earth, many souls are being brought into the kingdom of God. The harvest is plentiful, but also the workers are few. But there is a famine coming. There will be a time when the Spirit will leave, when Jesus appears in the clouds to collect the harvest, the people of God. Then with the absence of the Spirit and the church a realm of terror will strike this earth like never before. A famine will exist like none other. There will be no more grace, no more gifts or fruit, but his love will never fail. Although the people will not be able to see it, nor taste it for they will be starving to death under the influence of the anti-Christ. Here in this narrative the people of Egypt still have hope from the famine because they can come to Joseph and buy food. We will see after all their money was gone, they bought food with their livestock and when all that was gone, belonging now to Pharaoh, they had to sell all their land, and when that was gone, they had to sell themselves into bondage to Pharaoh. Here it is, all we have, all our money, all our stuff belongs to our King. Even in the midst of the greatest famine this earth will ever experience, a spiritual famine, people can come to the King. Joseph represents Christ here, and people can come to him giving themselves as bond servants to the King. Joseph brings everything to Pharaoh, Christ brings everything to the Father. Let us be thankful we are now living in the years of Spiritual abundance. The Spirit is at work gathering more souls before the famine. Should we not be about his work as well?