seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Genesis 41:41 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. 43 He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and people shouted before him, “Make way!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.
44 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.” 45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt.
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.”
53 The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end, 54 and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food. 55 When all Egypt began to feel the famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.”
56 When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt. 57 And all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe everywhere.
Here's the link to the commentary.
And he gave him as a wife Asenath: Jewish legends (fabrications, really) say Asenath was really the daughter of Dinah and Shechem, who was many years earlier abandoned at the border of Egypt, and then adopted into the family of an Egyptian priest.
For God has made me forget… For God has caused me to be fruitful: Joseph did not forget the faith of his fathers, even though he rose to great glory in Egypt and had an Egyptian wife. As a sign of this, his children were given Hebrew names, not Egyptian names.
So, meet Asenath, Joseph's wife and his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.Now these are the twelve sons of Jacob [Israel].
1 Rueben 2 Simeon 3 Levi 4 Judah 5 Dan 6 Naphtalia 7 Gad 8 Asher 9 Issachar 10 Zebulun 11 Joseph 12 Benjamin
As we read on, Joseph will split his blessing with his two sons, which will make 13 tribes, but the tribe of Levi will be held by God to be the priests. So, there will be 12 tribes and the priests of the family of Levi.Back to the story.... Joseph's dream came true. It was bigger than he dreamed. Everyone in the world had to bow to Joseph in order to buy grain.
Pharaoh was a pretty smart cat, giving responsibility to Joseph. The taxes in Egypt doubled in order to put away the grain necessary to survive the famine to come. The grain was plentiful for the first seven years. Verse 49 says that Joseph had to stop counting the reserve because there was so much.
It must have been torturous to collect double the taxes. With Joseph wearing the ring.... Pharaoh caught no grief for double taxation. People don't like to pay double taxes when the sun is shining and everything is magnificent.
All the blame for the double taxation was put on Joseph, not Pharaoh.
Did they buy the story of "a famine is coming"? Joseph took the flack. Pharaoh's hands were clean. Joseph was the bad guy.
Then... when things started to shift... and the famine started to set in, Joseph didn't Just give the grain away. He didn't deplete the reserve without a plan to replenish it. He sold the reserve. He charged the people and put more money in the treasury. The whole world had to do business with Egypt.
I guess it wouldn't be a far stretch to say "Joseph saved the world" by putting up reserves of grain for the coming famine.
Joseph saved the world!!!
