Read with Me
Genesis 41:47-52 (HCSB)
During the seven years of abundance the land produced outstanding harvests. Joseph gathered all the excess food in the land of Egypt during the seven years and put it in the cities. He put the food in every city from the fields around it. So Joseph stored up grain in such abundance—like the sand of the sea—that he stopped measuring it because it was beyond measure.
Two sons were born to Joseph before the years of famine arrived. Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest at On, bore them to him. Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, meaning, “God has made me forget all my hardship in my father’s house.” And the second son he named Ephraim, meaning, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
Listen with Me
As soon as the plentiful harvests promised by God began to come in, Joseph received one fifth of all that was produced in order to store it for the future. That 20% of each year’s crops turned out to be more than the entire normal annual harvest, because later, the excess of those seven years fed all the Egyptians for the entire seven years of famine with enough left over to sell to the surrounding nations. As the seven years of plenty progressed, the amount of stored grain grew so large that Joseph quit recording the amount.
During the seven years of plenty, Joseph and his wife had two sons. The eldest was Manasseh, whose name means “the one who makes to forget”. This referred to Joseph’s statement that he was so blessed by his position, his wife, and now his son, that he had nearly forgotten about his troubles and his life and family back in Canaan. His second son was Ephraim. His name means something like “twice fruitful”, because he was Joseph’s second son.
Even though the seven years of plenty would come to an end exactly as promised, Joseph, and all the rest of Egypt, was enjoying this time of security. And he was using that time to ensure that everything was fully prepared for the famine that was on the way.
Pray with Me
Father, even though Joseph knew that the good times were only temporary, and that hard times were coming soon, he wasn’t worried. He fully understood that the whole situation was under Your control. He also knew that You had warned him ahead of time and had given him a plan so that Egypt would be able to survive the coming famine. You had good in mind for Joseph and for Egypt, not harm. Help me, Lord, to live constantly in Your will so that I can live forward with that same confidence and success in all I do for You. Amen.