March 1, 2008 — 9:27 PM
Who's setting the table?
Genesis 47:13-26
When times are tough, whom do you turn to? Who do you trust?
Times were definitely tough in the lands of Egypt and Canaan. There had been many years of deep famine. In fact, it was this deep, long-lasting famine that motivated Joseph's brothers to come to Egypt in search of help. In the story just before our passage for this morning Joseph received Pharaoh's blessing to move his whole family to Egypt so that Joseph could provide for them in their time of great need.
By the time our passage picks up, the famine had already lasted many years. It was causing profound crises for all the people in the region. You can be sure that many were asking themselves:
"When times are tough, whom can I turn to? Who can I trust?"
When things first began to look bad for the people in the region, they turned to themselves. They worked harder, trying to wring every last crop out of the earth. They tried every trick they could think of to get as much as they possibly could out of the earth. They carefully guarded the reserves of grain and seed that they had. They hoped against all hope that the severe conditions that they were facing would only last a short while. "Surely," they thought, "we will be able to weather this storm and come out stronger on the other side."
Have you ever faced a difficult situation and decided like these people to face it on your own? Were you hopeful that precautions you had taken and resources that you had would be enough to get you through until the situation normalized once again? Maybe you thought, "Surely I am strong enough, resilient enough to make it through until things pick up again."
When times are tough, whom do you turn to? Who do you trust?
The people in Joseph's time thought that they could handle the situation by themselves. But then the years of bad conditions wore on. And people were forced to turn to family members to help them get by. They did this knowing that times were tough everywhere but they hoped to find at least a little help. But any help they found quickly ran out.
And the same happened when they turned to their communities hoping to find just enough to get them through until things picked up again. But things did not pick up. Instead the famine continued to deepen. Family, friends, and the community could be of no help to one another - everyone's resources were depleted.
Have you ever faced a crisis so deep that those around you, those closest to you, were unable to be of help to you? When those to whom you had turned in the past were able only to stand by and lift their hands in a shrug of helplessness?
When times are tough, whom do you turn to? Who do you trust?
When the people had reached the end of their resources as well as of those of their family, friends, and neighbors they had no other choice than to turn to the central government of Pharaoh. They knew that Pharaoh had large stores of grain in reserve. So they came with their money/silver, asking for assistance. And Joseph, Pharaoh's highly skilled administrator, took their money and gave them provisions.
Finally, some relief!
But, oh no! The silver began to run out and the famine was not letting up! Now what?
Times were desperate, there was no where to turn. So the people returned and begged of Joseph to have mercy on them and not make them die of starvation. And Joseph, shrewd business man that he was, agreed to help the people but only for a price - all their livestock.
The people agreed because, really, what use were these animals to them? The land couldn't be worked so animals weren't needed to help with that. And, on top of that, these animals required food themselves, food that the people did not have. So the people brought all of their livestock to Joseph and received provisions for another year.
But still the famine did not let up.
So the people returned one more time offering all that they had left - their dried up bodies (which were no more than walking carcasses at this point) and their dried up farmlands. Nothing seemed of value to the people any more since the famine had gone on for so long. They were willing to give even themselves as slaves to Pharaoh in exchange for receiving the food they needed to stay alive.
Joseph, accepted this offer. But to remind the people that they were working for Pharaoh and not for themselves, he removed them from their own lands and moved them to new ones. Once he had relocated everyone, he gave them provisions and seeds to plant and instructed them to give 20% of everything they produced to Pharaoh in return for what they were being given.
To this, the people replied, "You have kept us alive! May we find favor in the eyes of our lord, in being Pharaoh's slaves."
Do you think they were really that happy about the situation? Do you think they were filled with joy at knowing that everything they had once owned now belonged to Pharaoh? I find it hard to believe that that would be the case. I'd go so far as to guess that there were more than a few left wondering if this life was really worth living. Had the bargain they agreed to really been worth it?
They chose it because the alternative was death. And death is a very strong motivator.
I'm hoping that none of us has ever faced a situation so dire as the one the people of Joseph's time faced. But I wonder what help we have received from the government or from other sources that have put ties on us.
Americans are at an all-time high in the area of personal debt. Banks have made it easier and easier to take out loans allowing us to continue living in ways that may be unsustainable. Credit card offers come in the mail every day offering us the chance to get yet another source of credit that we can run up until it is maxed out.
On the surface our situation looks much different from the one that the Egyptians and Canaanites were facing, but is it really? We are slaves to our lifestyles. We are slaves to living the American dream.
When times are tough, whom do you turn to? Who do you trust?
God says, "Trust me."
When we put our trust in earthly powers, we come to a table that is set with lovely things. But that table comes with strings attached. God sets a table with no strings attached. God offers us bread and living water in abundance.
God says, "Trust that what I offer is enough. Trust that what I offer will be more fulfilling that what the world offers."
It's not easy. It's counter-cultural to say "No" to buying more stuff. When times were dark after September 11, 2001 our president told us to go out and shop! That's the American way. But is it God's way?
When times are tough, whom do you turn to? Who do you trust?
God says, "Trust me."
God sets a table before us week in and week out. God invites us to come to this table to experience just a foretaste of what abundant goodness God wants to shower down on us. But we must turn from the ways of this world - ways that ultimately enslave us- and instead turn to God whose loving graciousness promises to set us free.
Come to the table set by God and experience God's amazing, fulfilling, life-sustaining love. Come.
Amen.
