Joseph was one of the most shrewd men in all of history. His wisdom came from two avenues, both of which originated with God. First, Joseph was given divine direction, understanding, and discernment as a supernatural gift from God, and he accepted that gift and used it for God’s glory and for the good of the people around him. Second, Joseph had an innate intellect, also a gift from God, which he put to good use with the knowledge and discernment that God gave him for particular situations. The famine in Egypt and Canaan was just one such situation.
After harvesting and storing grain in the seven plentiful years, Joseph was able to provide for all of Egypt and Canaan during the seven years of famine. In this particular passage, Joseph has sold all the people grain until their money has run out. Now, he was in the position of trading grain for the people’s livestock. In the following year, he came up with a plan to trade grain for the people’s land, and moved them all into the cities. The trade deal involved the people farming the land that now belonged to Pharaoh, and then giving Pharaoh one-fifth, while they kept four-fifths as their pay for their labor. Soon, Pharaoh owned all the land in Egypt and would receive one-fifth of all the crops raised in Egypt. The plan really did work out for all parties, and all because Joseph had a plan!
The old saying goes, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” In this life, we cannot become all God intends unless we trust Him and use the gifts He has given us, as well as the specific revelations that He shares with us when needed. Make a plan, and let it start with hearing the voice of God. Then, use what God gave you to follow the path He has set before you in order to fulfill the plan He is giving you. If you will listen, God will speak!
Devoted To You 