Genesis 41 - Don’t Go There….!

Genesis 41 - Don’t Go There….!

Our Genesis text dares to go where my school teachers in California would not let us venture. I remember a Creative Writing teacher urging us to think expansively about everything…except “religion and politics!” I guess Moses did not get the Memo! He unapologetically narrates the transfer of all of Egypt, including all Egyptians, to full control of Pharaoh. History records later Pharaoh’s declaring, “I am Egypt!” And they can thank Joseph! Where is justice? Rights? Democracy? Is this a blue-print for wanna-be-dictators with voracious appetites? This text, like all historical narrative in Scripture, is descriptive (what happened) not prescriptive (what we must make happen everywhere, for all time). Later Pharaoh’s may have used their power to oppress, but those who knew Joseph thanked him for their very lives. His foresight made sure there was food in Egypt, and his wise administration ensured they could eat it.