Genesis 47: 13 – 27
Exodus 1: 7 – 11
The U.S. found in Scripture
13 Now there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine. 14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, for the grain which they bought; and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house. 15 So when the money failed in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us bread, for why should we die in your presence? For the money has failed.” 16 Then Joseph said, “Give your livestock, and I will give you bread for your livestock, if the money is gone.” 17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the cattle of the herds, and for the donkeys. Thus he fed them with bread in exchange for all their livestock that year. 18 When that year had ended, they came to him the next year and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord that our money is gone; my lord also has our herds of livestock. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our lands. 19 Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants of Pharaoh; give us seed, that we may live and not die, that the land may not be desolate.” 20 Then Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for every man of the Egyptians sold his field, because the famine was severe upon them. So the land became Pharaoh’s. 21 And as for the people, he moved them into the cities from one end of the borders of Egypt to the other end. 22 Only the land of the priests he did not buy; for the priests had rations allotted to them by Pharaoh, and they ate their rations which Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their lands. 23 Then Joseph said to the people, “Indeed I have bought you and your land this day for Pharaoh. Look, here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land. 24 And it shall come to pass in the harvest that you shall give one-fifth to Pharaoh. Four-fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and for your food, for those of your households and as food for your little ones.” 25 So they said, “You have saved our lives; let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants.” 26 And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt to this day, that Pharaoh should have one-fifth, except for the land of the priests only, which did not become Pharaoh’s.
27 So Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions there and grew and multiplied exceedingly.
In these last days we are finding a great interest in what the Bible might say about the United States. The result has seen an increase in books and conferences covering this subject. Different bible scholars have strained to uncover key verses that might refer to the US. Here are just a few;
Ezekiel 38: 13, “13 Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, ‘Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?’”’
People have tried to list Tarshish as Great Britain. Her royal emblem is that of a lion. Therefore, since the United States was formally with England, we are the young lions. In reality, Tarshish has never really been fully identified. The bible does say that the entire world will be against Israel in the last days, which would include the United States. We are also quickly becoming a second rate country based on what our politicians are doing to our country, so it might refer to the US. The young lions will be responding without helping and just giving lip service to an attack on Israel. It could be the US but it is not saying much.
Revelation 18 reveals, “16 and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! 17 For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.’ Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance 18 and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What is like this great city?’ 19 “They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate.’”
Here we see a destruction of the great city Babylon. Scholars have tried to identify this city as New York City. I do not think this is correct. New York city, even with 9/11 was not destroyed in an hour. I believe this is actually Babylon, Iraq.
I would like to say that you will not find the US described in any one key verse of the Bible. Yet, I would like to also say that the US is spoken about throughout the Bible. You just need to know where to look. The United States past, present, and future are here in God’s word. The key is to look at our Holy God’s entire word to find what you are looking for.
In the book of Ecclesiastes chapter 1 we read this, “9 That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. 10 Is there anything of which it may be said, “ See, this is new”? It has already been in ancient times before us.”
Ecclesiastes chapter 3 also has says this, “15 That which is has already been, and what is to be has already been; And God requires an account of what is past.”
So, why do I bring up these verses? The key of understanding what is going on today, the present, is to look to the past for the answers. So we read this in verse 13 of Exodus chapter 47,
“13 Now there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine.”
We read that there was a severe famine. This condition as you well know creates food shortages. In addition, we read here that this famine affected not only Egypt, which was the only Superpower in the world, but all the other nations as well. Would it be fair to say that they were facing a global crisis? All the world would look to this superpower for help during this crisis.
“14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, for the grain which they bought; and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house. 15 So when the money failed in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us bread, for why should we die in your presence? For the money has failed.”
The first area to be affected due to this famine was the financial institutions – money. The people were literally up against the wall. They needed to eat so they came to the government for help. Would it also be fair to say that they were looking for a bailout to their economic problems? We see here an issue of supply and demand working. As supply went down, the costs went up to the point that money was worthless – ‘The money failed’. In the book of Revelation chapter 6 we read this interesting fact,
“5 When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.”
We read here the tremendous hardships caused by a food shortage. A denarius was equivalent to a days wage, which means a man and woman have to each work a whole day just to afford food for themselves. This does not take into account other expenses that need to be paid. If a have kids then they can choose a lesser quality of food.
I remember counseling a couple where the husband was complaining that his wife spent too much money at a natural supermarket for food. He liked her cooking but did not like the fact of the significant cost. I called the food store ‘whole paycheck’. To solve their dilemma I told him that I knew of the perfect solution. I told him to let his wife shop for food for her and their daughter and then go to a cheep food store to obtain food for him. At least one third of the grocery bill would go down. I was not surprised to see that he didn’t like that suggestion.
Anyway, back to verse 14. We see here that the government controlled all the economic policies. Verses 16 and 17 tell us what the next principal issues were,
“16 Then Joseph said, “Give your livestock, and I will give you bread for your livestock, if the money is gone.” 17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the cattle of the herds, and for the donkeys. Thus he fed them with bread in exchange for all their livestock that year.”
Two areas of interest are highlighted. First of all, employment was affected, their means of income. Remember that agriculture was the principal way of work. Instead of giving cash for clunkers, the government was giving food for flocks. If the people had to give over their flocks and herds for food, naturally, it would be harder to run their farms. How could they plow their fields, clothe their families, etc.
Secondly, the transportation industry was affected. What? Now were do you get that? How do you think people traveled? Either they walked or guess what? They used donkeys and horses for the means of transportation. With the government taking all the horses and donkeys, I am sure they had to set up a big place to take care of all these various makes and models. I think they might have called this agency ‘GM’ – General Mustangs’
Please note that all these difficulties are not happening one after the other but somehow simultaneously.
“18 When that year had ended, they came to him the next year and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord that our money is gone; my lord also has our herds of livestock. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our lands. 19 Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants of Pharaoh; give us seed, that we may live and not die, that the land may not be desolate.” 20 Then Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for every man of the Egyptians sold his field, because the famine was severe upon them. So the land became Pharaoh’s.”
Do you see what is affected now? They experienced a housing crisis? They lost their homes and land but the government stepped in to allow some of them to still stay. They no longer owned their property but were serfs for the government.
“21 And as for the people, he moved them into the cities from one end of the borders of Egypt to the other end.”
The government through the right of easement moved many away from their former property and sent them to various cities where they would be provided public welfare.
“22 Only the land of the priests he did not buy; for the priests had rations allotted to them by Pharaoh, and they ate their rations which Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their lands. “
We read about a unique group of people who were exempt from all the things going on against all the citizens. This special group was the priests. Who were these guys? Pharaoh, who was the government, appointed these people. They were the religious yes men appointed to positions throughout the nation. Their principal positions were to promote everything the Pharaoh said and did because he was a god to the people.
“23 Then Joseph said to the people, “Indeed I have bought you and your land this day for Pharaoh. Look, here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land. 24 And it shall come to pass in the harvest that you shall give one-fifth to Pharaoh. Four-fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and for your food, for those of your households and as food for your little ones.” 25 So they said, “You have saved our lives; let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants.” 26 And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt to this day, that Pharaoh should have one-fifth, except for the land of the priests only, which did not become Pharaoh’s.”
You cannot have everyone receiving government handouts. Some had to work in order to supply the needed goods and services. We see here the government implementing a flat rate tax scale of 20% on the middle class to provide for the needs of the country.
“27 So Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions there and grew and multiplied exceedingly. “
Joseph was a Hebrew. Yet he worked for the government of Egypt. Please notice a most significant fact brought out in verse 27. The Hebrew’s were not at all affected by the famine. They were God’s people. They grew and prospered separately in the land of Goshen. They were in the land of Egypt but they were not part of Egypt. They never had any of the serious consequences touch them. They had many possessions and were flourishing.
Turn with me a few pages to the book of Exodus chapter 1 in order to see what happens next. Look at verse 7. Here we see a link to what we have been studying. It says almost the same as verse 27 of Genesis chapter 47,
“7 But the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.”
You might be wondering so what does this have to do with us? We are talking about Hebrew’s. Okay! What is a Hebrew? God selected a man from the land that we know of today as Iraq. His name was Abram. The word Hebrew means ‘to cross over’ to the other side in order to be more fruitful. Abram obeyed God and crossed over to the land of Canaan in order to be more fruitful. As a result of his obedience, God gave him a new name. God added His Own Name to Abram. He would be called and remember forever as Abraham.
Abraham became fruitful and had Isaac who begot Jacob. He wrestled with God and God put his hip out of joint. Jacob’s name was changed to Israel. People now recognized him from then on by his walk. Hebrews took on the title Jews after the kingdom split. The people from the north came south to the predominant tribe of Judah from whom the Messiah would be born into and thus associated with this tribe. So we now use the term Jews today and not Hebrews.
Romans 2: 29 says, “29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.”
Romans 10: 8 – 13 also tells us, “8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”(that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”
Ephesians 2: 11 – 19 reveals, ”11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— 12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. 19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,”
You can see here for yourself that God is also talking to us who are His children just the same as He does with the Hebrews. We also are His people. Like Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel, when you become a child of God because of your faith in the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ, you also receive a new name – Christian. You should also be known henceforth by your walk.
“8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.”
So, there was a change in the administration of Egypt. It says that this new leader did not know Joseph. We would think that he never met Joseph or that he never heard of Joseph. These ideas cannot be true. Joseph was about the age of 30 when he was promoted to leadership equal to Pharaoh. He married into royalty and wound up serving as leader for 80 years. He died at 110 years of age.
This statement, ‘did not know Joseph’ rather means that this new leader did not respect the reign of Joseph, his policies, his moral character, his Godly changes to the country, His people, the Hebrews, and his God, Yahweh. This new king wanted to bring about significant ‘change’. The laws of the Hebrew God were not important to him. Egypt would no longer be known as a Hebrew nation.
Many historians list this new king from the Hyksos dynasty. From previous research it is interesting to see that they have not discovered where they really came from. Would it be fair to say that they do not know where this new king was born? From the encyclopedia the Hyksos are recorded as ‘foreign rulers’. They are believed to have migrated from Asia and settled in the land. They were a mixed culture or ethnic group that may have been a Syria-Palestinian origin. Their capital was called Avaris. Egypt was fragmented politically and this group of people came to power.
“9 And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we;”
We see in verse 9 that this new leader refers to speaking to ‘his people’. At first we think this means the Egyptians, but it means his political group the Hyksos. It is interesting to read that this dynasty ended at the time of the Exodus. They really got swept away out of office by a landslide or rather in this case waterslide but not however, before attempting to radically persecute God’s people.
A question I need to ask you is this, how did he know that the Hebrews were more and mightier than his people? Could he have conducted a census for a purpose of increasing the tax base of the Hebrews? Remember Pharaoh owned all the Egyptians and their land but not anything of the Hebrews.
“10 come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.”
If you want a good commentary to understand the Bible more fully look to the Bible for the answers. We read this in the book of Acts chapter 7,
“11 Now a famine and great trouble came over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers found no sustenance. 12 But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first. 13 And the second time Joseph was made known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to the Pharaoh. 14 Then Joseph sent and called his father Jacob and all his relatives to him, seventy-five people. 15 So Jacob went down to Egypt; and he died, he and our fathers. 16 And they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. 17 “But when the time of the promise drew near which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt 18 till another king arose who did not know Joseph. 19 This man dealt treacherously with our people, and oppressed our forefathers, making them expose their babies, so that they might not live.”
This new king dealt treacherously with the Hebrews. Look at the propaganda he threw at this innocent group of people. ‘in the event of war, that they will join our enemies and fight against us.’ This leader and his group of followers were saying that the Hebrew’s were a threat to national security. In fact what he was saying was that the Hebrew’s were potential domestic terrorists.
Pharaoh used the same type of attack on the Hebrews that Hitler used and others are using today on us. That is to first Identify [Christians]. Then Marginalize – [Fundamental Christians]. Then Demonize – [Reasons for the problems]. Then pass laws to steal, kill, and destroy – [hate crimes], Lastly enforce the laws.
“11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses.”
The leader put together national building projects for financial locations that became a great burden on the people. Would it be fair to call this action a stimulus plan?
“12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel. 13 So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor. 14 And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage—in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor.”
Persecution actually strengthens the church and helps it grow. Lazy idleness causes people to fall away from the faith.
”15 Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah; 16 and he said, “When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”
One of the first policies that the new leader implemented was signing into law a late term abortion program.
On wrapping this teaching time up for now, I want to show you something quite startling in the book of Ezekiel chapter 20 verses 27 to 29. The nation of Israel after being freed from their slavery in Egypt was placed in the Promised Land. However, the people forsook God for other worthless gods. So, the following verse is directed towards God’s people.
27 “Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “In this too your fathers have blasphemed Me, by being unfaithful to Me. 28 When I brought them into the land concerning which I had raised My hand in an oath to give them, and they saw all the high hills and all the thick trees, there they offered their sacrifices and provoked Me with their offerings. There they also sent up their sweet aroma and poured out their drink offerings. 29 Then I said to them, ‘What is this high place to which you go?’ So its name is called Bamah to this day.”’
We read just previously from Acts the statement, ‘when the time of promise grew near.’ The Holy Father God promised Abraham that his people would be in Egypt for 400 years. That time was now nearing its end. The problem now was that the Hebrews did not want to leave. They were doing great with all the luxuries and possessions. So, our Great God placed all this bad situations on His people so that they would want to leave. The time of the Exodus was approaching for them and to finish this up for us for the time being, a new Exodus is on the horizon for us a well. May we all praise the Lord! Maranatha!
As children of God we have Him. We need no other God.
