Genesis 46 and 47: the Road to Serfdom

 Welcome to the Daily Bible Chapter. My name is James Leroy Wilson and I invite you to join me as we discover new insights and new perspectives from a very old book.

I'm reading Young's Literal Translation (YLT) and the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Genesis 46

I don't know if the names and numbers of the descendants of Jacob have any mystical or symbolic meaning.

What strikes me about this chapter is the end, where it seems the land set aside for Jacob's family is, at least in part, to separate themselves from the Egyptians, who find shepherding an "abomination" (YLT) or "abhorrent" (NRSV).

Jacob, that is, Israel, and his people and their ways are strange to Egyptians.

Genesis 47

During the seven years of plentiful harvest, Joseph was in charge of storing up the grain. 

But whose grain? 

In Genesis 41 it seems that Pharaoh, following Joseph's advice, took one-fifth of the harvest each year of the seven years of plenty to store. But, it seems, it wasn't formally the Pharaoh's land; it belonged to the people. 

Then, during the famine, the people had to buy from Joseph the very grain they had harvested. When the money ran out, they exchanged their livestock for food. Then they had to sell their land and their own lives: they were now tenants on land they previously owned.

This seems, at best, a scam. The Egyptians sold themselves into a form of slavery so they could live, while Pharaoh and Joseph got richer. Meanwhile, Joseph's family had the best land and were prospering.

Just like nearly every story in Genesis, this seems morally deplorable, and it is if it actually happened. It makes sense if Egypt represents the body and Joseph represents consciousness. 

Who should be the master?

The body should be the slave to consciousness. That's where abundance lies. When consciousness serves the body, we have short-sighted thinking, the instant gratification over long term abundance.

If not for Joseph, Egypt would have consumed all they had in the seven fat years and would have starved to death during the seven lean years.

The body was created for the spirit, or mind, or consciousness, or God. Not the other way around.

James Leroy Wilson writes Daily Miracles, The Daily Bible Chapter, JL Cells, and The MVP Chase. Thanks for your subscriptions and support!

(Photo credit: TyshkunVictor)