Hello everyone, Shalom in Christ! Welcome again to the devotional program, “Joseph at the Marketplace” by GLOBAL REACHOUT. I am Tom Nohelty.

Day 18: Wise… or Cutthroat?

Today, the Scripture is taken from: Genesis 47:11-27.

Theme verse:

“So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for all the Egyptians sold their fields, because the famine was severe on them. The land became Pharaoh's.  As for the people, he made servants of them from one end of Egypt to the other.” Genesis 47:20 – 21 (ESV)

Today’s reading is a reminder of how different our cultures and worldviews are from those of the original readers of Genesis. We see how limited we are as students of Scripture, with our assumptions about what is right and normative when it comes to economic and governmental systems. We look at what Joseph did in this passage and think, “Wow, that was kind of cutthroat. Is this really a model we should follow?”

Here are a few things that help as we think about parts of Scripture that, at first glance, seem off-putting or strange......

Time for Reflections.

1. How much do Joseph’s actions in today’s reading bother you and why?
2. If it’s significant, which points from today’s reading are helpful for you?
3. How can you demonstrate the value of human life in your workplace?