Commentary 46: You Reap What You Sow
Mike Smock
Senior Strategic Advisor | I help start, fix, and grow businesses | Author - 52 Business Adages Considered Biblically | Eph 6:10-17
Did Joseph Act Ethically and Fairly in His Dealings With the Famine-stricken Egyptians?
Genesis 47:15-26 shows how Joseph treated the people of Egypt during extreme famine. There are two views of this event. One suggests Joseph took advantage of the Egyptians in need, while the other sees him as a savvy businessman and responsible manager of Pharaoh's resources. Here is the passage (NASB 1995):
15 When the money was all spent in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us food, for why should we die in your presence? For our money is gone.”
16 Then Joseph said, “Give up your livestock, and I will give you food for your livestock, since your money is gone.”
17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in exchange for the horses and the flocks and the herds and the donkeys; and he fed them with food in exchange for all their livestock that year.
18 When that year was ended, they came to him the next year and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord that our money is all spent, and the cattle are my lord’s. There is nothing left for my lord except our bodies and our lands.
19 Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for food, and we and our land will be slaves to Pharaoh. So give us seed, that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be desolate.”
20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for every Egyptian sold his field, because the famine was severe upon them. Thus the land became Pharaoh’s.
21 As for the people, he removed them to the cities from one end of Egypt’s border to the other. 22 Only the land of the priests he did not buy, for the priests had an allotment from Pharaoh, and they lived off the allotment which Pharaoh gave them. Therefore, they did not sell their land.
23 Then Joseph said to the people, “Behold, I have today bought you and your land for Pharaoh; now, here is seed for you, and you may sow the land.
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24 At the harvest you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four-fifths shall be your own for seed of the field and for your food and 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 slaves.”
26 Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt valid to this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth; only the land of the priests did not become Pharaoh’s.
The Egyptians found themselves in a desperate situation, lacking the ability to negotiate from a position of strength. Meanwhile, Joseph held a significant advantage. He had wisely stored grain during times of plenty, guaranteeing survival during the famine. As the time came to utilize the grain, Joseph exercised full control. This allowed him to dictate the terms of negotiation to his advantage. His conditions necessitated that the Egyptians exchange their money, livestock, and land in return for food. Over time, the Egyptians became indebted servants to Pharaoh, working to repay their debt, which also included a tax on all produce from Pharaoh's land.
This transfer of wealth and freedom raises some interesting questions about fairness...
Should free enterprise prioritize mutual benefit in pricing, wages, and trade practices?
As Christians, should we strive for mutual benefit in our pricing, wages, and trade practices?
Is it possible for Christians to compete on mutual benefit when everyone else is maximizing profit?
Finally, what kind of deal could Joseph have offered that might have been "mutually beneficial'?
Executive Christian Business Peer Group Chairman, Workplace Consultant, Kingdom Advancer, Relationship Facilitator, Conversation Instigator, Ambassador for Christ, Student of Curiosity, Recovered Workaholic
2 周The Egyptians were please with how Joseph handled it, likely because Gods favor was upon him. Had Joseph not provided a solution, death would have been likely. It was a value exchange which both parties seem to have happily agreed to. No one went back on their word. I don’t see fault in the transactions. Very similar transactions happened during the Great Depression. Should there be such a need again, I suspect much of the same would occur again.