“There I will provide for you, lest you and your household, and all that you have, come to poverty; for there are still five years of famine.”
—Genesis 45:11
Joseph, vizier of Pharaoh, whose primary charge was maintaining Egypt during the seven-year famine that ravaged the Near East in his day, speaks these lines to his brothers, whom he is sending back to Canaan to fetch their father, Jacob. He assumes that his father will need convincing to relocate to Goshen, and in fact, when the brothers convey Joseph’s words to the old man, his “heart stood still, because he did not believe them” (Genesis 45:26). To convince him, it took a full recounting of their encounter with their lost brother and all the carts and provisions Pharaoh gave them to make the move possible. At this, “the spirit of Jacob their father revived. Then Israel said, ‘It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die'” (Genesis 45:27-28).
Clearly, the major concern of the time was provision. Only Egypt, among all the nations in the region, took full advantage of the seven years of plenty that preceded the famine (Genesis 41:46-49), so it had the best chance to survive the lean years, even prosper and grow powerful. In addition, “all countries came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all lands” (Genesis 41:57). Canaan was as hard-hit as any place, so Jacob’s family suffered like the rest of the world.
Overall, Joseph’s promise of provision during the remaining five years of famine was the best argument to persuade his aged father to immigrate to Goshen, in Pharaoh’s own words, “the best of the land of Egypt” (Genesis 45:18). If Jacob and his other sons remained in Canaan and tried to survive the famine there, they would become a destitute people, with the likely result that some or many of them would die. Residence in Goshen, though, would not only keep them close to the stockpiles of grain Joseph controlled, but it would also allow them access to the water of the Nile Delta, if for nothing else than to water their flocks and herds that they brought with them. If they could use that water to grow even a little grain or vegetables in the fertile soil of the area, so much the better. They could thrive there even during the worst of the severe famine.
As a savior of the world, Joseph is a well-known type of Jesus Christ. Under the Father, as Joseph was under Pharaoh, Christ provides sustenance during difficult times. He provides life when all others around us are suffering and dying from want of what truly sustains. He provides circumstances and advantages whereby His people can not only survive but also thrive.
Amos 8:11-14 speaks of another famine, a famine of the Word:
“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord GOD, “that I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD, but shall not find it. In that day the fair virgins and strong young men shall faint from thirst. Those who swear by the sin of Samaria, who say, ‘As your god lives, O Dan!’ and, ‘As the way of Beersheba lives!’ They shall fall and never rise again.”
The great famine of our day is not bread and water; we live in a world of plenty. What our society lacks is “hearing the words of the LORD.” God’s words in Amos 8 do not imply that access to His instructions is unavailable—in fact, the opposite is true. Most households contain a Bible or several of them. The problem is that people do not listen to the words written in them! Scripture is quoted in churches across the fruited plain, but few churchgoers actually practice what is preached. There is a severe disconnect between God instructing people about what to do to live an abundant life and hearers following through with obedience to achieve it.
In the last half of the passage, God tells us what such an unheeding society produces: idolatry (the false god of Dan; the false religion of Beersheba), which leads to even the young and strong suffering and, ultimately, falling and not rising—a picture of destruction and death. In other words, if we fail to listen to God’s teachings and implement them, we are rejecting the true God and worshiping a false one (often ourselves). If we then compound the problem by refusing to repent and return to God in humility, we can bet our last nickel that our sinful ways will end in suffering, destruction, and death (Romans 6:23).
We cannot know how many years of spiritual famine stretch before us. But our Joseph offers us refuge, sustenance, and an opportunity to thrive even amid the crisis at the close of the age. He prioritizes His people, the apple of His eye, over the blind and spiritually dead in the world. Our Savior wants to help us not just “get through” the bad times but to excel despite them, and He gives the opportunities, gifts, and strength to make that happen (see Ephesians 3:20). We need only accept them and put in the effort to live as His Word instructs.
So, as part of the Israel of God (Galatians 6:16: “And as many as walking according to this rule [the principles of the “new creation,” the intent and teachings of the gospel, which Paul mentions in verse 15], peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.”), we need to accept His invitation to dwell in the best of the land and live under His provision until the calamity passes and beyond.
