“The king sent and freed him; 

The ruler of the peoples released him.

He put him as lord over his house

And as ruler over all his possessions

To bind his princes at his pleasure

And to teach his Elders wisdom.

(Psalm 105:20-22)

Here, the psalmist continues with the account of Joseph’s deliverance from Pharaoh’s prison, noting once again that this was a result not of the goodwill of Pharaoh, but it was a work of God’s faithfulness to His covenant. In turn, Joseph was not simply freed, but he was elevated to a place of authority that in Egypt, he was second only to Pharaoh (Genesis 41:40). 

What is striking is what David writes next in this psalm. Joseph, it is said, bound all of the princes of Egypt to the Pharaoh’s pleasure and teach the Elders of Egypt wisdom. These two lines of verse 22 speak volumes. In brief, during the years of plenty followed by the years of famine, Joseph broke the power of the princes and turned Egypt from a feudal state into a dictatorial monarchy where the Pharaoh reigned supreme. 

During the seven years of plenty in Egypt, Joseph instituted a 20% tax on the land owners for the grain they produced (Genesis 41:34). This food, Joseph held to the side to prepare for the years of famine (Genesis 41:49). These seven years of plenty are described as a “great plenty” (Genesis 41:29), which implies that this was not a time of rationing, but of feasting even with this new tax that had been instituted. Likely, few people complained as there was plenty to go around.

When the famine set in, it is clear that the various landowners had reserves from which they could draw for a season (Genesis 41:54). Then, when the people ran out of their own provisions, they looked to Joseph, who controlled Pharaoh’s immense stockpiles of grain. Then, Joseph began selling the grain back to the people (Genesis 41:56). Now, remember from where this grain came. It was the grain of the people that Joseph had acquired due to a new tax. Often, when people think of Joseph’s plan to disseminate grain, they see it as a kind of social subsidy. That is not the case at all, it was taxed from the people and then sold back to them. Pharaoh grew richer and more powerful even in the midst of this economic downturn. 

What happened when the people ran out of money? Joseph began exchanging food for livestock (Genesis 47:16). Yet, Joseph did not take up herdsmanship in the service of Pharaoh. No, later Joseph exchanged food for the land of the people as well as for the service of the people (Genesis 47:20-21). Further, Joseph created a system of indentured servitude, allowing the people to keep 80% of what they produced with the final 20% going to Pharaoh. Yet, now Pharaoh owned the land and the people. They were no longer a free people ruled by regional princes, they were slaves of Pharaoh on his property, farming with his seed, and tending to his animals. There was a semblance of ownership, given that the people could keep 80% of what they produced, but there was never an avenue for self-advancement because they did not own the land, the animals, the seed, the tools, or even their own lives. This is essentially what Fascism looks like when it plays itself out.

Why would a man of God (Joseph) empower such an evil system of government? There are two reasons we can draw from the scriptures. The first was to prepare a haven for Joseph’s family when they migrated to Egypt. The second was as a form of punishment for Egypt’s idolatry. Eventually, God would bring his people out of their bondage to a different Pharaoh and would finally judge Egypt for their wickedness. 

As I look around our culture, there are many people who seem to be calling for this kind of government. On one hand, there are those who simply desire the government to have social programs galore — that ti would be a kind of baby-sitter for the masses. On the other hand, others are quick to give perks to special interests or large corporations for their own gain. What is the result? It gets harder and harder for the individual to get ahead. Think about it, even in our “free” country, the government has the right to tax our land and other things that we own. We pay for it, we improve it, we preserve it, but the government can take it away if we fail to pay our taxes. I wonder if we realize just how close we are to living under a government akin to that of Egypt after the famine. Perhaps this too, is a form of judgment on America for her idolatry. Something to think about.