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The Princes bound to Pharaoh
“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.
The World is Upside Down
“There is an evil that I see under the sun, like an unintentional sin coming from the presence of one who rules: the fool is made high and great and the rich dwell in a lowly state. I have seen slaves on horses and ambassadors walking.”
(Ecclesiastes 10:5-7)
There are two ways in which one can read this text. The first is perhaps the more obvious manner of Solomon’s witnessing how oftentimes the affairs of life reverse the roles that people ought to find themselves playing in culture. And, our temptation might be to think that this is just an illustration of ironic justice, but more often than not, when employed, it becomes a dangerous thing.
One of the dystopian novels that George Orwell is best known for is Animal Farm. This story is meant to illustrate the dangers and changes of fortune that took place during the communist revolution in Russia, but it illustrates Solomon’s point as well. Here there are the pigs, lowly and wallowing in the mud, leading the animal’s rebellion against Farmer Jones. Yet, by the end of the story, it would be the pigs who dressed as men, but this time, abusing the rest of the animals on the farm. Essentially, the slaves were riding horses and making the ambassadors of kings walk beside them.
In my own country, a whole new generation of people are advocating for forms of socialized government due to the problems and corruptions that our own government contains. Now, there is no doubt that our government needs reform, but socialism is not the way to accomplish that aim. Historically, it is the bloodiest and most corrupt form of governmental control that has been known to man…and what is more, it creates contexts like this, where the poor fools are honored and those who have built businesses wisely are torn down and treated as fools. He who shouts the loudest gains and audience with the masses and before long, the pigs are in power, turning the whole farm into a sty.
There is a second way of looking at this that embraces more of a spiritual reading of the text, for if we define the fool and the rich man not in terms of worldly wealth or success, but interpret that in the context of the wisdom that comes from the Scriptures, then once again we see Solomon lamenting how those who are foolish spiritually are often exalted and those who are spiritually wise are often in poor places. And again, we see that this evil is just as prominent today as it was in Solomon’s day.
In our day, it is the rich and famous that we celebrate as a society — actors, musicians, athletes, etc… not those who bring wisdom to the people: pastors, teachers, counselors, etc… The first group is exalted more, is paid better, and is given tremendous grace for the antics they pull. The latter group often is treated as expendable — bring them on board, use them until they are spent, and then replace them with the next guy. This is a more recent phenomenon in our American culture. There was a time in which old pastors and old teachers were valued, honored, and sought after. There was a time when what pastors were expected to do most was to study the scriptures…now that is often the thing that is least valued of the things they do.
And, as a result, the spirituality of our broader culture in America is collapsing. The fools are celebrated and the spiritually wise are largely ignored. The loudest voice continues to attract the attention of the crowd. And with Solomon, I too would pronounce it as evil.
A Presumption of Innocence and a Sad Era in America
I will be the first to say that I love being an American — proud even, in a sense of the word. I am an Eagle Scout back from the mid ‘80s when the Boy Scouts were not willing to compromise their religious footing and spent years saluting the flag as a youth and as an adult-leader (there was no “taking the knee” for me). And, having had the privilege of serving for several years as a pastor just off of Eglin Air Force Base, I have had the privilege of serving many soldiers and military families and I have the greatest respect for those men and women who serve our country to preserve the freedoms and rights that I hold dear.
I also travel overseas…not a lot, but more than many. In those travels I have seen real poverty, not just poverty “American Style” as we often see here (and having served as chaplain for an inner-city rescue mission for three years, I have seen that too). I’ve also seen the effects of oppression on people when their rights have been trampled — or, as in many parts of eastern Europe, those rights have been non-existent.
When I travel, there is no mistaking that I am an American — my cowboy boots and jeans give me away every time. My friends in Ukraine will sometimes ask, “Why would you wear shoes like that?” My response is usually something like, “It is a very American thing to do” or, “Don’t you know that Chuck Norris wears cowboy boots?” Even so, they are comfortable and well, I do like them. Further, on my way home from overseas, there is something of a good feeling that comes over me when I discover we are back over American soil.
America, to me, is more than just a nationality of origin and a name on the cover of my passport; it is both an idea and an ideal — a place where the promise of “liberty and justice for all” is not just something that is said at the end of our pledge, but something for which we strive as a nation. It is both a principle of conduct and a goal for living out our lives.
One aspect of a nation founded on “liberty and justice for all” is that of due process and a presumption of innocence. In many other places of the world, you are guilty because the state declares you guilty, or worse yet, guilty because the mob that happens to be in power declares you guilty. If you think through the ramifications of living under such oppression, well, it is scary. And, one need not go looking too far to find totalitarian governments who have operated in such ways. Orwell’s Animal Farm is not just a warning of “what if” but it is a depiction of what has happened in so many cases where rampant socialism and its uglier brother, fascism, has risen to power.
Over the past week or so, I have watched many of the latest supreme court nomination hearings. And regardless of whether you are a supporter of Dr. Kavanaugh or are not a supporter of his views; the media circus, the accusations flying in every direction, and the dirty politics ought to disturb you no matter whether you sit with the political right or the political left side of the aisle. Yet, what ought to disturb us most, as Americans, is that from the very beginning of Dr. Ford’s accusations, there has been a presumption of guilt and due process has been ignored. Do we now live in such a world where accusations (founded or otherwise) can ruin a man’s career? If that is the case, let us all beware.
According to the ancient Biblical laws, to make an accusation such as this, one had to have two or three witnesses to a crime — “he said, she said” was considered shaky grounds for any accusation, let alone a serious one. And while we do not live in ancient Israel, the presumption of Innocence is considered to be a universal human right by the United Nations and is a fundamental part of English Common Law (which was influential in developing the American Constitution) and is an umbrella that gives meaning to the 5th, 6th, and 14th amendments to the Constitution. The bottom line is that the burden of proof is on the accuser, not the accused.
While I certainly have my own opinions as to the guilt or innocence of Judge Kavanaugh, but they are irrelevant. A man ought not be tried in the courts of public opinion just as he ought not be judged in the courts of the media. There is no question that there are political lines being drawn at the moment — frankly they have been drawn in the sand for a while now, they are just becoming more brazen — but there is something even more important than politics at stake right now — it is the fundamental right of a man to be considered innocent until proven guilty. And do know, if we continue down this road, we must ask ourselves, “What other fundamental rights will we lose?”
It is a dangerous road on which some in our nation have embarked.
Solomon on Income Inequality
“Also, every man to whom God has given wealth and affluence and the opportunity to eat from them and to take his portion and to rejoice in his anxieties — this is his gift from God.”
(Ecclesiastes 5:18 {5:19 in English Bibles})
It seems to me that people today are talking a lot about what they call “income inequality.” What they mean by that statement varies from person to person, but in the broadest sense, it simply means that some people have more money than others. And, were this a simple observation, it would not get a lot of press or excitement. Where it gets press and excitement is that there are some who think that they can change the scales, as it were, and take money from some to give it to others as a way of leveling the playing field. Of course, when the government mandates this, that is a form of socialism and socialism, as a political and economic movement, has been one of the most oppressive and murderous movements in the history of mankind (and normally creates an even greater distance between the “haves” and the have-nots” as it eliminates the middle class).
Yet, that goes beyond our purpose as we look at this verse. Here, if you wish to view Solomon’s perspective on Income Inequality, we find it right here. Some will be poor and work hard for the bread they eat and others will be successful. This, Solomon says, is God’s doing — it is our portion in life, so enjoy what God has provided and give him thanks for it. With both wealth and poverty come advantages and challenges; make the most of them and glorify God in them. Don’t try and use power to steal from those who have more — theft is a sin as is covetousness.
So, while some in our society will always rail against the wealthy, as Christians, let us hear the wisdom of Solomon and not be tempted into sin and evil. And, one of the glorious things about the American society is that for those who are willing to work hard and to sacrifice, there are always opportunities to work your way up from one economic class to another. In addition, when the free-market system in America is working the way it is supposed to do, then those who are lazy, corrupt, or who seek to manipulate the system always have the opportunity to lose everything, falling from one economic class to a lower one. That too may be our lot. Use it to the glory of God.
The Preacher's Study 