All Is Good In Egypt ...Or Is It?

Then Joseph said to the people, “Look, today I have bought you and your land for Pharaoh. I will provide you with seed so you can plant the fields. Then when you harvest it, one-fifth of your crop will belong to Pharaoh. You may keep the remaining four-fifths as seed for your fields and as food for you, your households, and your little ones.” [Genesis 47.23-24]

What we see happening here is happening to the Egyptians. Jacob's descendants were, on the other hand, thriving. I don't see in this context that Israel was subject to the 20% tax Joseph levied on the Egyptians. So, from what happened here to what occurs in Exodus 1 is a stark contrast!

Here we see the Egyptians becoming enslaved to Pharaoh. It was no fault of their own, but simply a measure they collectively and literally took to preserve their lives. They submitted themselves to slavery, but Joseph essentially taxed them instead... Or, maybe the tax was slavery... ?

Then, in Exodus 1, we will see a new Pharaoh come to power and, even though the Israelites outnumbered the Egyptians, the Egyptians turned the tables on the Israelites and made them slaves. Talk about a change!

It would be interesting to know more about the details of how this took place. However, with the little understanding we have today regarding kings of ancient times, we find it hard to comprehend that the decision of one man could have such overreaching effect. But, whether we understand it or not, that is exactly what happened.

We must remember however that there is a promise in play here - God's promise to Abraham that He would make him a mighty nation in the land of Canaan, ...not Egypt.

Question: had Israel's prosperity in Egypt caused them to lose sight of the Promised Land of Canaan?

Prosperity is a funny thing - dangerous, really. Throughout Bible history and even in our current day, prosperity has the distinct tendency to cause people to grow lax in their faith and obedience to God. The end result however, as we will see in the case of Israel, is that their prosperity away from the Promised Land eventually turned to slavery.

Hmm.

Father, help us to see clearly what You are saying through the recorded history of Israel that applies directly to us today. Help us to see that prosperity, without the Promise, will become slavery. Is that what we are living in today?