LIFE SCRIPTS

1 Then Joseph came and told Pharaoh, “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and their herds and all that they own, have come from the land of Canaan, and they are in the land of Goshen.” 2 He took five men from among his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh. 3 And Pharaoh said to his brothers [as Joseph expected], “What is your occupation?” And they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, both we and our fathers [before us].” 4 Moreover, they said to Pharaoh, “We have come to live temporarily (sojourn) in the land [of Egypt], for there is no pasture for the flocks of your servants [in our land], for the famine is very severe in Canaan. So now, please let your servants live in the land of Goshen.” 5 Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. 6 The land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land. Let them live in the land of Goshen; and if you know of any men of ability among them, put them in charge of my livestock.” 7 Then Joseph brought Jacob (Israel) his father and presented him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8 And Pharaoh asked Jacob, “How old are you?” 9 Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. Few and unpleasant have been the years of my life, and they have not reached the years that my fathers lived during the days of their pilgrimage.” 10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and departed from his presence. 11 So Joseph settled his father and brothers and gave them a possession in Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses (Goshen), as Pharaoh commanded. 12 Joseph provided and supplied his father and his brothers and all his father’s household with food, according to [the needs of] their children. 13 Now [in the course of time] there was no food in all the land, for the famine was distressingly severe, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan languished [in destitution and starvation] because of the famine. 14 Joseph gathered all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan [in payment] for the grain which they bought, and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house. 15 And when the money was exhausted in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us food! Why should we die before your very eyes? For our money is gone.” 16 Joseph said, “Give up your livestock, and I will give you food in exchange for your livestock, since the money is gone.” 17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for the horses and the flocks and the herds and the donkeys; and he supplied 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 [the fact] that our money is spent; my Lord also has our herds of livestock; there is nothing left in the sight of my Lord but our bodies and our lands. 19 Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we and our land will be servants to Pharaoh. And give us seed [to plant], that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be desolate.”
Genesis 47:1‭-‬19 AMP

https://bible.com/bible/1588/gen.47.1-19.AMP.

Jacob and Joseph’s brothers were presented before Pharaoh. But Jacob made a confession that seemed striking. When asked how old he was by Pharaoh, he stated that he was 130 years old adding that the days of his life has been fewer than those of his father’s yet very troublesome. Infact he used the term ‘pilgrimage’ signifying that he did not consider this world his home. As we look at our lives here on earth, do we consider ourselves as having arrived? Do we see ourselves as so comfortable with earthly things that we’ve lost touch with God? Jacob’s life was that of a constant struggle. He failed many times in his life. Yet the failure he went through seemed to reveal to him his depravity and therefore his need for God. Later on in this passage we see Egyptians flocking around Joseph in search of more food after their rations were depleted. Scripture records that the famine had been very severe. So as they petitioned Joseph, he told them to bring their livestock in exchange for the food. The next year, they came to him empty handed asking for more food with nothing to pay for. The famine brought devastation and starvation all over the region. However, Joseph demonstrated true leadership during the whole situation. God gave him wisdom to know what to do and how to act. These unforeseen emergencies did not warrant a panic reaction but making decisions that put the interests of the people first. What does leadership entail? Here we see a sneak preview. Joseph heard the cry of the people and responded to them. Now a bunch of hungry people are difficult to deal with let alone an entire nation with starving people. Yet Joseph did the right thing and served the people he was leading. Leadership is about sacrifice. Its about service. Its about doing what we promised to do. Since he had promised rations during the entire famine period that is what he would do. He would deliver on his promise. Do we?