Joseph the buyer of land

Concluding meditation from the life of Joseph

    Genesis 47.20 “ So Joseph bought all the land for Pharaoh.....................”

This is a small picture of God’s claim upon the whole earth, and in particular through the redemption wrought by Christ, all belongs to HIM.

   Much strife and warfare has proceeded from the efforts of men to conquer land for a possession, land for agriculture , land for mineral wealth, land for power over people, land for security etc.

           How different it would be if all peoples recognised what the Bible teaches  -- we are all tenants on God’s land (Leviticus 25.23). Really no one has ‘land rights’ except the Lord Jesus. He as the creator (John 1) has the ownership of the earth. He as the final judge will call to account what we have done with the stewardship of earth. Presently political leaders rise, ruin and run away, but in the day when the books are opened, each one, great and small will be judged according to the responsibility granted.

   

      As one put it recently at a conference ‘ours is not so much to save the planet, but rather to be good stewards of what we have’

    Joseph did not operate by self attained wisdom or even scientific knowledge – rather he acted under the revealing hand of God and thus saved more than one nation. May present day leaders do the same. ( I have met some who do seek to take orders from above.)

    Of course we have a stewardship of more than land. How wise we should be with our time, money, relationships, children , skills  etc

        It is interesting reading to see what happened when another king rose up who did not know Joseph   -  the nation turned to oppression and was basically destroyed by self indulgence – how like today when people refuse to know and yield to the heavenly Joseph.(  Jesus Christ the  Lord)

J McKee