Genesis
47:13 ¶ And there was no bread in all
the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the
land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine. 14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was
found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they
bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house. 15 And when money failed in the land of Egypt,
and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give
us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth. 16 And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will
give you for your cattle, if money fail. 17
And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in
exchange for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and
for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year.
18 When that year was ended, they came
unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord,
how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is
not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands: 19 Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes,
both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will
be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that
the land be not desolate. 20 And Joseph
bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his
field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh’s.
21 And as for the people, he removed
them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end
thereof. 22 Only the land of the priests
bought he not; for the priests had a portion assigned them of Pharaoh, and did
eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them: wherefore they sold not their lands.
23 Then Joseph said unto the people,
Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed
for you, and ye shall sow the land. 24
And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth
part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and
for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little
ones. 25 And they said, Thou hast saved
our lives: let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s
servants. 26 And Joseph made it a law
over the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth part;
except the land of the priests only, which became not Pharaoh’s.
Egypt and Canaan
were both severely stricken by this famine. The people of Egypt, and foreigners
we have seen, put a lot of money in the government of Egypt’s coffers to buy
the grain they needed so badly to survive. Finally, the money ran out so Joseph
took property in the form of cattle and horses and asses for a year after that.
Then, when the government owned the livestock he took the land removed the
former residents to cities around Egypt. Only the powerful priests were exempt
from this acquisition. The people still farmed the land and Joseph gave them
seed to plant but it belonged to the government now. As tenants they had to pay
20% of their crop output as a tax to the Egyptian government. The people were
happy with this for they and their families could survive even though this goes
beyond the famine they are enduring now and carries with it great consequences
for their future.
The issue of
government and government’s place in the scheme of things comes into play here.
We are forced to consider it. This passage states a rather negative truth about
taxation. The ability to demand a portion of the people’s living is like
ownership. Taxation can be considered in one respect a type of slavery. You are
forced to spend part of your working life working for the government. Joseph
says in verse 23 that he has bought them for Pharaoh.
Under the New
Testament after Christ’s resurrection the Christian is told to yield to the
heathen governments of the time, none of them based on any Christian principle,
in their function of punishing evil and protecting the innocent.
Romans 13:3 For
rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be
afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the
same: 4 For he is the minister of God to
thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not
the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath
upon him that doeth evil. 5 Wherefore ye
must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. 6 For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for
they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.
Jesus Himself said
we are to pay taxes to keep from offering offense and performed it
supernaturally.
Matthew 17:27
Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and
cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast
opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto
them for me and thee.
Once a people
starts using government issued currency rather than, as in much of the Old
Testament, simply a valuable metal by weight as a medium of exchange, you
become ensnared in the scheme of government to own its population and control
its economic activity.
Matthew 22:15 ¶
Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in
his talk. 16 And they sent out unto him
their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true,
and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou
regardest not the person of men. 17 Tell
us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or
not? 18 But Jesus perceived their
wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? 19 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought
unto him a penny. 20 And he saith unto
them, Whose is this image and superscription? 21 They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he
unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto
God the things that are God’s. 22 When
they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.
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