Generations after Joseph successfully navigated the nation of Egypt through a crippling famine, a new king rose to power who cared nothing for the study of history.
This Pharaoh feared the abundant Israelite population within his borders, and so he forced them into slavery where they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh.
As a result of the policies instituted under Joseph, one fifth of the produce of the land belonged to Pharaoh—year after year after year. The land along the Nile, magnificently fruitful, enriched her landlords like few other places in the world.
Pharaoh never knew that a Hebrew created the system making his predecessors and himself fabulously wealthy. It probably wouldn’t have mattered to him anyway, as the rest of the story attests to his hardheartedness. Wonderfully ironic none the less. As the old saying goes, no good deed goes unpunished.
Sometimes our success leads to problems down the road. Who knew that high fructose corn syrup expanded waistlines until they burst?
Pharaoh held other options besides enslaving the Israelites, good citizens of his country. His actions point out that even in the midst of wild success (or perhaps because of it) we all need wisdom to navigate our futures, and the future of those who follow.
Exodus 1 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022
Photo by Bradyn Trollip
Pharaoh never knew that a Hebrew created the system making his predecessors and himself fabulously wealthy. It probably wouldn’t have mattered to him anyway, as the rest of the story attests to his hardheartedness. Wonderfully ironic none the less. As the old saying goes, no good deed goes unpunished.
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I see you there, Dave – doing the Math. I love to look at Math also. That’s very beautiful – what you’ve been working on.
Thank you for sharing what you learn. I am not going to get tired of saying that.
I am also not tired of your encouragement and writing in my in-box.
Thank you, Dave Dishman.
I remember you from a LONG way back.
And your wife – Dawn – was my Mentor and Trainer at New Staff Training. Which you know. 🙂
The Math does revolve around the Center. Even I can see that. 🙂
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Sometimes our success leads to problems down the road. Who knew that high fructose corn syrup expanded waistlines until they burst?
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God is pretty good at bursting our waistlines in ways that seemed so ugly – only to show themselves as beautiful.
Beautiful right Now.
CiM