Years of Plenty, Years of Famine
Joseph, one of the 12 sons of Israel, has always been one of my favorite Bible characters. His roller-coaster ride from favorite son to slave to master of the house to prisoner to Viceroy of Egypt is both amazing and inspiring.
The culmination of the story in holds out hope to every believer going through difficult times: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.” What an inspiring example of God at work in the affairs of men to accomplish His ultimate purposes!
The turning point of Joseph’s experience in Egypt occurs when he interprets a pair of dreams for Pharaoh. He realizes that Egypt will soon experience seven years of abundance, followed by seven years of famine. Joseph is put in charge of the preparations during the years of plenty, so that the people can survive the coming years of famine.
I have often wondered if America might have a similar “years of plenty, years of famine” scenario. At the very least, we would all be wise to consider the personal implications of Joseph’s story and start making appropriate preparations now, during the years of plenty, for any difficult years ahead.
Of course, we’ve already seen some tough economic times. America — and in fact the entire global economy — certainly faced a frightening financial storm in 2008-2009, and then again in the COVID crisis, with lockdowns giving rise to massive unemployment worldwide economic disruption.
But I sometimes wonder if these are “smaller” storms leading up to a bigger storm. What are the implications of having added trillions more to our national debt? And, rather than stepping back from the type of active and interventionist central-bank policies that helped lay the groundwork for the 2008-2009 financial crisis, the U.S. and other nations have doubled down on “Quantitative Easing” policies and negative interest-rate policies. And politics? Things are more fractured and divided than they’ve ever been in my lifetime.
Still, of much greater importance than our national and international problems are the protective principles God has provided to help us prepare individually for future storms. If we’re wise, we’ll use any personal “years of plenty” to prepare for potential hardship in the future. We can do that by diligently working to get debt-free, funding an emergency-savings reserve, investing for the future, and diversifying broadly.
Joseph wisely set aside 20% of the harvested grain, and was able to save not only Egypt during the eventual famine but the surrounding nations as well. That should be our goal — to be faithful stewards when times are good, in preparation for those times when they will not be. In being faithful this way, we may find ourselves being used, like Joseph, as instruments of God’s deliverance in times of distress. (Of course, we shouldn’t be so preoccupied with the future that we fail to be generous givers now.)
A major theme of Joseph’s story is that God is at work even in times of hardship. Like the ancient Israelites, many Americans turn to God during a crisis, only to go back to their “old idols” when the threat recedes. Those crises can be widespread, or they can be individual, as in the case of a neighbor or co-worker falling on hard times. In either case, having our own financial house in order may enable us to reach out and help, while also offering the spiritual food that truly satisifies.
*******
Mark Biller is the executive editor for Sound Mind Investing, publisher of America's best-selling investment newsletter written from a biblical perspective. Through its website, monthly newsletter, and the small-group study "Multiply," SMI helps people manage money effectively so they can live well and give generously.
© Sound Mind Investing
