Questions:
8.
a.
God promised to return him to the promised land. He made his son swear an oath to bury him in tomb of the patriarchs. All the time he worshipped God.
b.
Reassurance of a heavenly home. to create a focus on the eternal not the temporal
9.
a.
1. Collected money for payment for food v14, 2. collected livestock for payment for food v16, collected land and servitude for payment of food v 20-21
b.
It gave people autonomy and choice. Even though they entered servitude, they did it logically, willingly and with their own free will and choice. They bought their food, not a welfare state – prepared them to again work and grow and build once the famine ended. It also allowed them to separate themselves from all their worldly possessions, turn them over to a benevolent ruler and then take on the yoke of doing his work.
c.
No, only that he was able, through Pharoah’s kindness, to find a home for his family
d.
Finances, investments, accepting the generosity of others
My Daily Journal:
I think there are great lessons from the passage today, both in terms of how we should help others as well as how we should live our own lives.
The model presented in this story to help those in need is one of providing a “hand up” rather than a “hand out.” It did not dis-empower or dishonor the Egyptian people, just the opposite – it allowed them to exercise their free will. I am a fan of authors such as Bob Lupton and Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert and I believe this scripture supports the approaches they take and recommend.
More personally, however, it also provides a model for our approach to being citizens of God’s kingdom. God gives us the opportunity to shed our desires to cling to things of this world. He gives us choice and freedom, even though (as was the case in Egypt) there is only one truly logical choice. It is only when we release our ability to “pay our own way” that we can receive the biggest blessing of all. As in Egypt, when the people bought their own way, all they received was daily food. But when they turned themselves over full, they received the seeds to grow food, not only to feed themselves but also to feed others.
The Notes are Good 