Joseph has shown that God is able to provide the Egyptians with a prediction of future events. As Joseph is raised to high position in Egypt let's notice what he does. He readily accepts the exaltation of the Egyptians. He behaves like a mighty prince in Egypt. He taxes the people then allows them to spend their assets buying back what he took from them in the years of plenty. While this action served to protect people in some measure from famine, it did not stop the people from becoming impoverished.
Do we take God's blessings and use them as an opportunity to profit? On one level we certainly should. God makes rich people as well as poor people. Do we accept authority? It is not a bad thing. It can be used to bless people. The question is how we use that authority, how we use that profit. Do we use it to deprive people of what they have worked for? Or do we use it to serve our neighbor and help him to protect and improve his income and assets? Let us remember that where we use what our Lord has given us to tread upon our neighbor we are acting in opposition to his mercy and grace. Has he blessed us? We are to bless those around us. After all, who is it that makes us blessed? Who is it who provides us with our daily bread? Who is it who gave himself to become a curse for us so we could be blessed in the resurrection?
Our God and Father, who is ever merciful and exalted on high, and who exalts whom you wish, we pray that you may work in and through us to bring blessing to the least of these our brothers, as you have also poured out your blessings without measure on us, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
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