Presented to Swift Current Corps, 24 July 2011
By Captain Michael Ramsay
One of my daughters collects stuffed and ornamental cows; when she was involved in 4-H, it was the cow programme she was interested in. We have pictures of her with my mom’s cousin’s cows around Tisdale, Sk. So being as we read about Pharaoh’s dream with the fat cows and the skinny cows, I asked her to share some cow jokes with me. She found me one or two. I found a couple more. Here we go:
What do you call a sleeping bull?
(A bull-dozer.)
What could you call a newborn calf?
(A new moo!)
Do cows give milk?
(No, you have to take it from them.)
How would you get a cow in your car?
(You promise to let her steer.)
What is a milking barn full of happy cows called?
(A merry dairy.)
Where do cows go when they want a night out?
(To the moo-vies!)
What did the bored cow say when she got up in the morning?
("It's just an udder day")
What's a cow's favourite musical note?
(Beef-flat)
How did the farmer find his lost cow?
(He tractor down.)
What sound do you hear when you drop a cow?
(Cowboom!)
Why did the bow-legged cowboy get fired?
(Because he couldn't keep his calves together.)
Why are round hay bales not as good for cows?
(Because they need a square meal.)
Did you hear about the cow that couldn't give milk?
(She was an udder failure.)
Why did the cow have a bell around its neck?
(Because its horn didn’t work.)
Knock, knock (Who’s there?)
Cowsgo (Cowsgo who?)
No, silly, cows go ‘moo’
In our story today we are actually addressing a very serious situation. There is about to be a famine throughout the country of Egypt.[1] The government of the day is well aware of it and our text today (Genesis 41) tells us what they are going to do about it.
We read a few moments ago that God lets Pharaoh’s government know that a famine is coming and God also makes provision for the people so that they can survive the famine. Joseph and Pharaoh obey God and people are saved.[2] We remember the flood story with Noah (Genesis 6-9; cf. also Matthew 6:25; Luke 1:53, 6:21). This is somewhat reminiscent of that: a flood was coming and God let people know about it so that presumably none needed to perish but alas some chose to do so. We know too that in the NT – still to come in the Biblical record, but firmly established in our own historical record now – that God sent His only begotten Son to earth so that no one needs to perish but sadly some people still do make that choice (John 3:16-21). But back to our story at hand – God warns the Pharaoh government of the impending calamity and the hereditary monarch, Egypt’s Head of State, Pharaoh, himself, heeds the warning from YHWH and appoints Joseph to make provision in the years of abundance in preparation for the impending years of famine; he does this by raising taxes by 20% (Genesis 41:33).
Now it doesn’t say how the people reacted to a 20% increase in taxes but if it was in this day, place, and age; I can’t imagine that a 20% tax hike would be a popular measure but Pharaoh obeys God on Joseph’s advice and does it anyway and all in all it appears actually to go really well as far as we know. Egypt has seven years of economic prosperity. Genesis 41:37 records that “during the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully.” Everything is seemingly good. Everyone is presumably happy. The land is producing and God, through Joseph and increased taxation, is storing up for future famine (Genesis 41:30). These are the seven years of abundance.[3]
These years of abundance remind me of pictures I have seen of the roaring 20s. Actually it is not too different from that at all because we know what came after the years of abundance in the ‘roaring twenties’ – they were followed by the ‘dirty thirties’, the ‘Great Depression’ and the Second World War. Famine followed abundance.
But now in our text, it is the good times. It is the years of abundance and, Genesis 41:37, “during the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully.” Everything is good. Everyone is presumably happy. Genesis 41:30, “but seven years of famine will follow them, then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten and famine will ravage the land.”
In the so-called ‘Western World’, in the English-Speaking Empire, in North America, and in Canada today, it seems that we are experiencing our years of abundance right now:
q A new car, I noticed driving by the lot the other day costs upwards of $20 000.00 and there are no shortages of nice cars in this community. According to Statistics Canada, in total, the value of car and truck sales in Canada hit a record high of nearly $54.6 billion. The average sale price of a new motor vehicle in this country rose to about $32,700.[4] These are the years of abundance.
q Houses here cost hundreds of thousands of dollars -these are the years of abundance - but guess how much the average house sells for in Vancouver, BC, where Susan the 2/3rds of the kids and I spent some time?
o Average price for a new home in Vancouver costs between $900 000 and 1 million dollars. These are the years of abundance.[5]
q Apparently a few years ago when we had our last majority government with Chrétien, Canada had so much economic success that it was even beyond belief. These are the years of abundance.
q Teachers have been taking job action here recently for a further raise. They are evidently now, with just a bachelors degree - not a Masters or Doctorate or anything – and some seniority able to earn about $100 000 a year for teaching school. These are the years of abundance.
q There are apparently more TVs than people in Canada. No one needs a TV but there are even TVs in prisons in this country. Some flat screen TVs in this country can cost upwards of $2000.00 . These are the years of abundance.
q We have so much abundance in this country: did you realize that each bomb that Canada is dropping on the North Africa right now costs $100 000.00. That’s $100 000.00 per bomb. That’s not including aircrafts, pilots, wages, other machinery and personal. It costs $100 000.00 for each bomb we are dropping on Libya alone.[6] If we can spare that money than these are certainly the years of abundance.
q More about the abundance of the military: Our neighbours to the south, the leaders of the English-speaking Empire, do you know how much they spent on their military last year alone? $698 billion; almost $700 billion; that is 7/10th of a trillion dollars just on the military alone.[7] Here, these are the years of abundance. We have abundance galore!
Genesis 41:37, “during the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully.” Everything is good. Everyone is presumably happy. Genesis 41:30, “but seven years of famine will follow them, then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten and famine will ravage the land.”
q Today, 1.02 billion people in the world are hungry.[8] Famine is ravaging the land.
q Today, 1 billion people in the world live on less than $1 a day.[9] Famine is ravaging the land.
q Today, nearly one in three people die prematurely or have disabilities due to poor nutrition and calorie deficiencies.[10] Famine is ravaging the land.
q Today, throughout the world, 170 million children suffer from malnutrition, more than 100 million never attend school, 230 million have no access to secondary education, and almost 250 million work to pay for their own needs and those of their families. Famine is ravaging the land.
q Today and over the next ten years, 40 million children in Africa alone will lose their parents as a result of AIDS. Famine is ravaging the land.
q Today, 800 million people have no access to health care. Famine is ravaging the land.
q Today, 1.6 billion people in the world have no access to drinking water.[11] Famine is ravaging the land.
Genesis 41:37, “during the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully.” Everything is good. Everyone is presumably happy. But, Genesis 41:53, “The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end.” Praise be to God though: God provides; Joseph listens to God; Pharaoh listens to God; and Pharaoh’s government serves God by raising taxes 20% to provide relief for those suffering. Joseph believes and obeys God. Pharaoh believes and obeys God. Joseph and Pharaoh heed God’s warning signs of the impending famine; Pharaoh submits to God and Joseph submits to God and His provision for the people by raising taxes and storing up for the impending famine (Genesis 4:39-45). God provided for the people and Pharaoh and Joseph obeyed God to distribute those provisions (cf. Exodus 23:6,11, Leviticus 19:10,15, 23:22, 27:8, Deuteronomy 15:4, 15:7, 15:11, 24:12-15, 1 Samuel 2:8, Psalms. 22:26, 34:6, 35:10, 82:3, Isaiah 61:1, Ezekiel 16:49, 18:12, 22:29, Amos 2:7, 4:1, 5:11-12, 8:4-6, Zechariah 7:10.).
For much of the world today the seven years of abundance have come to an end and the famine is here but we in Canada are still in our years of abundance. God has told us during our years of abundance about the famine that is killing people – men, women, and children around our world today – but the question is, are we listening to God like Joseph listened to God and like Pharaoh listened to God? From our abundance, are we distributing God’s provisions to our brothers and sisters in need like Pharaoh and like Joseph did or are we just selfishly squandering this abundance on ourselves and watching them die?
Did you know that if the top 22 countries (of which Canada is one) gave less than just 1% of their budgets to eradicate poverty a year; it would be eradicated? Did you know that Canada, as one of these affluent, high-tech industrial society in the trillion-dollar class[12] with a GDP $1.574 trillion (2010 est.) and budget expenditures in excess of $677 billion (2010 est.), has promised to give almost that 1% but we are not keeping our promise. Our current government is not living up to our commitments. We are not worshipping God in obedience like Joseph. did We are not worshipping God in obedience even as much as Pharaoh. We are not heeding the warning signs God is giving us. Not only are we not raising taxes the 20% that Pharaoh needed to raise, we are not even providing the less than 1% it would cost us to eradicate poverty.[13] This is disgusting actually. Can you believe that in Canada, which once considered ourselves a Christian country, we now vote overwhelmingly in favour of tax cuts instead of providing for the poor, the needy and the destitute? Can you believe that in Canada we have the audacity to ignore and defy God in ways that even this Egyptian Pharaoh would not dare by refusing to provide for others out of God’s abundance?[14] Today it is, Genesis 41:37, “during the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully.” Everything is good. Everyone should be happy. But for much of the world, Genesis 41:53, “The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end.” God provided for the people in Egypt, Joseph and Pharaoh’s government listened to Him and even though there was a famine in the land, people didn’t need to perish and they were saved (cf. John 3:16-21). If we repent, and obey God then we too today can be saved.
This is how bad it is today with us neglecting to worship God in obedience and in providing for our neighbour. Did you know that the number of people in the world who suffer from malnutrition as a result of hunger is greater than 1.2 billion and the number of people in the world who suffer from malnutrition as a result of over consumption is also greater than 1.2 billion?
Our politicians are well aware of this. Dr. Jack Layton commented a few years ago that “50,000 people die each day in the Third World and Canada can do its share to ease suffering.” One BQ MP made this sage observation (s)he said, “The problem of poverty is not God’s fault; it's man’s, the resources are here. The economy is here. We just need to share what there already is.” But we aren’t. God has provided. We aren’t doing our part.
Genesis 41:37, “during the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully.” During Canada’s years of abundance the land has been producing plentifully but sadly we have not been worshipping him by obeying Him in providing for the marginalized. We have been defying Him in ways that the Pharaoh of today’s pericope would never even dare. Today I encourage us to worship God by distributing His abundance to those who need it rather than just squandering it on ourselves.
Ignoring God’s warnings that he has given us as clearly -even more clearly actually than he gave to Pharaoh and Joseph- is defiance. This defiance of God on our nation’s part here as we neglect our brothers and sisters is bad enough but there is more. Catherine Booth said, “Friends, are you more concerned about relieving temporal distress than you are about feeding famished souls? If you are, you may know where you Charity comes from – [hell]” (Papers on Godliness, p 27-28). And “All other objects and aims of life [are] subservient to the one grand purpose of preaching the Gospel to every creature and striving to win every soul with whom they come in contact to its salvation” (The Salvation Army in Relation to the Churches, pp 31-32).[15]
We mentioned the flood of Noah’s time earlier: We remember the flood story with Noah (Genesis 6-9). There a flood was coming, God was about to drown the world in His sorrow because of our sin and still God mercifully lets people know about it in advance so that presumably none needed to perish but alas some chose to do so. We know too that years later, God sent His only begotten Son to earth so that no one needs to perish but sadly some people still do make that choice (John 3:16-21; cf. TSA doc. 6). This is sad. We have had the gospel shared abundantly in this country. We have had years of abundance from God. Now we apparently have a famine of the word and the work of God coming; so I ask us have we stored up for ourselves treasures in heaven by sharing the gospel with those around us (Matthew 6:19-20)?
My appeal to us today is this: We here are still in our years of abundance Judging by the news we may be coming to the end of it but we need to take the time in our abundance to worship God with our obedience. If we would like to provide for the physical needs in the world, you are welcome to put more of God’s abundance in the offering plate on a weekly basis or grab a sign up sheet here to buy a Gift of Hope to provide for people in this world in abject poverty.[16] And I also encourage us all as good Salvationists and good Christians, to worship God by obeying His command to share the gospel even unto the ends of the earth (Matthew 28:18-20). Pray for the salvation of your friends and neighbours. Invite them to worship with us here. Invite them to serve the Lord. He really does wish that none should perish and He has made the provision that, as we are faithful, even we can be saved.
Let us pray.
[1] Cf. Derek Kidner, Genesis: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press, 1967 (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries 1), S. 209, re: the historical severity of Egyptian famines.
[2] Cf. Gordon Wenham, Genesis 16-50 (WBC 2: Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson Inc., 2000), 393.
[3] Cf. John H. Sailhamer, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM:Genesis/Exposition of Genesis/VI. The Account of Jacob (37:1-49:33)/G. Joseph's Interpretation of Pharaoh's Dreams (41:1-36), Book Version: 4.0.2
[4] Ashley Ker, 'New Motor Vehicle Sales: 2006 in Review' Statistics Canada. Report available on-line (viewed July 2011):
[5] Canadian Real Estate Association, 2007 – 2008. Accessed through Canadian Living. Available on-line (viewed July 2011): http://www.canadaliving.org/house-prices-canada.html
[6] CBC News, ‘Canada drops 240 bombs in Libya air campaign’
Posted: May 25, 2011 4:35 PM ET. Available on-line (Last Updated: May 25, 2011): http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/05/25/libya-cda-bombs.html
[7] Judd Legum 'REPORT: U.S. Military Spending Has Almost Doubled Since 2001', Apr 11, 2011.
[8] UN Food and Agriculture Organization
[9] The World Bank, "World Development Indicators 2007."
[10] World Health Organization (WHO), "Malnutrition."
[12] CIA Factbook, ‘Canada’, Available on-line (viewed July 2011): https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ca.html
[13] Make Poverty History.ca, Available on-line (viewed July 2011): http://www.makepovertyhistory.ca/learn/issues/reduce-global-poverty
[14] But Cf. Walter Brueggemann, Genesis (Interpretation 1: Louisville, Ken.: John Knox Press, 1982), 330.
[15] Cited from Sheepspeak Commentary, ‘Catherine Quotes’ Tuesday July 19, 2011. Available on-line: http://renewnetwork.blogspot.com/2011_07_01_archive.html#4325604199288793490
[16] The Salvation Army, ‘Gifts of Hope’. Available on-line at: www.salvationarmy.ca/giftsofhope
Posts
