Knee-Mail: “Potipherah, Priest of On”
From: Kent Hovind
Sent: December 4, 2009
To: Potipherah, Priest of On
Subject: Saving during good times to prepare for the bad times
Genesis 41:45 “And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.”
KH: Excuse me, sir. You seem a little upset. What’s troubling you?
Potipherah (PO): Oh, it’s these hard-headed Egyptian people that I try to help. They just won’t listen!
KH: Listen to what?
PO: Common sense! I keep telling them to get ready for what’s coming but they won’t listen!
KH: What’s coming?
PO: Well, last year Pharaoh had a dream about the world having seven good years followed by seven bad years. Joseph interpreted the dream for him so Pharaoh promoted him and gave him my daughter, Asenath, for a wife (Genesis 41:45). He’s a great son-in-law! Anyway, God warned us that there would be seven years of great plenty and it came true. I’ve never seen the earth produce so much food in my life! Times are great and everyone is getting rich but they won’t listen to me.
KH: What are you telling them?
PO: After these seven good years, come seven bad years. They should all be saving up for trouble, not buying new camels and houses they can’t afford. Let’s look at this logically. The average farmer makes about fifty piastres (Egyptian money) a week during normal times. While things are going good, they are making about a hundred per week. Pharaoh is taking 20% and saving it up (Genesis 41:34). That was Joseph’s idea.
KH: Sounds smart!
PO: It is, but the people don’t see what’s coming! During the seven bad years they are all going to go broke and have to live off the 20% Joseph is saving. They will all become slaves of Pharaoh if they don’t plan ahead. They are going to be living on twenty piastres a week for seven years. If they would just save while times are good now, they won’t have to sell everything when bad times come.
KH: I see what you mean. They will have to live on twenty then, so why not save another 20% or more themselves for the bad times? When they get a hundred, they just buy more stuff they really don’t need, and they will lose it all later. They will become servants. Anyone can see that coming. Solomon said, “the borrower is servant to the lender” and “A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on and are punished (Proverbs 22:3; 27:12).
PO: Great advice! Who is Solomon?
KH: I’m sorry. My bad. He won’t be born for about eight hundred years.
PO: We’ll be dead by then for other reasons beside the famine! Anyway, Joseph is a wise man to plan ahead for the famine. He is having huge pits dug in every city to store grain. He’s planning way ahead!
KH: Great thinking. Moses also said people should not borrow (Deuteronomy 28:12-13, 44-48). People who borrow or don’t plan ahead will eventually become slaves.
PO: I agree with those teachings and can see it coming for my fellow Egyptians, but they won’t listen! Who is Moses?
KH: I’m sorry. He won’t be born for a few hundred years either, but all the Egyptians will know about him when he comes! Anyway, what are you doing to prepare?
PO: I’m saving up! I’m telling all the priests to do the same. It just makes sense. We know we can live on fifty piastres a week under normal times; so, while we have a hundred coming in, we should give Pharaoh his twenty, save forty, and learn to live on forty. Then, when the hard times come we won’t even notice. We should plan ahead. It’s obvious!
KH: Sounds simple to me! Americans will be hurting here soon because they didn’t read and head Joseph’s advice! We’ve had it good for many years and most people were foolish during the good times.
PO: Where is America?
KH: Never mind. Thanks for talking with me, sir. Congratulations on getting Joseph as a son-in-law. He’s an amazing man and one of my heroes.
PO: I appreciate him more and more each day.
KH: Me, too ( I Corinthians 10:6, 11).