God's Grace & Favor
Remembering It's Worth
Joshua 8
Twenty Shekels
Joseph first enters the national economy as a commodity, rather than as a ruler, administrator, or powerful man. His brothers stripped him of his clothing and reduced him to twenty shekels of silver. However, their actions elevated him to a higher level of the market, where God gradually increased Joseph's value.
Joseph becomes especially significant given Egypt's interests. Egypt was concerned with maintaining stability, strengthening centralized authority, protecting the Nile's agricultural wealth, and securing resources. During the Middle Kingdom, Egyptian rulers worked to strengthen the royal administration while expanding military forces into Nubia to secure access to resources such as gold and copper. Middle Kingdom historical accounts also describe increased interaction and immigration from Southwest Asia. In this economy, value was measured in land, grain, livestock, metals, and human labor. Joseph enters Egypt, appearing as a commodity in an economy that is acquiring great wealth.
Joseph is seen as having little value, but everywhere he goes, things begin to improve because God's favor is upon him. His value is not based on intrinsic qualities, as he owns nothing, lacks political authority, and initially has no control over Egypt's resources. Yet, Joseph becomes the means by which God demonstrates His salvation and favor upon Egypt.
His Favor
Joseph is seen as having little value, but everywhere he goes, things begin to improve because God's favor is upon him. His value is not based on intrinsic qualities, as he owns nothing, lacks political authority, and initially has no control over Egypt's resources. Yet, Joseph becomes the means by which God demonstrates His salvation and favor upon Egypt.
Egypt, a civilization whose strength was intimately tied to the Nile and agricultural production, faces a crisis its accumulated resources cannot solve. God responds, but not with more land, gold, grain, or military power, but offers Himself in the form of a man who has been sold and bought as a slave. What seemed like a mere commodity turns out to be more than anything Egypt can contain.
God demonstrates His worth through Joseph, with God's favor resting upon him. Initially, he becomes Egypt's property, but eventually he becomes the one God chose.
This story is not about Joseph but about the value of God's favor upon him. God takes what men devalued and places His worth upon him, demonstrating that His favor is beyond measure.
His brothers saw someone to sell. The merchants saw someone to trade, and Egypt saw someone to purchase, but God showed Joseph to be someone whose worth could not be sold, traded, or purchased.
Egypt's tragedy begins when God's worth is forgotten. Exodus 1:7 describes Israel as becoming fruitful, increasingly abundant, multiplying, and exceedingly mighty until the land was filled with God's favor. What God had placed upon one man had now become widespread upon a people. But Exodus 1:8 introduces a catastrophic change: There arose a new king over Egypt who did not know Joseph.
When He Is Forgotten
Not knowing who Joseph was is to not know what God's chosen people were worth. Egypt had forgotten the value of God's favor through one man. Once they had forgotten, what was formerly recognized as God's salvation was now seen as a threat. The new Pharaoh sees God's chosen people as a problem: "Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we" (Exodus 1:9).
Egypt sees God's people but no longer recalls His favor on them. As a result, what should have demonstrated God's goodness becomes an issue: "How do we govern them?" Egypt seeks to reduce God's favor to a mere labor force capable of constructing, working, and multiplying, while perhaps endangering Egypt. When God's favor on Egypt through His chosen people was forgotten and no longer visible, Egypt feared them and said the following: "Come on, let us deal with them wisely. Otherwise, they may increase in number and, in times of conflict, join forces with our adversaries, fight against us, and then flee the land." Regardless of Egypt's wisdom, God's people eventually left the land, with Moses leading the way.
God's command to Pharaoh, "Let My People Go," has profound significance: God was not simply demanding that Pharaoh give up his labor force. He was instructing Pharaoh to recognize His worth through Moses, who was chosen to restore God's favor upon His people.
The Immeasurable Value of God’s Grace
In Exodus 5:2, Pharaoh's question exposes his problem: “Who is God, that I should obey Him? I do not know Him.” Pharaoh's statement was true; however, Moses knew God, and through Moses, God aimed to save Egypt by restoring God's favor upon His people.
Remembering the Cost
God eventually showed Egypt the consequences of disobeying His commands. God's favor is far greater than anything you can imagine. God demonstrated His favor toward Egypt via Joseph, and He demonstrated the consequence of forgetting what it's worth through Moses.
In Joshua 8, Israel became affluent, and God's favor fell upon them once again. They had massive amounts of cattle, silver, gold, land, and military power because they heard God's words and obeyed them.
Joshua 8 is a significant chapter because Israel had already achieved victory over Jericho. However, when they disobeyed God's command regarding wealth, they faced defeat. In contrast, when Israel chose to obey and let go of it, they prospered and gained something far more valuable. What was attempted through disobedience was perfectly received through obedience.
Through Joseph, God demonstrates the value of His favor. Through Moses, God demonstrates the penalty of forgetting what His chosen is worth, and through Joshua, God demonstrates that those who hear and obey His commands are blessed.
Now there came a time when God sent another servant into the economies of kingdoms, whom He called His Son, and when the question of wealth and obedience was finally placed before Him. The officials asked what God's chosen should do with their possessions, specifically tax money: "Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar?"
Jesus asked them to show Him the coin used for the tax. He then asked whose image and inscription were upon it. They answered, "Caesar's." Jesus responded that they were to give to Caesar what belonged to Caesar and give to God what belonged to God.
Jesus was implying that God's favor ensures His chosen manage their wealth appropriately because they have not forgotten whom they belong to, obey His commands, and know what His portion... is worth.