"Then Joseph said to the people, 'Indeed I have bought you and your land this day for Pharaoh. Look, here is seed for you and you shall sow the land...four fits shall be your own... you shall give one fifth to Pharaoh..so they said, ' You have saved our lives...we will be Pharaoh's servants." vv.23-25
Read chapter 47.
The people's money ran out yet the famine was still severe and they had no other way to get food. So the land becomes possession of the state and a tax is put in place, 20% of their harvest is to go to the state. Talk about high property tax! With this the people are most grateful because their lives are saved and won't die of starvation. They commit to being Pharaohs's servants so long as they're provided for. With Joseph's godly wisdom and direction, this doesn't seem like a scheme of the government just to become rich, but to provide for the people and sustain a government and the Egyptian nation. We don't have God appointed leaders in governments today, yet many governments practice were put in place because of the Bible to take after. What the government does with the tax money can be both good and evil. Oh how we cry out for God's government, His Kingdom, would rule the whole earth! What do you think of taxes and government responsibilities?
No comments:
Post a Comment