Genesis 47:1-6
Then Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, and said, “My father and my brothers, with their flocks, their herds, and all that they own, have come out of the land of Canaan; and behold, they are in the land of Goshen.” From among his brothers he took five men, and presented them to Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?”
They said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, both we, and our fathers.” They said to Pharaoh, “We have come to live as foreigners in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants’ flocks. For the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now therefore, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.”
Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. The land of Egypt is before you. Make your father and your brothers dwell in the best of the land. Let them dwell in the land of Goshen. If you know any able men among them, then put them in charge of my livestock.”
It is interesting that the Bible gives some guidance here about how to find a good job in a bad time. It is clear that Joseph was a wise man and we see here that he and his brothers were able to find a way to make a living during what was probably the worst economy of all time. I didn’t see this at first but it was revealed to me through a comment that J. Vernon McGee said about this passage.
We already learned that the Egyptians had an aversion to taking care of sheep. We don’t see that they had any trouble eating sheep or using wool, however. The simple fact is, their prejudice against a specific kind of work, gave Joseph’s family a great opportunity. It so happened that they were willing and able to do what the Egyptians found quite distasteful. This is a great way to find good work in a hard time. All you have to do is look for things that people in that society frown on, but that God approves of. Then work hard to do it for other people who won’t do it for themselves. By making ourselves servants of others, we can actually help them and get an income. I don’t believe that we should become slaves of man, however. I do think that, for income, this is a very economical pattern to follow. It also show us that some people would nearly die for their prejudice and laziness rather than work or do something that hurts their pride.
It’s interesting to me that Joseph’s family ended up getting a pretty good government contract out of the situation. Not only did they get to live on good land, they were given the Pharaoh’s cattle to take care of as well.