And Joseph stored up grain in great abundance, like the sand of the sea, until he ceased to measure it, for it could not be measured.
Joseph piles up grain through the seven good years until the counting stops. Commentators press two questions here: how did Joseph stay steady in such plenty, and what is God picturing in these full storehouses?
Abundance Beyond Counting
Joseph is not saving scraps. He is storing a surplus so large that the counting has to stop.
L. M. GrantNow he goes out through all the land of Egypt. He oversees the plans to gather the grain into many storage places. This grain was only one-fifth of the huge crop that the first seven fruitful years produced. The amount was so great that no one could count it.
Plenty Handled Wisely
Good years undo most people. Joseph held steady, because he trusted a Person and not the harvest.
William KellyThe details that follow reveal the admirable administration of Joseph. With most people, overflowing plenty leads to reckless spending and waste. But he knew in Whom he believed. He wisely took up the duty that fell on him more than on anyone else in Egypt, and so provided for the years of severe want. In this way everyone living on the land was to gain the greatest benefit, from the king down to every subject, and far beyond that land.
Nothing Lost
One writer sets Joseph's storehouses beside the Lord's words after He fed the crowd. Both teach the same rule for daily life.
The Bible TreasuryOnly John, of the four Gospel writers, tells us that Jesus said to His disciples, "Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost" (John 6:12). We may have more than enough for the moment. Even so, the Lord would not have us lose His gifts through waste or neglect. God gave seven years of plenty in Egypt, and the spirit of divine wisdom in Joseph planned effective ways to gather up the surplus and store it for the days of famine. Nothing was to be lost! … To waste is to despise His gifts, and to lose them. Thrift is not the opposite of true generosity.
Only Joseph Gathered
The verse names one gatherer: Joseph. The Egyptians lived through the same seven years, but we never read that they stored anything.
Hamilton SmithDuring the years of plenty Joseph uses his place of exaltation to reap a great harvest for Egypt. … It seems the Egyptians took no advantage of the years of plenty to store up for the years of famine. We do not read that they gathered any food. It was Joseph who went throughout the land and gathered up grain. And so today it is the exalted Christ who is reaping a harvest of souls during the day of grace. He is going through the world, gathering His people out of it. But when the days of grace have run their course, He will deal with the people of the world.
Where The Riches Were
One writer asks where Pharaoh's wealth lay once the famine came. His answer is a person, not a place.
H J VineThe whole of Egypt was in need during those seven years of famine. Where did Pharaoh keep all his riches, his wealth, so that he could meet all that need in a way worthy of his throne, his majesty and his glory? In Joseph — not in the storehouses of grain, but in Joseph, with all his wisdom and ability… Now, where are all God's riches today? They are not in Israel, not in the nations, not in the church, or in the gifts, but in Christ Jesus. And so God meets our need — "according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus."
Plenty Now, Famine Later
Joseph filled the storehouses before the famine came. Commentators read the world's present ease the same way.
Frederick W GrantEven now the world is enjoying its plentiful years, and it hardly believes in the future plainly predicted for it. Yet the time of famine is certainly not far off. It will show the resources of the One who will then prove to be the only One able to meet its terrible needs.
Summary
- Plenty. Joseph's stored surplus grew so large that no one could count it. This story starts with abundance, not shortage.
- Prudence. Plenty usually ends in waste. Joseph knew in Whom he believed, so he provided for the years of want.
- Preservation. "Nothing may be lost" is the same wisdom on a small scale. To waste God's gifts is to despise them, and thrift is not the enemy of generosity.
- Person. Egypt's wealth lay in the man who filled the granaries, not in the grain. God's riches today are in Christ Jesus, not in things.
- Prospect. The world is still living its plentiful years and ignoring the famine ahead. That famine will show that only One has resources equal to the need.