The 7 Feasts & The Days of Omer

The 7 Feasts & The Days of Omer
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Calendars can be so complex in their calculations as to days and length of a year.
* Roman Calendar of AD45 – So many variations during the Empire
* Julian Calendar of AD46 – 365.25 days per year – Julius Caesar
* Gregorian Calendar AD1582 – 365.2425 – Pope Gregory XIII

The Julian calendar is by 14 days from the Gregorian calendar, for example January 1st of this year on our current calendar coincides with January 14th according to the Julian Calendar. Russia was the last major country to change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar which took place in 1930. Interesting to note, the Berber people of North Africa still use the Julian Calendar as well as most branches of the Eastern Orthodox Church to calculate the religious feasts. At any rate, calendars can seem complicated …

And then there’s the Lunar Calendar as set by the Bible to calculate feasts and times and seasons of harvest and celebration. This year the Gregorian calendar set Easter as the 27th of March while the Lunar calendar used in Israel does not put the coinciding Passover celebration until April 22nd, a full lunar cycle later. (Interesting to note the Eastern Orthodox Church will not celebrate Easter according to the Julian calendar until May 1st this year, a full 5 weeks after the Roman Catholic Church and more than a week after the Jewish Passover.)

The importance may not be so much getting the correct date as it is getting the correction interpretation and the correct estimation of this all important day and its importance to each one of us.

Let’s look a little further by first briefly mentioning the Seven Feasts of Israel and their significance.
1. Feast of Passover
2. Feast of Unleavened Bread
3. Feast of First Fruits
4. Feast of Weeks
5. Feast of Trumpets
6. Day of Atonement
7. Feast of Tabernacles

Leviticus 23 will account for these feasts and further study from their will help to understand their significance to the overall plan of God. The children of Israel were told to live these feasts out each year as a picture and a sign of what God would do for His Children through Messiah.

The Old Testament, the Law of Moses and the Psalms, along with the writings of the Prophets, take us on a natural pilgrimage of a spiritual journey which God fulfilled through the life of His Son, Jesus.
* The Passover Lamb was always about Jesus and His Blood and how God was going to deliver His Children from the bondage of this world.
* The Unleavened Bread was always about Jesus body which would be broken and buried in a grave to provide healing for us.
* First Fruits was always about the Resurrection and the blessing and acceptance of the abundant harvest to come.
* The Feast of Weeks was always about Pentecost and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit and the subsequent indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God. (Joel 2; Acts 2)
* The Trumpets will one day signal the rapture of the Church and our gathering to Him as it always was meant to symbolize. (1Th 5)
* The Day of Atonement will be His Second Coming when they look on Him whom they have pierced and final judgment will take place …
* Tabernacles will be that time when God dwells with us in the ultimate habitation eternal, immoveable and unshakable. (Zechariah 14)

Ok – so what about the “Days of Omer”?

According to the Lunar calendar of the Bible, (and remember it is not the date but the fact which is important), the days of omer begin on the first day following the first Sabbath after the Feasts of Passover and Unleavened Bread and it last 49 days. In other words, the Days of Omer are the 49 days between the Resurrection of Messiah and Pentecost, Pentecost being the 50th day.

So, what does this have to do with us right now in history? We have just celebrated the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus on the first day of the week, as was mentioned in all four Gospels. It was clearly the first day of the week after the Feast of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread began. The resurrection of Jesus coincided with the High Priest going out into the Kidron Valley just before sunrise on the Sunday following the crucifixion and cutting a sheaf of barley at the first ray of sunlight and waving it before the Lord God to the North, East, South and West, asking God for blessings and abundance to come on the great harvest because of the dedication of the First Fruits unto Him.

1 Corinthians 15 NKJV
20 ¶ But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.

And the rest is history … or future … depending on your theology!

On our way to Pentecost!

The Power of His Resurrection

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Philippians 3  NKVJ

10  That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,

There were so many who knew Jesus in the power of His life and in the power of His death.

·        The little woman who touched His clothes and was healed knew Jesus in His life

·        The multitude knew Jesus in His life

·        The woman caught in adultery knew Jesus in His life

·        Even Judas Iscariot knew Jesus in His life

o   They knew Jesus as

§  Helper

§  Healer

§  Provider

§  Friend

The life of Jesus was filled with healings and miracles. Jesus was on a mission to seek and to save the lost. During His life He was found reaching out to and spending time with sinners and those of questionable character or the poor, sick, downtrodden and castaways. Jesus chose to fill His life helping and teaching, providing and encouraging those in need of a Savior.

·        The thief on the cross knew Jesus in His death

·        The Roman soldier at the cross knew Jesus in His death

·        Both Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus knew Jesus in His death

o   They all knew Jesus as

§  Savior

§  Redeemer

§  Messiah

§  The Lamb

The death of Jesus was full of agony. Betrayal, lies, hypocrisy, false accusations, abusive beatings, sorrow, loneliness and grief surrounded the Savior as He walked the path to Calvary. Beaten and rejected, unjustly sentenced and wrongfully condemned to die, Jesus was nailed to a wooden cross and crowned with thorns, His side was pierced and He was given vinegar to drink. Heartbroken and alone Jesus died for sins He did not commit so that others could claim the forgiveness they did not deserve.

There were so many who knew Jesus in the power of His life and in the power of His death.

However that’s not the end of the story … The message of the New Testament is not complete without the power of His resurrection. Many men have spent their lives to help and heal, to provide and befriend. As well many have given their lives in sacrificial acts of love as a ransom for others. Good men abound in the annuls of history – however, only One lived a sinless life, died an atoning death and entered into the bowels of the earth to defeat satan.

Only One took the keys of death and hell from the devil’s clutch. Only One was raised by the power of the Holy Spirit and lives to reign forever as the Lord of all glory. Only One holds the eternal title as Healer, Redeemer and the eternal King of all Kings … It’s because of the resurrection and His Name is Jesus!

I want to know Him in life; I want to know Him in death … but as the Apostle Paul so fervently declared – I live as I live, believe like I believe, and I do what I do:

Philippians 3  NKVJ

10  That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,

11  if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

12  Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.

13  Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,

14  I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Both life and death can be a press but thanks be to God our Heavenly Father who has given us a power that is beyond this life and greater than death. O that I may know Jesus and the power of His resurrection!

A life filled with goodness and a death full of pain, the Messiah was laid in a borrowed tomb. The devil imagined he had won the victory over God and His Son … but he was wrong! The real power was yet to come!

Taken down into the pit of hell covered in the sins of mankind Jesus was led like a sheep to the slaughter … He opened not His mouth. Once standing face to face with the devil who had power over death Jesus, Son of God, Messiah of the Jews and Savior of the World, took His opportunity and bruised the serpents head, took the keys of death and hell, preached the Gospel to the prisoners of death, destroyed principalities and powers, made a show of them openly and triumphed over them once and for all and set the captives free.

Then on the third day Jesus rose from hell and the grave, His Spirit re-entered His Body and He raised Himself up from death by the power of the Holy Spirit of His Father God. An angel descending with the earthquake rolled the stone from the tomb making the soldiers as though they were dead and opened way for Jesus to walk out of that grave alive forevermore as the undisputed King of all Kings and Lord of all Lords, victorious over sin, death, hell and the grave.

If that same power which raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you it will make your mortal bodies truly alive. (Romans 8:11)

The resurrection of Jesus is filled with power and majesty. The wrongs were made right and death lost its sting. It’s the resurrection of Christ that seals Him as the only Son of God and Savior of the World. O that I might know Him and the power of His resurrection and fellowship of His sufferings and be conformed by His death. What a Savior … what a Friend!

Certainly we understand the disappointments surrounding those followers of Jesus 2000 years ago when after they had witnessed the power of His life and then the trauma of His death, they imagined all was lost. It had to have seemed like a dream, perhaps more like a nightmare … Jesus had been betrayed, arrested, accused, beaten, tried, found guilty, sentenced, condemned to die, forsaken, crucified and buried … and all of that had only been 3 days ago … What more could happen?

Mark 16

1 ¶  Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.

2  Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.

3  And they said among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?"

4  But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away — for it was very large.

5  And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.

6  But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.

7  "But go, tell His disciples — and Peter — that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you."

8  So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

The account continues as Mary went to inform the eleven disciples as to what she had seen and heard. It must have been daunting to see them refuse to believe her report … nonetheless, she pressed on.

Matthew 28, Luke 26 and John 19 tell the story of Peter and John who then ran to the tomb and finding it empty they went away perplexed. Mary pressed on supposing the caretaker had moved the body of Jesus to another place since this was the private tomb of a very wealthy and politically influential business man. When she attempted to question one she assumed was the caretaker she found it was Jesus alive and well. He comforted her and sent her on a mission to go and tell.

That evening Jesus appeared to His disciples and rebuked them for their refusal to believe Mary and her testimony of His resurrection. Over the next 40 days Jesus also appeared to more than 500 people before giving His last Great Commission in which He commanded His followers to press on and to go and tell others the Good News.

Jesus is alive!!! O, that I might know Him, in life, in death and in the power of His resurrection.

What is this power? It is the power to defeat the devil and to live above the confines of sin, death, hell and the grave. We have a risen Savior who has given us a power to outlive this world and all of its trouble.

Paul said “to live is Christ and to die is gain!”

Those who are yet unconvinced of the resurrection of Jesus cannot be secure in their eternal life.

When commenting on the passage in John 19 concerning the resurrection John Calvin said:

“The weakness of faith is manifested when the confession of faith is withheld.”

Confess your faith in the risen Savior and in His singular rightful claim to the eternal throne of God’s grace. Believe the Good News and

Happy and Power-Filled Resurrection Day!

The Journey Begins

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We are fast approaching the Easter season which commemorates the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus as the Sacrificial Lamb during Passover week in Jerusalem near the year AD 30. Our calendar puts this year’s celebration of that resurrection on Sunday, March 27^th.

Exactly one week prior to Easter is Palm Sunday, which we celebrate this Sunday, March 20^th. Palm Sunday marks the day Jesus entered into Jerusalem only one week before Passover. He was accompanied by a crowd of supporters who laid palm branches along the path; children cried “Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna to the King of Kings”. This event fulfilled the prophecy of Messiah foretold by the prophet Zechariah:

Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.

Here we are today, just 10 days prior to the date which has been set aside to celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus. This evening I want us to begin our study of this event by tracing some of the steps Jesus took on His historical journey from the Galilee to the cross and ultimately to His resurrection.

More time is dedicated in the combined Gospels to these few last days in Jesus’ earthly life and ministry than to any period. Almost half of the Gospel of John is written about these few days … from chapter 11 through chapter 21. (Matthew 19-28; Mark 10-16; Luke 18-24; & John 11-21 --- 35 Chapters in all detail this Journey to the Resurrection. This equals 40% of the 89 Gospel chapters total)

What a great time it was for Jesus then, and what a great season it is for the church now and for all believers today … Such a powerful time of the year. The Journey Begins – Palm Sunday – Resurrection Day!

God believes and is invested in helping people. He also wants us to help people. We do not serve a God who does not care or who prefers us to stay out of His way. God is not angry with us when we reach out and help others in need. We do not serve a God of karma or a God of vindictive judgment. When we help, we show the love and heart of God, the same heart and help God showed through Jesus, His Son. The story of the cross is a story of God’s love.

Our Gospel is Jesus specific and the Resurrection seals our claim. Without the resurrection Jesus would be just another martyr who died standing up for good and right religious & moral issues. The resurrection is God’s seal on the finished work of Messiah.

Tonight we begin our Easter sermon series following the journey of our Lord, from his home in the Galilee to Gethsemane, from Golgotha to the Garden Tomb, and then the Resurrection. Here we are only ten days prior to this year’s resurrection celebration … but where was Jesus when He stood just days away from that first resurrection celebration? Let’s follow as The Journey Begins

Turn with me to the book of Luke 19

While you turn let me add Matthew 19, in parallel commentary. Matthew 19 tells us that Jesus left the Galilee with His disciples on His way to Jerusalem. As was sometimes the case, He crossed over to the East side of the Jordan River and journeyed down through the land then claimed by Judaea. Once at or near the place where He had been baptized by John over three years earlier, (also the same place where Elijah and Elisha had crossed over the Jordan right before Elijah was taken by a whirlwind into heaven, just about the same place that Joshua led the Children of Israel across the Jordan into their promised land), Jesus and His disciples crossed over to the West bank of the Jordan River and soon they entered into the city of Jericho.

Many parables and teachings are recorded in the Gospels from this leg of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem. The week before Palm Sunday we find Jesus in Luke 19 ministering in the city of Jericho.

Many Jews were making their commanded yearly pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Passover at this time, just as Jesus had done in years past when a boy with His parents. Multitudes walked along together stopping and lodging at convenient places, like Jericho, which was not only on the road to Jerusalem, but was also preferred for its seven cool water springs and date palm groves.

The plains surrounding Jericho were the last staging area for most pilgrims on their way to keep the feasts in the Holy City of Jerusalem. Much excitement would have filled the air along with anxious conversation as people drew near once again to the temple of the Lord and the feast of Passover.

One of the main topics of conversation this year was Jesus of Nazareth. Is He a prophet; a teacher of the law? Is He a heretic or Messiah? Each had their own points of view. And, of course, we have ours.

This was to be Jesus’ last time to make this journey, His last time in this city of Jericho and the last time a sacrifice would be required or accepted by God on the coming high holy day.

Jesus was on His way to be that Sacrifice.

He was the spotless Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world … He would be One Sacrifice for all sin forever.

But, He still had 10 days, and there was work yet to be done. With His busy moment, His evident popularity and the pressing crowd, He nonetheless took time to stop and minister to many and especially to one person in particular.

We begin this evening with verse 1 of Luke 19 reading from the NLT.

Luke 19

1 Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town.

2 There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was one of the most influential Jews in the Roman tax-collecting business, and he had become very rich.

3 He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowds.

4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree beside the road, so he could watch from there.

5 When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. "Zacchaeus!" he said. "Quick, come down! For I must be a guest in your home today."

6 Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy.

7 But the crowds were displeased. "He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner," they grumbled.

8 Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have overcharged people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!"

9 Jesus responded, "Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a son of Abraham.

10 And I, the Son of Man, have come to seek and save those like him who are lost."

There are at least six truths we glean from this story which apply to us today.

1. Jesus is coming to our town … and it may be the last time!

* This speaks to us of the urgency and the fleeting opportunities of life which we need be aware of.

* We should not pass up one opportunity to see and hear Him.

2. (Without regard to how big or small we may be), Jesus knows us by name

* He wants us to have a personal relationship with Him … He already knows us & our situation, only we may not be aware of it.

* He knows the number of hairs on our head. (Luke 21:7)

* Sometimes we have to climb higher, try harder to see Him, but we should never think, that God has not already taken notice of us, does not love us dearly, or does not have a plan for our life.

* He may only be waiting for us to make the effort.

3. Jesus wants to go to your house today

* If Jesus can get into our homes, our inner sanctums, our safe havens, the private places of our life … He can change us.

* Jesus knows your secrets and He still wants to be with you

* Take Him home today with great joy and excitement

4. Jesus will give us chances others may never give

* If you have been bad, Jesus will give you the chance to be good

* If you have been wrong, Jesus will give you the chance to be right

* Zacchaeus, like the woman caught in adultery in the Gospel of John, chapter 8, was not accused, condemned, criticized or rejected by Jesus. Rather he was loved, forgiven, trusted and blessed. So will it be with all who will make the effort and invite Him in.

5. It may not all be about you

* What about that person in Jericho that day who had been robbed of their possessions, cheated out of their income, who could not afford to pay their rent, buy food or clothing for their family, pay their just and honest debts and perhaps had to endure humiliation or even be put into debtor’s prison?

* Who was praying for Zacchaeus to get right with God? Whose cry was heard from heaven and responded to on earth? Why did Jesus take such an interest in Zacchaeus and challenge him to make amends? Could others have been included in God’s plan?

* Which poor widow moved the hand of God to touch Zacchaeus and make him a supply for her daily bread?

* Who hears the prayers? God does!

* Who sees the needs? God does!

* Who knows the resources? God does!

Perhaps it’s not always all about those it seems to be about. Maybe you are but a resource God wants to use. Somebody might be praying for you!

6. When people accuse you or complain about you, let be for something of which you are proud.

The people complained that Jesus was always with sinners and tax collectors. This was something of which Jesus could be proud. Jesus was merely reaching out to those who needed Him and in this He was a reflection of His Father.

When people grumble about you being too Godly or too holy or too kind or too giving or too forgiving or too laid back or too principled or disciplined … be proud! You are a reflection of your Heavenly Father!

Certainly:

We need Jesus to come to our homes.

We also need a new day, a fresh chance, a clean start.

We must humble ourselves and make every effort to see and hear Him.

But just as certain:

We need to be willing for Him to use what we have to meet needs we cannot imagine.

Hear Him calling to you?

Invite Jesus into your home today!

It will bless and change your life.

Climb a little higher for Him.

Who knows the rippling impact … God does!

Begin your journey today.

All In

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A brief account of Acts 16 and the situation leading up to:

Acts 16:30  And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

The answer to this question is the quest of a lifetime.

Acts 16:31  So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household."

There is no way this jailer could fully comprehend what he was about to receive. Neither did he have the time or opportunity to sit in Church, hear a sermon or attend Bible School to learn New Testament theology. The jailer was simply challenged to believe the words these two prisoners told him.

Acts 16:32  Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.

Paul and Silas were given one small and perhaps inconvenient opportunity to tell the jailer what they believed. They took this opportunity to make a clear presentation of the Gospel. They weren’t trying to simply make a sad man feel better or a bad man be better, they were trying to make a dead man come alive and save lost souls … only the Gospel can do that!

Inviting the power of the Gospel into our lives is different than simply resolving to do better.

According to Dr David Shibley, Founder of Global Advance and a true ambassador of Christ in this generation, “If we are not telling the story of Jesus we are either ignorant of the Gospel or ashamed of it.” That could sound critical and judgmental to some. Nonetheless it does bear truth.

How could a person believe the Gospel and not share the truth with others? What, might one asked, is the Gospel?

This is the Gospel:

·        God loves you so much

·        Even though you did not know Him, were lost and destined to die

·        He willingly gave His only Son to die in your place

·        Through the blood of Jesus, God appropriated eternal life for you

·        If you will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be saved … If not, you will be lost in death without remedy forever

·        Believe means to be “All In”

·        This is the Gospel

If we believe the Bible, then we must of pure conscious tell the story. The Gospel will do its work as only it can. Again, how can a person believe the Gospel and not tell others? Perhaps Dr Shibley’s statement bears truth that should lead us to consider within ourselves:

·        Have we been ignorant of the Gospel?

·        Have we been embarrassed about the Gospel?

·        Do we care enough to share the love of God with dying men?

Romans 1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

The jailer we met in Acts 16 had the same question that resounds in the hearts of men and women today: “What must I do to be saved?” The answer is still the same: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ …”

Don’t let the devil scare you, intimidate you or tell you that your words won’t make a difference. Our part is to share the Gospel … God’s part is to deal with the heart of those who hear. (The rest of the story …)

Acts 16:34  Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.

·        Romans 10:14 How shall they know unless someone tells them …

·        1 Peter 3:15 Always be ready to give an account of Gospel …

·        1 Corinthians 1:17 Proclaim the Gospel not the wisdom of words …

·        Romans 1:16 The Gospel is the power of God to save … “All In”.

Money

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Three of the first five commandments which God gave to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden dealt with increase. God told them to be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth. I believe it is God’s will for His Children to increase. I believe it pleases God to see His Children doing better and gaining wealth. Before we read our text for this evening allow me to state a few principles concerning money.

·        God demands we participate in our miracles.

·        The problem with a dollar is that it only spends one time.

·        The reason why you can’t buy what you want is because you bought what you wanted.

·        The quickest way to get a raise is to cut a bill.

·        God wants us to have things … He does not want things to have us.

·        Money is neither good nor bad but dependent on how it’s used.

·        Either you work for (serve) money or money works for you.

Money is a valued medium of exchange agreed between two people and often backed by the government of a country. Whether traded for labor or goods, time, services or gifts, the valued exchange normally comes with a price attached.

We trade one thing for another … the value is usually equaled to an amount of money. Money has been used to make war and to avoid war; to build relationships and destroy them; to put people in prison and to get them out; to bring people closer to God and to draw them away. Money is allowed to make many, if not most, decisions in life.

The love of money is the root of all evil! Money motivated people have a difficult time entering into the Kingdom of God. Even money motivated believers find it hard to give without the promise of return.

Genesis 47

13 ¶  Now there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine.

14  And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, for the grain which they bought; and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house.

15  So when the money failed in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, "Give us bread, for why should we die in your presence? For the money has failed."

16  Then Joseph said, "Give your livestock, and I will give you bread for your livestock, if the money is gone."

17  So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the cattle of the herds, and for the donkeys. Thus he fed them with bread in exchange for all their livestock that year.

18  When that year had ended, they came to him the next year and said to him, "We will not hide from my lord that our money is gone; my lord also has our herds of livestock. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our lands.

19  "Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants of Pharaoh; give us seed, that we may live and not die, that the land may not be desolate."

20  Then Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for every man of the Egyptians sold his field, because the famine was severe upon them. So the land became Pharaoh’s.

21  And as for the people, he moved them into the cities, from one end of the borders of Egypt to the other end.

22  Only the land of the priests he did not buy; for the priests had rations allotted to them by Pharaoh, and they ate their rations which Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their lands.

23  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.

24  "And it shall come to pass in the harvest that you shall give one-fifth to Pharaoh. Four-fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and for your food, for those of your households and as food for your little ones."

25  So they said, "You have saved our lives; let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants."

26  And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt to this day, that Pharaoh should have one-fifth, except for the land of the priests only, which did not become Pharaoh’s.

Perspectives about the above passage … bear in mind – making money is not wrong and gaining wealth is not wrong … however, to use money to hurt people or to take advantage of hurting people and use their hardship as an opportunity to take their money or rob them is ungodly. The world is based on taking and getting while the Kingdom of God is based on giving and receiving.

1.   Joseph was a brilliant strategist …

2.   Pharaoh was money motivated man.

3.   Pharaoh evidently cared nothing for the people … only for their money.

4.   When a government takes all the money of its citizens, money fails.

5.   When money failed they became a nation of slaves.

6.   Money motivated men are dangerous.

7.   The world is willing to take every dollar you have … God on the other hand is trying to bless you.