“Is there anyone in whom is the spirit of God?”

The quote above was an extraordinary question asked by an Egyptian Pharaoh in Genesis 41:38, when told his country would be hit with a seven year famine that would “ravage the land” (30). 

But before the famine there’d be seven years of massively good harvests, so Joseph’s advice to Pharaoh was to “look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt” to organize sufficient storage of grain during the seven good years to tide them over the seven famine years (33-36). Pharaoh liked the idea, which stirred his question: “Can we find such a man, in whom is the spirit of God?”  

And isn’t that the question to ask in any difficult situation? Whether it be a touchy political decision affecting the future of a country and its citizens, or an upset between any two people, or opposing groups with very different ideas and agendas? What’s needed most is those in whom is the spirit of God. And to think that even a pagan chap like Pharaoh acknowledged that too.

Which makes this story highly relevant for us today, because we’re facing all sorts of global problems that could “ravage our land” too. And maybe, like the seven good and seven bad years in Egypt, this has also “been firmly decided by God” (32). Because Paul did say in Romans 1:18, that “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth.” So are we in such a time today?

“Suppressing the truth,” for instance, has become a global sport. Censoring and shaming people for even daring to suggest an alternative view to the prevailing narratives on science, climate change, vaccines, Palestine, sexual and gender ideologies, Islam and migrants, etc., has reached pandemic proportions. Hiding and covering up the truth on what really happened in residential schools and dozens of other outrageous lies and scandals has also become a terrible virus ripping through governments and their media flunkies.  

No wonder Christians and Jews are being picked on, who make God their source of truth, because God and truth are being dismissed as irrelevant in the frenzied drive for global state control. Please, then, “Is there anyone in whom is the spirit of God” to help us through our famine of truth – someone “discerning and wise” like Joseph that even our pagan “pharaohs” would accept? But, hang on, “Wasn’t Joseph being a communist?”….(next blog)