This piece is part of my 2016–2026 archive migration. Some original formatting, content, and external links may be missing, changed, or not be optimized.
The Egyptian Famine Tells You Everything You Need About Money
Whether or not you’re into the Bible, the book has a sh*t ton of invaluable advice about money. If you follow what it says, you will financially excel.
The following story is about how famine overtook the land worldwide. Due to lack of preparation, people suffered significantly and eventually enslaved themselves because they were not financially prepared.
The Story
The time eventually came when there was no food anywhere. The famine was very bad. Egypt and Canaan alike were devastated by the famine. Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan to pay for the distribution of food. He banked the money in Pharaoh’s palace. When the money from Egypt and Canaan had run out, the Egyptians came to Joseph. “Food! Give us food! Are you going to watch us die right in front of you? The money is all gone.”
16–17 Joseph said, “Bring your livestock. I’ll trade you food for livestock since your money’s run out.” So they brought Joseph their livestock. He traded them food for their horses, sheep, cattle, and donkeys. He got them through that year in exchange for all their livestock.
18–19 When that year was over, the next year rolled around and they were back, saying, “Master, it’s no secret to you that we’re broke: our money’s gone and we’ve traded you all our livestock. We’ve nothing left to barter with but our bodies and our farms. What use are our bodies and our land if we stand here and starve to death right in front of you? Trade us food for our bodies and our land. We’ll be slaves to Pharaoh and give up our land – all we ask is seed for survival, just enough to live on and keep the farms alive.”
20–21 So Joseph bought up all the farms in Egypt for Pharaoh. Every Egyptian sold his land – the famine was that bad. That’s how Pharaoh ended up owning all the land and the people ended up slaves; Joseph reduced the people to slavery from one end of Egypt to the other.
The Lesson
Joseph started preparing for the famine far in advance; he had intel that seven years of good times and seven years of bad times were coming (similar to how we have bull and bear markets).
How did Joseph prepare?
He spent seven years aggressively investing and saving resources (i.e., money, food, and livestock) for himself, his family, and all of Egpyt.
But so many resources were set aside that people worldwide came to Egypt to obtain resources from him.
Unfortunately, many were not savers, leading them to sell their property, livestock, resources, and eventually themselves.
What happens when you don’t financially plan?
You become financially enslaved.
Economic turmoil is inevitable; you will experience it at some point.
If you financially prepare, you will be unaffected – as Joseph was.
If you don’t financially prepare, you will be affected and have to borrow resources, leading to financial enslavement (debt). Some people escape the clutches of debt, but many go to their graves with it.
One Sentence Takeaway
Invest a percentage of your income to make yourself immune to economic downturns.
This content is for informational purposes only — not professional advice. Consult a qualified professional before making any major decisions.