So Joseph established it as a law concerning land in Egypt—still in force today—that a fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. It was only the land of the priests that did not become Pharaoh's. – Genesis 47:26

Today's Scripture Reading (September 14, 2021): Genesis 47

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). We have ridiculous arguments between creationists and evolutionists, but that isn't the actual conflict. Specifically, the battle is not about the mechanics of creation, and it has never been regardless of the debates in which we participate. Maybe God molded us out of the dust of the Earth. But it is also possible that God used the principles of evolution to create the world. Yet, this is the ground around which we argue. The actual argument is whether or not God was involved in creating the heavens and the Earth. The Bible says yes with its opening verse; God created the world. And everything that the Bible teaches assumes what it states in its very first verse is true. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth.

And if God created it, then he must also own it. King David asserts that this, too, is true. "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it" (Psalm 24:1). Everything belongs to God. And if that is true, then none of it is ours. Even the fruits of our labors belong to God because we belong to him; we are his property.

The church has long been built on the idea of the tithe. God reserves 10% of what we produce for the furthering of his kingdom. Often this tithe is offered monetarily in our contemporary world. And there is no doubt that the tithe has been abused on both sides of the equations. The worshipper has cheated on their side, not paying the tithe for various reasons, and the receiver has used it for some very questionable purposes. But that is left in the hands of God. The principle remains, God created, and God owns. It is all his; he lets us off by only taking his 10%.

Over the years of the famine, under the management of Joseph, Pharaoh came into possession of all of Egypt. He owned the land, the crops, the animals, and even the people. They lived in service to him. Even their labor was not their possession; all of it belonged to the King. All contained within Egypt had been purchased during the years of famine. The only things that were excluded were the priests and their lands. Everything else belonged to Pharaoh.

So, Joseph made an agreement with the people. Everything you have belongs to Pharaoh, but he will be content with 20% of what you produce. It's all his, but he will allow you the privilege of enjoying 80% of what you create in exchange for the 20%. That 20% will be your acknowledgment that everything you have is a gift that comes from the hand of Pharaoh.

Actually, as far as taxes go, 20% isn't bad. But God's 10% is even better, and it is our acknowledgment that King David is correct; everything belongs to God.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Genesis 48