Joseph went and told Pharaoh, "My father and brothers, with their flocks and herds and everything they own, have come from the land of Canaan and are now in Goshen." – Genesis 47:1

Today's Scripture Reading (October 28, 2024): Genesis 47

"The New Colossus" is a poem written by Emma Lazarus (1849-1887) penned in 1883 to help raise money for a base for the "Statue of Liberty." Most of us likely recognize the last few lines of the poem.

            "Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she

With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door" (Emma Lazarus, 1883)

One of the problems is that the poem isn't true, not really. Regardless of the nation, most countries don't want either the tired or poor. We would rather have "Your energetic and your prosperous." We want people who will add to our strength and not those who will sap the prosperity of a nation. And most countries have laws and boundaries that will keep the tired and poor away from us. Maybe it shouldn't be that way, and the truth is that even the tired and poor can help our economic situation in time. But we often don't want to wait for them to become productive. We want it now.

Pharaoh had invited Joseph to bring his father, brothers, and their families to Egypt. Like the invitation of "The New Colossus," Pharaoh had invited Joseph's "tired and poor" to come to Egypt. In reality, Joseph had already prepaid the bill. Joseph was the reason Egypt still had food to sell to her neighbors and feed the people of the African nation. Without Joseph, Egypt and the rest of the world would have been starving. The least Pharaoh could do was save the family of the man who had saved the King and his nation. So, Jacob was invited to the country, bringing nothing.

But that is not the way that Jacob came. Jacob came, bringing everything that he had. Yes, he brought his family, but they also came with their flocks and herds. That meant Jacob and his sons were ready to start a business and make a difference immediately. Joseph had helped the nation, and now his family would help, too. These weren't the tired and poor; they were the energetic and prosperous, ready to boost Egypt and make a difference wherever they set their feet. They didn't want to be supported economically by Pharaoh. They sought to support Pharaoh and make a difference in any way they could.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Genesis 48