The Bible reports in Genesis 41 that at a certain time, the land of Egypt experienced seven consecutive years of famine. And yet, there is no record of mass starvation. Furthermore, people from other nations came to buy grain, as the famine was regional instead of merely local.
What happened? A man of Knowledge happened!
Why was there no mass starvation? Because in the seven abundant years before the famine, someone stored a portion of the harvest each year. The mass starvation was prevented by awareness of the coming famine, seven years before it happened. How could anyone possibly know that a famine was coming in seven years? All the current signs pointed to abundance as far as the eye could see. There was a man in prison because of a false rape accusation. This man correctly interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams as a warning of the future famine. What happened? Joseph happened!
Steps to Knowledge, the book of spiritual practice of the New Message from God, describes Joseph’s prophetic interpretation as one of the outward manifestations of Knowledge.
“Let us say that Knowledge is not the things that are usually associated with it. It is not ideas. It is not a body of information. It is not a system of belief. It is not a process of self evaluation. It is the great mystery of your life. Its outward manifestations are profound intuition, great insight, inexplicable knowing, wise perception in the present and in the future and wise understanding of the past. But despite these great achievements of mind, Knowledge is greater than this. It is your True Self, a Self that is not apart from life.” (Step 10, “What is Knowledge?”)
What happened? A man of Knowledge happened! I am thinking of Joseph because March 25 is the birthday of a man who lived in my lifetime. This man had a similar accomplishment to Joseph, but by different means.
In 1968, Paul R. Ehrlich, a Stanford University biologist, wrote a best-selling book titled “The Population Bomb.” He was one of a number of individuals who noticed a significant change in world population growth.
Dr. Ehrlich’s prediction of world population reaching 7 billion by 2005 was early by only six years. Dr. Ehrlich later went on to forecast that hundreds of millions would starve to death in the 1970s, that 65 million of them would be Americans, that crowded India was essentially doomed, that odds were fair “England will not exist in the year 2000.”
Why did these predictions of disaster not come to pass? Because a man worked in Mexico, India and Pakistan to increase their ability to grow wheat. Mexico became a net exporter of wheat by 1963. Between 1965 and 1970, wheat yields nearly doubled in Pakistan and India. You can read more about his efforts here, here and here. What happened? Norman Borlaug happened!
“Knowledge activates all mental and physical abilities for good. It directs all manner of individual pursuits that are for the benefit of humanity. In the arts, in the sciences, in all endeavors, in the simplest gesture and the greatest act, Knowledge demonstrates a greater life and strengthens all of the highest qualities in individuals who are engaged with it.” (Step 234, “Knowledge serves humanity in all ways.”)
What happened? A man of Knowledge happened! I say Joseph was a man of Knowledge. I say Norman Borlaug was a man of Knowledge. They both made great contributions to their world. They both found ways to be in the right place at the right time. I desire to be a man of Knowledge. I am working on becoming a man of Knowledge. I desire to be the man of Knowledge that happened.
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