Genesis 47:13-19 "And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine. And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house. And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth. And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail. And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year. When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands: Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate."
Genesis 47:23-25 "Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land. And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones. And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants."
As the great famine continued, there was nothing to eat anywhere. Were it not for God’s providence through Joseph, untold numbers would have perished from starvation. The longer the famine lasted, the more money people had to bring to buy corn from Joseph. Finally, the Egyptians and all their neighbors ran out of money.
The day came when the people had to come to Joseph without any money and ask for bread. They thought they had no more to offer. They threw themselves on his mercy, asking if he would let them die. Joseph told them he would accept their livestock in lieu of money and continued to give them bread.
For a year, they were able to eat on the worth of their livestock. The famine drug on until all the livestock of the land belonged to Joseph. They came to Joseph at the end of that year declaring that they now had no money, and no livestock left. With nothing else left to give, they asked Joseph to buy them and their land.
This time, they did not simply ask for bread (corn), but for seed. They knew they were nearing the end of the seven years of famine. They had surrendered everything they had, but now there was hope that the land would be fruitful again. They would be able to restore the land, feed themselves, and bring an offering to Pharaoh.
We often have to suffer hardship before we are ready to relinquish all we have and all we are to the authority of Jesus in our lives. He allows us to realize how destitute we are without Him. There comes a point in which we come begging Him to take us that we might live. Our famine (which may well be spiritual in nature) is at an end when we are blessed to realize that Jesus is all we have, and He is all we need!