How much are you worth?
Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.
It seems our net worth always comes into question. I’m not talking about that nosy co-worker who wants to compare your salary against his. Whether it is the application for a home loan or just trying to figure out if you have enough money to retire on, we are pounded for this knowledge. Sometimes, when we find out, it is a moment of surprise and sometimes it is a scary disgrace.
There are five men that form an exclusive club. Their names are Carlos, “Trey,” Ortega, Warren and Larry. Carlos’ father immigrated to Mexico from Lebanon when Lebanon was part of the Ottoman Empire. His father was fourteen years old at the time and his exit was probably due to the fact that the Ottoman Empire required Lebanese children to be conscripted into the army at the age of fifteen years old. Trey had lawyers for parents and they probably wanted him to continue on that path. Ortega’s dad was a railroad worker. Warren was the son of a member of the US House of Representatives. Larry was the son of an unwed mother.
What a mixture of individuals! Three Americans, one Mexican, and one Spaniard are in the group. With such varied backgrounds, what could they possibly have in common that could place them all in this same group.
Being poor in the early 1800’s, in America, was really tough. Tradition, although there is no way to prove it, says his parents worked at Casso’s Inn in Raleigh, North Carolina and he was born in a small building in the back of this inn. His father died when he was three years old and his Dad was so poor that he had nothing to leave his Mom. Some mothers, like his Mom, were so poor they had to place their children into “apprentice” programs. She placed his older brother and him in one. In North Carolina, the apprentice programs were only a little better than slavery. They had to do whatever their master required until the end of their terms, which usually was when they turned twenty-one years old.
His master, J. Selby, wasn’t a very nice master. So, when he was fifteen years old, he and his brother decided they had enough and they ran away. Years later he would return to Mr. Selby and try to resolve his departure, only to have Mr. Selby demanded far more money than he possessed. It was then he left North Carolina for good.
Twenty pieces of silver was the price. It would probably be gone before you knew it. And if you had a large family, it might work out to about two pieces each. What could cause someone to literally sell another person, especially if that person was family? Sure brothers and sisters are sometimes really annoying and often parents feel like they are going to scream if they hear one more fight, but to sell them away, how could you? And if you were sold into such a life of servitude how could you ever fight your way back or be forgiving of what was done to you?
He was probably a spoiled brat that his brothers and sisters couldn’t stand. It probably did not help that his father had spent fourteen years of hard labor to acquire his Mom from her father. His Mom had troubles getting pregnant, but he did finally come along. He already had ten other brothers from his father’s various relationships. So his father loved him more than the rest and his brothers knew it. Then came his flaunting and that was more than the brothers could bear. So when they had him a great distance from his father, they saw a traveling group who they sold their brother to for twenty pieces of silver. This group, in turn, sold him into slavery. His brothers bloodied the prized jacket his father gave him and told their father he had been attacked by a wild animal and all that remained was his jacket.
Let’s get back to our five friends. Carlos practically owns Mexico. “Trey” has that nickname because his father is the second (junior) by his real name and he is the third (trey) by that name. He also messes around with computer programs. Ortega is a Spanish fashion executive. Warren owns a little bit of everything. Larry worked on a database for the CIA and he is now the CEO of that company. You might know them better for 290 billion other reasons. You see, Carlos Slim Halv, Bill “Trey” Gates, Amancio Ortega Gaona, Warren Buffet, and Larry Ellison are the five richest guys in the world at the end of 2013 according to Forbes Magazine.
Joseph, from the Bible, also, ended up on the better end of his brothers, despite the environment he was sold into. Joseph became the second in command, under only the Pharaoh himself, in Egypt. When a severe drought hit the world, everyone, including his brothers, came to him begging for food because Egypt, thanks to him, was very prepared for the drought.
And what happened to the apprentice? He would become a successful tailor and businessman. He would also become a politician. He would serve as a US Representative, a US Senator, and a Governor. Oh, Andrew Johnson would also become the seventeenth President of the United States.
Prayer: Father, Struggles are never fun. It’s also easy to base our self-worth on the silver we can hold in our hands. But You have an even higher value You have placed on me. Thanks for making me worthwhile to you! Amen.
