What is the meaning of Psalm 105:16? He called down famine on the land The psalmist points to a deliberate act of God, not a random environmental accident. • Psalm 105 reviews Israel’s history; here it recalls Genesis 41:54: “The seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said.” That event unfolded exactly when God willed, proving His sovereign oversight. • Isaiah 45:7 reminds us, “I form the light and create darkness; I bring prosperity and create calamity.” Famine falls within the range of circumstances God governs. • Job 5:10-11 celebrates that the same Lord who withholds rain (bringing lack) also “sets on high those who are lowly,” showing that His purposes behind drought or abundance are redemptive. • Acts 7:11 tells the same story from Stephen’s sermon: “Then famine and great suffering came over all Egypt and Canaan.” God orchestrated that famine to move Jacob’s family to Egypt, preserving the covenant line. Taken literally, the verse teaches that God can and does initiate material scarcity for larger covenant purposes, always consistent with His righteousness and promises. And cut off all their supplies of food The second half of the verse underlines the thoroughness of God’s action. • Genesis 41:56 records, “The famine was severe in every land,” leaving no alternate source of grain; the supply chain was truly “cut off.” • Ezekiel 14:13 shows the same principle: “If a land sins against Me… I will cut off its supply of bread.” God’s judgments reach the very root of sustenance. • Joel 1:10-12 portrays fields ruined, grain destroyed, and joy withered away—echoing Psalm 105’s language and showing how cutting off food drives people to seek the Lord. • 2 Kings 6:25 describes a siege-induced famine so desperate that a donkey’s head became expensive food—another example of God permitting supply lines to collapse when a nation persists in sin. • Yet, in Genesis 45:5–7 Joseph tells his brothers that God “sent me before you to preserve life.” Even when supplies vanish, He already has provision in place for His people. This literal “cutting off” underscores that human ingenuity, agriculture, and commerce are never autonomous; they rise and fall at His command. summary Psalm 105:16 affirms that God personally summons famine and withholds food to accomplish His covenant purposes. He is sovereign over rain clouds, harvests, and international grain markets. Famine is neither chance nor merely nature; it is a tool in the Lord’s hand to redirect nations, test hearts, and position His people for future deliverance—just as He did through Joseph in Egypt. |
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