“¹⁶Then Joseph said, “Give your livestock, and I will give you bread for your livestock, if the money is gone.” ¹⁷So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the cattle of the herds, and for the donkeys. Thus he fed them with bread in exchange for all their livestock that year.”

– Genesis 47:16-17 (NKJV)

“Then Joseph said, “Give your livestock, and I will give you bread for your livestock, if the money is gone.” (The people have now already been successfully trained in sacrificing their money – that which many hold dearest [and therein uprooting any mammon type idolatry] – in this global test revealing the heart of man which ultimately begs the question: what will man give to obtain life; to live? For the literal bread to sustain his earthly life, but also in the most ultimate sense: what will man give for The Bread of Life that will sustain his life eternally, and to Whom will he come to obtain it . . . ? All other idols of the heart, all other dependencies apart from God, must now be brought to light. Having given all his money, what else will man sacrifice to buy The Field where The Greatest Treasure is buried, The Pearl of Greatest Value? On a different note we also now begin to recognise here more firstfruits of the ritualistic sacrifice of the innocent [sinless animals and ultimately The Lamb Of God Himself] in order to atone for sin and draw near to a Holy God.) So they brought  their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses  (will you sacrifice that which you depend upon for strength?), the flocks, the cattle of the herds (will you place upon the altar what cattle you have, before “Him Who Owns The Cattle On A Thousand Hills”: Trusting that He will multiply whatever you have surrendered to him fully), and for the donkeys (will you freely give your donkey and little colt to The King that he might ride in upon it before the people and be praised: “Hosanna”! , for truly, truly even your most meagre, humble sacrifice – if it be all that you possess in this world [Mark 12:41-44] – is deeply precious to Our Lord and He is able to use it in the most significant of ways ☺️). Thus he fed them (do you hunger and thirst for righteousness? You will be fed.) with bread in exchange for all (🎶 “I surrender all” 🎶) their livestock that year (for: 🎶 “I don’t want to gain the whole world and lose my soul” 🎶).” *

* Finally, on a very practical level, I cannot help but smile as I recognise God’s Providential Plan in ensuring herein that all these animals will now be well-fed in the palace under Joseph, where they might scarcely have survived had they remained in famine with their owners. A principle that to me personally as an animal lover has brought great comfort, also as it pertains to animal sacrifice in a larger sense: in that these dear innocent animals who freely give their short lives upon the earth to illustrate God’s saving power are then quickly taken up to be with Him upon their death in The Palace (The Heavenly Kingdom) in the bosom of The Joseph (Our Creator-King Jesus; Lord of All ☺️).