Genesis 47:17-23

Joseph guides the nation through famine, and in the process makes all the land, livestock and people property of Pharaoh.  What is the value of liberty?

"So 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.
¹⁸  When that year had ended, they came to him the next year and said to him, "We will not hide from my lord that our money is gone; my lord also has our herds of livestock. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our lands.
¹⁹  Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants of Pharaoh; give us seed, that we may live and not die, that the land may not be desolate."
²⁰  Then Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for every man of the Egyptians sold his field, because the famine was severe upon them. So the land became Pharaoh's.
²¹  And as for the people, he moved them into the cities, from one end of the borders of Egypt to the other end.
²²  Only the land of the priests he did not buy; for the priests had rations allotted to them by Pharaoh, and they ate their rations which Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their lands.

²³  Then Joseph said to the people, "Indeed I have bought you and your land this day for Pharaoh. Look, here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land"

Note:  I  note that years later, there arose a Pharaoh who did not know, or care, about Joseph and did not regard his descendants and enslaved them, attempted to kill them and eliminate them as a separate people group.  This is in the context that the general populace of Egypt had sold themselves into slavery to Pharaoh.  Did this include children yet born?  If so, then the entire country, people and land, were property of Pharaoh.  While I can see the desperate situation of the people, I find the sacrifice of liberty to be a horror.  Would it not be better to die than to sell our liberty?  Yet, how would I act, however,  in the face of a relentless drought that had destroyed the entire food supply save what was provided by government?  How much do I love liberty?  Would I defend it, even in the face of dire circumstances?  Would I choose death (here it would be death by thirst or starvation) rather than give up liberty?  Would I choose to immigrate to another land?  Would I be able to do so if I wanted?  What if my life circumstances and the government were like this now?  It's very sobering to consider.

Compare this to the situation described in Revelation in which the "other beast" (the False Prophet?) causes those on earth to worship the Beast.  Revelation 13:16-17 says, "He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name."  While Joseph, in ancient times, cleverly guided the people of the whole region through a terrible famine, here we again find the ability to gain food, and even to participate in the economy, used to force people into an allegiance the takes away liberty, and makes the people prisoners to an ruler; this one horrifically evil.  One could consider that this taking of liberty in Egypt happened long ago, but it has happened over and again, and will happen again.  I don't know when, but it makes me wonder about my dependency on the economy and the national food supply for my survival.  What would I do if I could not access either?