THE BLESSED MAN IS A BLESSING
“And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand. And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand. And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.” Genesis 39:3-5
Joseph’s lot in life, at least during this portion of it, would not fit into the definition of what many would call THE BLESSED MAN. His brothers, who initially conspired to slay him, had betrayed him. They eventually decided to sell him to some Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver, who in turn sold him to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh. Joseph found himself in Egypt, hundreds of miles from home, alone in a foreign country, and forsaken.
But was he really alone? The Word of God says that, “the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man” (Genesis 39:2). God was blessing Joseph even through his times of adversity. This can be such a comforting truth for us. When God allows trials to come, it should not be interpreted as the absence of blessing. Perhaps God is going to bless us in the midst of our storms. God’s Word says that Joseph was prospering in his troubles.
The way we view our circumstances and our demeanor in them, will greatly affect the outcome. God was so mightily blessing Joseph that it became apparent to those who were around him. Our text says, “his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.” This Egyptian master could see the evidence of God’s blessing in Joseph. As Joseph served him, his master “made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.”
It soon became apparent that God was not only blessing Joseph, He was also blessing Joseph’s master. The testimony of God’s Word is powerful, “the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.” This is one of the reasons God so wants to bless us. He wants us to be a blessing to others.