From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field.
Genesis 39:5 NIV
Joseph was an interesting young man. Spoiled by his father and disliked by his older brothers. Sold by them to slave traders. Bought by an Egyptian official. And put to work, likely as the lowest of slaves. Far from home with no prospects of ever getting back. In a foreign culture. And owning nothing.
And yet Joseph prospered. Eventually rising to become second only to Pharaoh in Egypt. How did he manage that? Clearly, God was at work in and through Joseph. Working to ultimately save Joseph’s family from an upcoming famine. But I believe that Joseph also played a part in this saga.
There is no indication anywhere in this extended account of Joseph that he harbored bitterness toward his brothers or his circumstances. Instead, he appears to have remained faithful to God (Gen. 39:9; 40:8; 41:16) and been diligent in whatever task he was assigned (Gen. 39:4, 20-23). And God blessed Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
We might think that is sufficient. That God blesses us and gives us success in all we do. But that was only half the story. The Lord also blessed those around Joseph. Because of Joseph.
Does God’s blessing come to other people because of me? Is my workplace blessed by God because of my faithfulness to God? How about my family? Or the church I am a part of? Follow Joseph’s example and be faithful. And trust that the Lord will bless. Both you and those around you.
