A PROSPEROUS MAN

“And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.” (Genesis 39:2).

 

Have you ever really considered what it means to be prosperous in this life?  According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary it means to be “marked by success or economic well-being,” or “enjoying vigorous and healthy growth: flourishing.”  This is the commonly accepted definition of prosperity, but is it an altogether accurate one?

 

The Bible seems to present us with a completely different definition of prosperity.  The verse that I have quoted in the beginning of this message is packed full of meaning and insight into this subject.  Let’s break it down to discover God’s mind on the matter.

 

“And the LORD was with Joseph.” 

It is very important to note that Joseph had a personal relationship with God, and for this reason God was with Joseph.  He didn’t leave him on his own, but guided and protected each phase of his life in order to ultimately bless and use him for great good.  Scripture tells us, “Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you.” (Am0s 5:14).  Joseph evidently sought after good in his life, and not evil; and therefore God was with him.  Prosperity starts here.

 

“...and he was a prosperous man.” Prosperity was a result of the Lord being with Joseph.  Truly, if one was to look at the end of Joseph’s life then they could easily say that he was prosperous as the prosperity of the world goes.  He was elevated to a position of power and authority second only to Pharaoh the king of Egypt.  He was given a fine house, expensive clothes, and all that his heart desired, but none of this is what the scripture is referring to when it says that Joseph was a prosperous man, because the next line of our verse qualifies the period of time in which it describes Joseph as prosperous.

 

“...and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.”  Joseph was a slave in the house of a prominent Egyptian at the time that the Bible calls him prosperous.  Not only that, but his own brothers had been close to killing him because they were jealous of him and his father’s love for him.  At the last moment they decided to sell him as a slave to foreigners rather than take his life.  Joseph had no possessions of his own except what he had on his back when he was sold.  He had no home of his own, no horse, no changes of clothes, no money, and certainly no friends; but God still considered him to be a prosperous man.  Why is this?  How can this be?  It is because of what Joseph had in his heart: a deep, abiding faith in his heavenly Father. 

 

God had given Joseph some very special dreams while he was still with his family.  His dreams foretold God’s ultimate design for Joseph’s life—that he would be the savior of his family one day.  Because of these dreams and the great love that his father had bestowed upon him as a child and then a young man, Joseph was able to trust his heavenly Father with his life—good or bad.  He believed that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28).  It didn’t matter that everything in his life was not good: he knew everything would work together for good in the end. 

 

For the years that Joseph spent as a slave, and then in prison after he was falsely accused of wrongdoing, he kept hope alive by believing and reminding himself that God had a plan for him.  Because his attitude and spirit were so positive, and he was faithful and conscientious in all that he did, he was continuously lifted up to positions of importance.  In his Egyptian master’s house he was made the chief steward and his master entrusted all that he owned to Joseph.  In the prison, he was made the overseer of all the prisoners and all that went on in the prison because the prison warden trusted him with everything. 

 

Joseph never lacked for anything during this time in his life; but God was molding, refining and tempering him the all along the way. 

 

Joseph is a type and shadow of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Jesus was loved of His Father and given a “robe of many colors” signifying His diverse spiritual gifts and abilities.  In Him was all wisdom, all ministry, all power, and all authority, yet He made Himself of no reputation and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.  Because His Father loved Him above all, His brethren hated Him, and delivered Him to be killed.  He made Himself a servant for our sakes that we might ultimately be saved.  Though He was the Eternal One, our Lord was imprisoned by a fleshly body for a time, but He was finally set free from all earthly restraints and now sits on the right hand of God in the heavens.

 

Don’t measure your prosperity by the things you possess or the power you wield.  Know this: that true prosperity is a matter of the heart and is measured by invisible things, not things that are visible.

 

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.  But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in His law doth he meditate day and night.  And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” (Psalms 1:1-3).