At age 30, at the
height of life, Joseph assumed his work and went about it responsibly. He could
respond with such diligence because he believed the dreams of the Pharaoh were from
God. Joseph knew he only had seven years to store up the grains for the seven
years of famine that were coming. His consistency in trusting God was evident
in the hard work he produced in response to God’s word. Verses 46-49 describe
the feverish pace he went about his assignment. All because he knew what he
told Pharaoh was coming true. The seven years of famine was approaching.
Obviously, Joseph
was not a procrastinator. Very diligently he knew he shouldn’t wait till
tomorrow what he could do today. This teaches us a principle not to push an assignment,
especially an important one where we don’t sense the urgency. Especially one
with a distance deadline. He went about work immediately because he knew when
the deadline draws closer, it will cause panic and the work produced will be shoddy.
We must learn not to push to tomorrow what we can do today. That seemed to be Joseph’s
philosophy. He managed his life with exactness. Although he had seven years, he
paced himself. He didn’t just wait till the sixth year then get all fired up to
work. He kept the end in mind. So he stored up enough grain for the famine. So
much so that the grains gathered were as numerous as the sands and so immeasurable
that he stopped counting. Besides, his wisdom led him to store them strategically
in every city so that it would be conveniently accessible when the time came. Joseph
could keep at the task because of his deep conviction in God’s word. His faith
was constant even when he rose to his position.
Alongside his career, God also blessed Joseph in his family life. With Asenath, his wife, God gave him two sons. The first son was named Manasseh meaning “he who causes to forget.” His birth must have helped Joseph to forget his past and the thirteen years of hardship before he rose to be the second man of Egypt. It must have also reduced his intense yearning for home and his father, and the atrocity he received from his brothers. Like Joseph we should learn to focus on something more positive in the present so that we are not haunted by our negative past. His second son was named Ephraim meaning “fertile.” He was very likely thinking of the abundance found at his work. He was reminding himself of the abundance in the ingathering of produce. So much so that it was no longer possible to count the grains. Joseph was celebrating the blessings, and his life was now filled with buoyancy, hopefulness and of course gratitude.
One thing of significance was, though he had an Egyptian wife and his sons were born in Egypt, he gave then Hebrew names. He did not forget where he came from. Bear in mind his wife was a daughter of the powerful Egyptian priest. Yet he remembered not only he was Hebrew but also his spiritual origin. This reflected how he truly understood and believed in the greatness of God. His firm belief in God produced in him a faith that’s resolute and steadfast. Like Joseph, we are called to steward Gods resources in life. What are we doing with what we have? 1 Corinthians 4:2 tells us that “…it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.” Let us faithfully steward the resource God had placed in our hand - our talents, our time and our material things.
Alongside his career, God also blessed Joseph in his family life. With Asenath, his wife, God gave him two sons. The first son was named Manasseh meaning “he who causes to forget.” His birth must have helped Joseph to forget his past and the thirteen years of hardship before he rose to be the second man of Egypt. It must have also reduced his intense yearning for home and his father, and the atrocity he received from his brothers. Like Joseph we should learn to focus on something more positive in the present so that we are not haunted by our negative past. His second son was named Ephraim meaning “fertile.” He was very likely thinking of the abundance found at his work. He was reminding himself of the abundance in the ingathering of produce. So much so that it was no longer possible to count the grains. Joseph was celebrating the blessings, and his life was now filled with buoyancy, hopefulness and of course gratitude.
One thing of significance was, though he had an Egyptian wife and his sons were born in Egypt, he gave then Hebrew names. He did not forget where he came from. Bear in mind his wife was a daughter of the powerful Egyptian priest. Yet he remembered not only he was Hebrew but also his spiritual origin. This reflected how he truly understood and believed in the greatness of God. His firm belief in God produced in him a faith that’s resolute and steadfast. Like Joseph, we are called to steward Gods resources in life. What are we doing with what we have? 1 Corinthians 4:2 tells us that “…it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.” Let us faithfully steward the resource God had placed in our hand - our talents, our time and our material things.
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