Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh and said, “God has made me forget all my hardship and my whole family.” And the second son he named Ephraim and said, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.” (Genesis 41:51-52)
Joseph’s fruitfulness and prosperity has come through the unmistakable blessing of God. It’s God who allows Joseph to interpret the Pharaoh’s dream. It’s God who makes Joseph the second-most-powerful person in Egypt. It’s God who brings extreme prosperity to Joseph through seven years of abundance.
Literally, verse 47 says the land “produced by the fistful.” The idea is that the crops in Egypt are growing so fast, once you grab a fistful of grain, by the time you toss it in the basket there’s another fistful that’s already taken its place. And through Joseph’s plan to take a fifth of the harvest, he’s become crazy-rich. So rich he can’t even count it all.
But what’s the purpose for this hoarding? As Joseph proposed to Pharaoh, “The food will be a reserve for the land during the seven years of famine that will take place in the land of Egypt. Then the country will not be wiped out by the famine” (v 36). And now, God is blessing Joseph so he can be a blessing to the people around him. Just what God promised to Joseph’s great-grandfather Abraham in Genesis 12:2.
What kind of fruitfulness has God given you right now? Unexpected money through government stimulus checks? A flexible schedule you didn’t have six months ago? New relationships with neighbors you never really talked to before? How might God want you to use these blessings to be a blessing to others?