From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had, in house and field.
Joseph is a slave in a foreign house. Yet his owner's whole estate starts to prosper, and the reason given is Joseph himself. God ties the blessing to one man: it came "for Joseph's sake."
Blessing inside a house of bondage
This blessing lands inside the house of the man who owned Joseph — a house with corruption hidden in it.
William KellyHere was blessing plainly seen in his servitude, and his master's trust at last without limit. "And he left all that was his in Joseph's hand, and took notice of nothing with him except the bread which he ate." Corruption was in that house, and it soon came out in a shameless way. But until then "the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake."
From small trust to large
Joseph treated his owner's house as a place to serve God, and Potiphar saw the difference.
William KellyIn the Egyptian's house he saw a new sphere of duty, and he looked to Jehovah so that he might serve Him and so best serve his master. Potiphar had never had such a slave: in him there was no self-seeking and no working only when watched… Because he was faithful in the least, his master promoted him to greater tasks and much more honourable ones. "And he set him over his house, and all that was his he put into his hand." This was no small sphere of service. It involved running an immense establishment… All of it was new to him, and he had come there so recently and so strangely. Even so, "the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had, in house and field."
The blessing reached house and field alike. Notice what Potiphar then did.
F. B. HoleHe enjoyed more than this ease of mind about the running of his household. Extraordinary good fortune marked all his affairs, both "in the house and in the field." As a result Potiphar left everything "in Joseph's hand."
A whole household for one man's sake
God can bless a whole household for the sake of one person in it. Here that person was the slave, not the master.
George C. WillisNotice that the Lord was ready to save all of Lot's household. The angels said to him: "Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the city, bring them out of the place." Those sons-in-law were probably Sodomites. Yet for Lot's sake the Lord would have saved them, if they had been willing to be saved. (Gen. 19). Potiphar's whole house was blessed for Joseph's sake. And Joseph was his slave.
Called to blessing, called to be a blessing
Joseph's master was a foreigner, not an Israelite. Writers apply this to everyday Christian life.
Hamilton SmithSo Joseph became a source of blessing in the house of the Gentile (v. 5). The Christian is not only called to blessing but, as he passes along his way, to be a blessing.
"For Joseph's sake" — and for Jesus' sake
The phrase "for Joseph's sake" invites a comparison with Christ. Notice too when Scripture records this blessing — while Joseph is still a slave.
F. B. HoleIn Joseph's case it is stressed that he was what he was by the blessing of Jehovah (Gen. 39:3 and 5), and if the blessing of Jehovah was on Potiphar's house it was "for Joseph's sake." So too with the Lord Jesus. He "went about doing good… for God was with Him" (Acts 10:38). The blessing of the Lord was shown among men as never before: healing, deliverance from every kind of evil, and spiritual life came to them. But it was "for Jesus' sake." Divine blessing marked Joseph's whole career. Yet Scripture mentions it at this point, when he was in servitude and obscurity — and not once only, but three times.
Another writer widens the comparison from one house to the whole world.
Frederick W. GrantWith Joseph in it, the house of the Egyptian is blessed by God; but with Christ ministering in it, how beyond words the world was blessed! All the power was there, and showing itself. It could have turned — and will yet turn — the need of man, however great and varied, into an occasion for displaying the wealth of divine loving-mercy. But it did not turn man's heart to God.
Summary
- Presence. Joseph was what he was by the blessing of the Lord. That one fact carries the whole story.
- Position. Joseph was faithful in the least, so his master gave him much more. The blessing starts the day Potiphar hands everything over.
- Reach. The blessing went as far as Joseph's charge went — house and field. His master kept track of nothing except his own food.
- Overflow. A slave carried blessing to the household that owned him. God calls the Christian not only to blessing but to be a blessing.
- For His sake. Potiphar's house prospered "for Joseph's sake." The good the Lord Jesus did among men in His lowly service was "for Jesus' sake" — yet it did not turn man's heart to God.