Blessed – Page 2 – Praying Pint

47.y. “Wilderness” – 12.d. “Balaam refuses to come with us.”

Num 22:7 So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fees for divination in their hand. And they came to Balaam and gave him Balak’s message. And he said to them, “Lodge here tonight, and I will bring back word to you, as the LORD speaks to me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam. And God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?” And Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me, saying, ‘Behold, a people has come out of Egypt, and it covers the face of the earth. Now come, curse them for me. Perhaps I shall be able to fight against them and drive them out.’” God said to Balaam, “You shall not go with them. You shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.” So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, “Go to your own land, for the LORD has refused to let me go with you.” So the princes of Moab rose and went to Balak and said, “Balaam refuses to come with us.”

Immediately, the heart of Balaam was revealed. Though he was obviously a man with significant spiritual gifts, he was not a man with a genuine heart after God. He was “seeking God’s will” regarding something that was plainly not His will. Balaam began on a dangerous course – entertaining, planning, setting his heart on something he knew to be sin, and looking for a spiritual excuse to pursue the sin. Because of his love for money, Balaam tried to manipulate God into granting him a special exception. God had no obligation to respond to a greedy, self-seeking heart like Balaam’s. But in mercy God did respond, warning Balaam to have nothing to do with these men. Balaam did know these were evil men who had come for an evil purpose – to hire a prophet – but Balaam did not act accordingly. (Guzik)

If Balaam had been a true prophet and a faithful servant of Jehovah, he would at once have sent the messengers away and refused their request, as he must then have known that God would not curse His chosen people. But Balaam loved the wages of unrighteousness. This corruptness of his heart obscured his mind, so that he turned to God not as a mere form, but with the intention and in the hope of obtaining the consent of God to his undertaking. And God came to him in the night, and made known His will. (Keil)

When we know God’s Word and it is clear on right and wrong, and yet, we try to come up with a way to lessen our sin or tolerance of what is wrong, we fall into a path that will allow human reason and logic to cloud the Word of God. We do well to stand firm against taking part in any plans that we know are not of God, God-honoring, being an example for others to follow, or that cause us to lose unity within our fellowship with other believers. Just because we are weak in our understanding and knowledge does not give us room to play in the realm of what is wrong in God’s eyes.

47.q. “Wilderness” – 11.w. “Because you did not believe in me”

Num 20:12  And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” These are the waters of Meribah, where the people of Israel quarreled with the LORD, and through them he showed himself holy.

2 Chronicles 20:20     And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.”

Isaiah 7:9    And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.’”

Matthew 17:17    And Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.”

Luke 1:20  And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”

Luke 1:45   And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

Romans 4:20    No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,

Deuteronomy 1:37    Even with me the LORD was angry on your account and said, ‘You also shall not go in there.

Deuteronomy 32:51    because you broke faith with me in the midst of the people of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, and because you did not treat me as holy in the midst of the people of Israel.

Deuteronomy 3:23-26    “And I pleaded with the LORD at that time, saying,  ‘O Lord GOD, you have only begun to show your servant your greatness and your mighty hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as yours?  Please let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, that good hill country and Lebanon.’  But the LORD was angry with me because of you and would not listen to me. And the LORD said to me, ‘Enough from you; do not speak to me of this matter again.

Moses and Aaron distrusted the word and power of God, and that they yielded to the impulse of impatience and anger, as betrayed both by the language which they used and by the double smiting of the rock, to which Moses had been commanded only to speak. To what degree Aaron was concerned in these sins can be inferred only from the facts that he, as well as Moses, was charged with the sin of unbelief, and that the punishment of exclusion from the land of Canaan was inflicted upon both. (Ellicott)

God is as able as ever to supply his people with what is needful for them. But Moses and Aaron acted wrong. They took much of the glory of this work of wonder to themselves; Must we fetch water? As if it were done by some power or worthiness of their own. They were to speak to the rock, but they smote it. Therefore it is charged upon them, that they did not sanctify God, that is, they did not give to him alone that glory of this miracle which was due unto his name. And being provoked by the people, Moses spake unadvisedly with his lips. The same pride of man would still usurp the office of the appointed Mediator; and become to ourselves wisdom, righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. Such a state of sinful independence, such a rebellion of the soul against its Saviour, the voice of God condemns in every page of the gospel. (Henry)

And yet they did not doubt of the power of God, but of his will, whether he would gratify these rebels with this further miracle, after so many of the like kind. And besides the words themselves, it is considerable, both with what mind they were spoken, which God saw to be distrustful, and in what manner they were delivered, which the people might discern to come from misbelief or doubt. (Poole)

it is certain from the text that unbelief was their sin; they were diffident about the will of God to bring water out of the rock for such a rebellious people, and they did not put them in mind of the miracles God had wrought in former time, to encourage their faith; and so the Lord was not sanctified by them before the people, as he ought to have been. (Gill)

There are many thoughts about the sin that Moses and Aaron committed here that led to their banishment from entering the promised land. I think it is hard to understand their sin in the few words given in this scripture. Let us not go deeper than what is given, suffice it for us to know that we must guard our hearts and minds against taking glory away from God in times when it is clearly God who has done great things. He may have used us but the glory is all His, not ours. When we desire to spend time in God’s Word and think about the things of God – this is good and right. When we seek and desire to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all that we think, say, and do – this is right and good. When we seek to know our sinfulness so that we might know sinfulness and repent of it – this is right and good. When we seek and desire to grow in our understanding and knowledge of God’s grace, mercy, and love – this is right and good.

The problem is that we become complacent, neglectful, and lukewarm to God’s Word and things of God. We speak more of current events, politics, sports, and what’s in the news or social media outlets than things of God. Check your thoughts and speech today and see if there is more content of the worldly or Godly coming from both.

“Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart”

Psalm 119 1-8. Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord. Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart— they do no wrong but follow his ways. You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed. Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees! Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands. I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws. I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me.

This long psalm deserves a long introduction. The author is unnamed; older commentators almost universally said it is a psalm of David, composed throughout his entire life. More modern commentators sometimes conclude that it is post-exilic, coming from the days of Nehemiah or Ezra. It may be that David was the author, but we can’t say this with certainty, and it is not necessary to know; if it were important, God would have preserved the name of David to this psalm. No matter who the author was, it was likely written over some period of time and later compiled, because there is not a definite flow of thought from the beginning of the psalm to the end. The sections and verses are not like a chain, where one link is connected to the other, but like a string of pearls where each pearl has equal, but independent value.

Though this is only a small section of the 119th Psalm it is important to see what others have said of the whole before diving into it.

“This wonderful psalm, from its great length, helps us to wonder at the immensity of Scripture. From its keeping to one subject it helps us to adore the unity of Scripture; for it is but one. Yet, from the many turns it gives to the same thought, it helps you to see the variety of Scripture….

Some have said that in it there is an absence of variety, but that is merely the observation of those who have not studied it. I have weighed each word, and looked at each syllable with lengthened meditation; and I bear witness that this sacred song has no tautology in it, but is charmingly varied from beginning to end. Its variety is that of a kaleidoscope: from a few objects a boundless variation is produced. In the kaleidoscope you look once, and there is a strangely beautiful form. You shift the glass a very little, and another shape, equally delicate and beautiful, is before your eyes. So it is here.” (Charles Spurgeon)

“The reason we are not happy is that we sin, and the main reason we sin as much as we do is that we do not know the Bible well enough…. Apart from being instructed by God, human beings do not know how to achieve happiness.” (Boice)

We wouldn’t know what a pure life was without God telling us. Certainly, some aspects of a pure life are revealed in human conscience and known widely among humanity. Yet there are other aspects of the pure life that we learn only from the word of God. (Guzik)

“To enjoy this beatitude a holy walking must become habitual. This sacred exercise is very different from sluggish piety. ‘Blessed are the undefiled in the way who walk in the law of the Lord.’ A man may sit down in the road without soiling his skin or fouling his apparel, but that is not enough. There must be progress – practical action – in the Christian life; and in order to experience blessedness we must be doing something for the Master.” “Blessedness is ascribed to those who treasure up the testimonies of the Lord: in which is implied that they search the Scriptures, that they come to an understanding of them, that they love them, and then that they continue in the practice of them. We must first get a thing before we can keep it. In order to keep it well we must get a firm grip of it: we cannot keep in the heart that which we have not heartily embraced by the affections.” Yet, we do not miss the emphasis on the heart. “God is not truly sought by the cold researches of the brain: we must seek him with the heart. Love reveals itself to love: God manifests his heart to the heart of his people. It is in vain that we endeavour to comprehend him by reason; we must apprehend him by affection.” “There is a twofold shame; the shame of a guilty conscience; and the shame of a tender conscience. The one is the merit and fruit of sin; the other is an act of grace.” “Young man, the Bible must be your chart, and you must exercise great watchfulness that your way may be according to its directions. You must take heed to your daily life as well as study your Bible, and you must study your Bible that you may take heed to your daily life. With the greatest care a man will go astray if his map misleads him; but with the most accurate map he will still lose his road if he does not take heed to it.”(Spurgeon)

“Neither is it enough that we understand or ponder God’s precepts, but we must practise them, if we would be happy.” (Trapp)

“Because it was a hard thing to rightly understand this word in all its parts, and harder to put it in practice, he therefore intermixed many prayers to God for his help therein, thereby directing and encouraging others to take the same course.” (Poole)

“Without thee I can do nothing; my soul is unstable and fickle; and it will continue weak and uncertain till thou strengthen and establish it.” (Clarke)

Proverbs 2:10-12: When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you, to deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perverse things.

46.e. “Wilderness” – 10.k. “So shall they put my name upon the people”

Num 6:27  “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

2 Chronicles 7:14   if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Isaiah 43:7    everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

Jeremiah 14:9    Why should you be like a man confused, like a mighty warrior who cannot save? Yet you, O LORD, are in the midst of us, and we are called by your name; do not leave us.”

Daniel 9:18-19    O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy.  O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”

Numbers 23:20    Behold, I received a command to bless: he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it.

Psalms 5:12   For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favor as with a shield.

Psalms 115:13    he will bless those who fear the LORD, both the small and the great.

Ephesians 1:3   Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

Aaron was commanded to pronounce this blessing over the people of Israel – not over the other nations. Though God blesses all mankind, there is a definite and strong sense in which He has blessing only for His people. We have to join ourselves to Him to gain that blessing. To be blessed by God is to have His name on you – to be identified with who He is and all His nature. This was a great gift, to have God’s name upon us. (Guzik)

“When God saith, ‘I will,’ all the devils in hell cannot turn aside the blessing, and all the ages of eternity cannot change the King’s word. The Lord has blessed his people, and he would have them know it. He has blessed them with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, and it is his wish that they should experience the fullness of this blessedness. Are any of the Lord’s people without a sense of this blessing? It is not the will of God that you should continue in this low condition.” (Spurgeon)

I will bless them; really and truly bless them bless them with blessings indeed; with all sorts of blessings temporal and spiritual; with solid and substantial ones; and such are blessed, and will remain so, these blessings are irrevocable and irreversible. Unless the Lord blesses, the blessings are in vain. (Gill)

How is a person to receive blessings from the Lord when their heart and mind are fixed on things of this world? Doesn’t God’s Word say that He will turn His face from those who harden their hearts and minds? How many seek the blessing from God but are only giving Him lip service and their hearts and minds are far from desiring to honor and glorify Jesus Christ?

Sometimes God’s blessings are tangible; jobs, financial, relational, and material, but I can think of no greater blessing God can give to man than wisdom and understanding of who He is and His holiness, grace, and mercy in the light of our sin and sinfulness.

41.l. “Reflect on this past year”

Psalms 107:9 For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness.

Isaiah 55:1-3   “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.  Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.  Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.

Jeremiah 31:25    For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.”

Matthew 5:6     “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Luke 1:53    he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.

Revelation 7:16-17 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.  For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

What fills your desires? What consumes your time? What defines the purpose of your life? What are you chasing after? Could it be that you are chasing after things in this world to fill the void and emptiness in your soul?

When we give thought to what drives us and satisfies our soul and fills us with purpose, it is eternally important that we identify that longing within us as spiritual and godly hunger. Billy Graham, often said that this longing for purpose is the ultimate intent of our creator. It is a void (space/emptiness) inside each of us. It’s that void that many people try to fill with wealth, possessions, sex, drugs, alcohol, sports, gambling, power, beauty, work, recognition, etc…… They search for their purpose or significance to fill this void by every possible means but do so in vain.

The problem is, things that seem right in our eyes and even the culture that we live in are the things that will never fill this void. Our natural intents are toward every conceivable idea that seems right and has been confirmed by all means possible by others who say this is how they found purpose and satisfaction in their lives. The problem is that all of these attempts mask it, cover it with brief moments of satisfaction but will always fall short of putting one drop of soul-satisfying nourishment into this void. The only way to satisfy it is with more of the same or trying something different, but in the end, they lead you right back to where you were, or worse. The world offers what it can never give. The problem is that these may be brought to us through temptations by Satan and we are easily tempted by them, or worse we are not even tempted, we just choose to close our minds to things of God. Satan does not need to tempt us at all. How sad is that?

God stands at the door of our hearts, knocking. He offers forgiveness of sin. He fills those who repent, believe, trust, follow, and obey His Word to come into them and give them living water and the bread of life, not only now but for eternity. He promises to fill them with the Holy Spirit. To those who keep their eyes and focus on Him with the single purpose of honoring and glorifying Jesus Christ, he promises to fill this void with the fruits of the Holy Spirit, love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. To these, their longing for purpose and satisfaction has not only filled but it is overflowing continually. You may think this is not true and how can this satisfy the emptiness I am feeling deep within my soul? It is a promise of God. He never lies. He loved us so much that He gave His only Son to redeem us. He gave us the written Word of God to encourage, convict, and lead us to the very point of exposing the void in our hearts with a purpose and satisfaction this world can never do. Intentionally choose to examine your heart in light of God’s Word and what satisfies it and gives your purpose. If you find an emptiness or void open the door to your heart and purpose to honor and glorify Jesus Christ anew with all you think, say, and do.

40.y. “I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction”

Exodus 3:15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt, and I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.

Psalms 72:17     May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed!

Psalms 72:19    Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen!

Psalms 135:13    Your name, O LORD, endures forever, your renown, O LORD, throughout all ages.

Psalms 102:12     But you, O LORD, are enthroned forever; you are remembered throughout all generations.

Micah 4:5    For all the peoples walk each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever.

“I AM WHO I AM.” “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” “This is my name forever”

After four hundred years in Egypt, Moses had the job of announcing that now was the time for the children of Israel to go back to Canaan, and to take the land God promised to their fathers. This was probably totally contrary to what the elders and people of Israel desired. In four hundred years, you set down roots. They probably had no desire to return to the Promised Land; all they wanted was to be made more comfortable in Egypt.

We don’t come close to understanding the purposes and plans of God. We like to think that we will be provided a land flowing with milk and honey, peace, trial, and trouble-free. Faith in God would be much easier and certainly more shallow if this were the case. Think about when your faith grew. Wasn’t it after you had walked in the valley of trials and troubles? Wasn’t it during a time when your situation was without answers? Wasn’t it during a time when you realized that self-reliance was not even close to being adequate? Wasn’t it a time when you realized your only hope of refuge, strength, and courage to face another day was in God – I Am?

Some of our paths in life will be less burdensome than others who will live in almost constant trials and troubles. It is the same God over all of us. We do not know God’s plans and purposes other than the promises given to us in His Word. I will never leave you or forsake you. I will give you peace and rest. I will be your refuge and strength. I will guide and lead you. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

We may think we have been forgotten or our trials and troubles are unseen by God. Cast these thoughts from your heart and mind. Lay these in the hands of Him who is able to do more than we ask and much more than we can imagine. By faith, we can trust and rejoice in our Heavenly Father no matter what situation we find ourselves in. It is hard to release our burdens and trust God. It is not natural for us to rely on God when we desperately want to rely on ourselves.

Our purpose in life is to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all we think, say, and do. By faith, we think, say, and do that which honors and glorifies Him. When we intentionally choose and commit to this every moment of every day, we will find reasons for hope and rejoice in Him alone.

39.y. Blessings that yield fruit

Genesis 49:20 “Asher’s food shall be rich, and he shall yield royal delicacies.

Deuteronomy 33:24-25 And of Asher he said, “Most blessed of sons be Asher; let him be the favorite of his brothers, and let him dip his foot in oil. Your bars shall be iron and bronze, and as your days, so shall your strength be.

Asher should be a rich tribe. His inheritance bordered upon Carmel, which was fruitful. Asher shall have soil abounding in wheat and oil. He occupies the lowlands along the coast north of Carmel. Hence, the products of his country are fit to furnish the table of kings.

As I read this blessing from Jacob to Asher I am mindful that this blessing does nothing if Asher is not willing to do the work it requires. You can have the most fertile ground with plenty of water, but if you do not work it, tend to it, cultivate it, oversee and protect it, there will be nothing but weeds and sporadic harvests of little value for sustaining your life. The same can be said about the blessing of God’s Word given to each of us. If it is not planted, watered, rooted, cultivated, and protected nothing but weeds will find their home in the soul of your heart. A stray seed may produce fruit for a season, but long-term sustenance and reserve will never occur. The Word of God is water and bread for our souls. It is easy to become anorexic and only nibble at God’s Word. Why? I imagine it has to do with the value we put on the Word of God, where our eyes are focused, and how much influence the world and its problems and worries consume us and our time. If we don’t take time for feasting on the Word of God then we are not hungering and thirsting for it. What is it that you hunger and thirst for? What is occupying your time and energy? Paul said this to the people of Corinth; you are babes still drinking baby milk when you should be eating solid food. I get it, work and family can consume every last minute of our capacity if we don’t see the urgency to spend time in God’s Word. I can tell you this, When you spend time seeking and desiring the food of God’s Word you will find you actually have more time for things that matter and you will be able to discern that which is profitable for the soul and that which is not.

39.x. “Battles and blessings”

Genesis 49:19 “Raiders shall raid Gad, but he shall raid at their heels.

Numbers 32:29 And Moses said to them, “If the people of Gad and the people of Reuben, every man who is armed to battle before the LORD, will pass with you over the Jordan and the land shall be subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession. However, if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.” And the people of Gad and the people of Reuben answered, “What the LORD has said to your servants, we will do. We will pass over armed before the LORD into the land of Canaan, and the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us beyond the Jordan.”

Deuteronomy 33:20-21 And of Gad he said, “Blessed be he who enlarges Gad! Gad crouches like a lion; he tears off arm and scalp. He chose the best of the land for himself, for there a commander’s portion was reserved; and he came with the heads of the people, with Israel he executed the justice of the LORD, and his judgments for Israel.”

In the days of Jeremiah (among other times), foreign armies oppressed Gad (Jeremiah 49:1). Yet victory would be his in the end. (Guzik)

“This has been the blessing of many a child of God – to fight, and apparently to lose the battle, yet to win it at the end.” (Spurgeon)

Concerning Gad, Jacob alludes to his name, which signifies a troop, and foresees the character of that tribe. The cause of God and his people, though for a time it may seem to be baffled and run down, will be victorious at last. It represents the Christian’s conflict. Grace in the soul is often foiled in its conflicts; troops of corruption overcome it, but the cause is God’s, and grace will in the end come off conqueror, yea, more than conqueror, Ro 8:37. (Henry)

When our battles and trials are made and fought within our own doing the outcome is bad for us. When our battles and trials are surrendered into the hands of God the outcome and victory is His and the blessing ours. God is all-knowing, ever-present, and all-powerful. We do well to remember this and subject the things of this world that afflict us into His hands and keep our eyes focused on Jesus Christ with our hearts and minds seeking to honor and glorify Him in all we think, say, and do.

38.q. “God made him prosper”

Genesis 39:1 Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, had bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. His master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. 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. So he left all that he had in Joseph’s charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate.

Psalms 1:3  He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

Isaiah 41:10    fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Acts 7:9-10   “And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him  and rescued him out of all his afflictions and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and over all his household.

2 Chronicles 26:5   He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God, and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosper.

Joseph’s ordeal was probably worse than any of us have gone through. Yet God did not abandon him, even in the smallest way. If God allowed Joseph to be a slave, then he would be a successful man, even as a slave. We often complain to God that He put us in a terrible or difficult place. Yet God’s will is that we trust Him to bless us and make us successful (as He measures success) wherever we are in life. Some people think they we can’t be blessed unless they are in authority, in charge of things. Jesus lived and taught a better way – a life as a servant. Even at this early point when it seemed Joseph had no control over circumstances – and indeed he had none – God overruled the evil or capricious choices of man to accomplish His eternal purpose. By his trust in God, diligent work, and blessing from God, Joseph showed Potiphar that God was real. Followers of Jesus should live out the same principle today; others should see the difference Jesus makes in our lives by the way we work. Think of the contrast between Joseph and his brothers. Joseph was a slave, but free. The brothers were free, but slaves to secrets, lies, shame, and guilt. It would have been easy for Joseph to do what we so often do: think little of his present position because it seemed so bad (he was a slave, after all). But Joseph believed God could bless him right where he was, so he didn’t wait for a better situation to be blessed by God. Many think if advancement is from God, it must come quickly. Sometimes this is the case, but not normally. Normally, God allows good things to develop slowly. (Guzik)

Scripture says that we grow in our understanding of God, line by line, precept by precept, here a little, there a little. Should we think we will grow in our prosperity, wisdom, understanding, love, or abilities any differently? Too often we assess our blessings from God by worldly measures.

Keep your heart and mind focused on honoring and glorifying Him in all you think, say, and do. Blessings that pass all worldly understanding will flood your heart and mind.

37.v. “What shall I give you?”

Genesis 30:25 As soon as Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own home and country. Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, that I may go, for you know the service that I have given you.” But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your sight, I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you. Name your wages, and I will give it.” Jacob said to him, “You yourself know how I have served you, and how your livestock has fared with me. For you had little before I came, and it has increased abundantly, and the LORD has blessed you wherever I turned. But now when shall I provide for my own household also?” He said, “What shall I give you?” Jacob said, “You shall not give me anything. If you will do this for me, I will again pasture your flock and keep it: let me pass through all your flock today, removing from it every speckled and spotted sheep and every black lamb, and the spotted and speckled among the goats, and they shall be my wages. So my honesty will answer for me later, when you come to look into my wages with you. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and black among the lambs, if found with me, shall be counted stolen.” Laban said, “Good! Let it be as you have said.” But that day Laban removed the male goats that were striped and spotted, and all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white on it, and every lamb that was black, and put them in the charge of his sons. And he set a distance of three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob pastured the rest of Laban’s flock.

Then Jacob took fresh sticks of poplar and almond and plane trees, and peeled white streaks in them, exposing the white of the sticks. He set the sticks that he had peeled in front of the flocks in the troughs, that is, the watering places, where the flocks came to drink. And since they bred when they came to drink, the flocks bred in front of the sticks and so the flocks brought forth striped, speckled, and spotted. And Jacob separated the lambs and set the faces of the flocks toward the striped and all the black in the flock of Laban. He put his own droves apart and did not put them with Laban’s flock. Whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding, Jacob would lay the sticks in the troughs before the eyes of the flock, that they might breed among the sticks, but for the feebler of the flock he would not lay them there. So the feebler would be Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s. Thus the man increased greatly and had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away.—After Jacob had served Laban fourteen years for his two daughters, he continued with him for twenty years without any settled hire, receiving merely maintenance for himself and family. During most of this time he would be too encumbered with pregnant wives and young children to wish to take so long a journey. (See “Excursus on Chronology of Jacob’s Life.”) In these thirty-four years of service there would be time for the vast increase of Laban’s wealth referred to in Genesis 30:30. But at length Joseph is born, and as his other sons were most of them grown to man’s estate, as soon as Rachel was fit for the journey Jacob desired to return to his father, if for no other reason, yet because now it was time to provide for his children, and at Isaac’s death he was joint heir of his property. (Ellicott)

This shows that Jacob had no stock from Laban to begin with. “I will pass through all thy flock today” with thee. “Remove thou thence every speckled and spotted sheep, and every brown sheep among the lambs, and the spotted and speckled among the goats.” These were the rare colors, as in the East the sheep are usually white, and the goats black or dark brown. “And such shall be my hire.” Such as these uncommon party-colored cattle, when they shall appear among the flock already cleared of them; and not those of this description that are now removed. For in this case Laban would have given Jacob something; whereas Jacob was resolved to be entirely dependent on the divine providence for his hire. “And my righteousness will answer for me.” The color will determine at once whose the animal is. Laban willingly consents to so favorable a proposal, removes the party-colored animals from the flock, gives them into the hands of his sons, and puts an interval of three days’ journey between them and the pure stock which remains in Jacob’s hands. Jacob is now to begin with nothing, and have for his hire any party-colored lambs or kids that appear in those flocks, from which every specimen of this rare class has been carefully removed. (Barnes)

In the same way, blessing comes from the LORD to us not because we are great or good, but because of the covenant God has made with us through Jesus, and promises He has given us in His word.

We may note Jacob’s principles for prosperity: Don’t make wealth your goal. Don’t be afraid to work for others and try to increase their wealth before or as you work to increase your own wealth. Work hard, dedicating yourself to your employer’s success. Trust God. (Guzik)