EXCLAMATIONS OF PRAISE

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"So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt." Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph's finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and men shouted before him, "Make way!" Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt." Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt. Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh's presence and traveled throughout Egypt. During the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully. Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it. Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure. Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, "It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household." 52 The second son he named Ephraim and said, "It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering." Genesis 41:41-52

Joseph emerged from Pharoah’s prison, successfully interpreted Pharoah's dream, and ascended to be second in command of all of Egypt. Verses 41 through 45 describe all that Joseph gained during the initial stages of his ascendancy. The abundance predicted for Egypt was in full swing and so was the abundance of blessings heaped on God’s special servant Joseph. The signet ring, robes of fine linen, gold chain, and chariot were given to Joseph to symbolize his newly appointed authority over Egypt.

Any ordinary man would have allowed all the power to go to his head. But Joseph was no ordinary man. He stayed firmly grounded in God and his faith, even in the midst of such extravagance. I can say this with confidence because of his actions after each of his two sons were born. For the scripture tells us that Pharoah also gave Joseph the gift of a wife, Asenath, and their marriage produced two sons: Manasseh and Ephraim. From the names Joseph gives them, we catch a glimpse of his gratitude and praise to God…the names become his personal exclamations of praise.

Let’s first look at Manasseh. Our scripture tells us Joseph selects the name "…because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household." Indeed, Joseph had come a long way from the hatred of his brothers, his near death experience at the cisterns, his slavery experience, the betrayal of Potiphar’s wife, and the prison. He had persevered through many trials and probably wondered if his troubles would ever cease. But God was with him and delivered him from prison to power. And his son, Manasseh, would always remind him of that.

After Manasseh, Ephraim was born and we’re told Joseph gave him that name "because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering." Although things got off to a decent start for Joseph while in the house of Potiphar, they quickly went downhill due to Potiphar’s scheming wife. Joseph, wrongfully accused and imprisoned, would endure a lot of suffering in Egypt before his deliverance and elevation to Egypt’s second in command. All of Joseph’s afflictions were in his past and his son, Ephraim, would be the sign of present times…times of blessing and prosperity, all provided by a faithful, loving God.

Question: In what ways do you openly exclaim your praise for what God has done for you? Joseph used the naming of his sons as an occasion to do so. We should always seek ways to do likewise…in fact, every day should be filled with exclamations of praise…not only because the Lord has a way of delivering us from hardship and blessing us in a way that helps us move on ahead but also because He makes us fruitful in the land of our suffering…the land where we live and where he has placed us…the land where we should raise up constant exclamations of praise. For God is good, His mercies are new every morning, and His steadfast love endures forever.
Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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