A Person for Whom Everything Goes Smoothly

(Genesis 39:1–6)

When I was little and attended Sunday school, the sermon I heard most often was about Joseph. At that time, the principal of our Sunday school was my father, and he especially loved the story of Joseph. The reason my father loved Joseph so much was because of the blessing that had been prophesied for him:

“Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall.” Genesis 49:22

“Whose branches climb over a wall”…

My father was a farmer all his life. But unlike most farmers, he was incredibly talented in many areas. He was the kind of person you hear stories about — he once drew piano keys on the ground and practiced hymns that way. He even taught himself English well enough to hold simple conversations.

He could draw beautifully, and he even built two houses with his own hands — skilled in carpentry, plumbing, and electrical work — truly a man like a “fruitful vine planted by a spring.” But he gave up his own rich, growing branches to care for his ailing parents and support his younger siblings’ education.

He never crossed the wall toward the wider world that he had once longed to see.

Instead, he shared the Gospel with his brothers and relatives within that wall, leading them all to salvation. They became the fruitful branches that reached over the wall and into the world beyond.

That’s why my name is Song Soo — “the pine by the water.”

My father gave me that name so I might grow like a pine tree planted by the water, spreading my branches over the wall, like Joseph.

Because I know all this so well, there are times I talk to my wife about the quiet longing my father must have felt.

I say things like, “If only my father had left his hometown back then and stepped out into the wider world…”

Maybe that’s why he always preached about Joseph during Sunday school services.

But there was one time he read a passage about Joseph that I just couldn’t understand.

At first, I thought it was because I was too young.

But even after becoming an adult, that verse still remained difficult for me to fully grasp. Let’s look at Genesis 39:1–2 together:

“Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there. The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.”

Everyone, at this point Joseph was about seventeen years old, just a teenager. But his brothers tried to kill him. He barely escaped with his life, only to be sold by his own brothers as a slave in Egypt.

Can you imagine how deep the wounds in Joseph’s heart must have been?

And not only emotional wounds, he must have been overwhelmed by fear and despair. After all, he now faced a future where he might live and die as a slave.

But at that dark and terrifying moment, there was one thing to be thankful for—God was with Joseph.

Now, if we were writing Genesis 39:2 ourselves, how do you think it should read?

“The Lord was with Joseph, so he was set free from slavery, gained his freedom, and returned home.”

That’s how we would expect it to be written.

But in reality, nothing changed. His situation stayed exactly the same.

Even though God was with him, the yoke of slavery still remained on Joseph.

If God was truly with him, shouldn’t He have set Joseph free from bondage?

Shouldn’t a righteous and just God rescue an innocent person suffering unfairly?

Yes, Joseph himself longed desperately to be freed from that place of despair.

That’s why, in Genesis 40:14, when he later interpreted the dream of Pharaoh’s cupbearer, he pleaded earnestly:

“But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this house.”

Can you see how much Joseph was suffering? Even though he was a man of faith, he begged a worldly man for help.

He was so frightened and hopeless that he cried out for rescue from a human being. And yet, even then, God did not free him from slavery. He simply left him there.

As a child, I couldn’t understand this part.

If God truly loved Joseph and was with him, how could He allow such a thing?

Even today, when we see tragic cases like the recent Cambodian college student kidnapping and death, we see entire nations doing everything they can to rescue their citizens.

So of course, it would seem only right for God to free Joseph from his unjust suffering.

Yet when we look at Scripture, we see that God gave Joseph a different kind of grace. Let’s read Genesis 39:2 once more:

“The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.”

Now let me ask you something:

If you had to choose between these two situations, which would you choose?

1. To be freed from slavery right now and gain your freedom,

2. Or to remain a slave, but to prosper and be blessed in that state.

What exactly does it mean to be a prosperous man?

And why would God choose to give Joseph the grace of prosperity, instead of the freedom he longed for?

The word “hyeongtong” (형통, 亨通) is made up of two Chinese characters:

亨 (hyeong) meaning “smooth, unhindered,” and

通 (tong) meaning “to connect, to pass through.”

So literally, hyeongtong means “to move forward smoothly, to stay connected without obstruction.”

When we describe life, we often compare it to a road.

Poet Robert Frost, for instance, wrote about two roads diverging in a forest, saying life is about choosing between the well-traveled path and the one less taken. Similarly, the Korean singer Choi Hee-jun sang, “Life is a traveler’s road. We don’t know where we came from or where we’re going.”

But when the world speaks of life as a “road,” that road is usually a solitary one.

You walk it alone. When you face obstacles, you’re expected to overcome them by yourself.

Of course, you may receive help from others occasionally but ultimately, the message is that you must walk the path on your own.

However, when the Bible compares life to a road, it paints a completely different picture. It’s not a road you walk alone. Someone is always walking beside you.

Let’s read Psalm 23 together:

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul;

He guides me along the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil, for You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”

Now look carefully at Psalm 23.

David is walking the road of life. However, he describes himself as a sheep, a weak and helpless creature.

On his own, he could never walk that road safely, because the world is full of wolves, lions, and other predators far stronger than he is.

But then one day, God begins walking with him.

And God knows exactly where the peaceful resting places are: where the green pastures and quiet waters can be found.

God even carries a rod in one hand and a staff in the other.

The rod is used to drive away the lions and wolves that attack without warning,

and the staff is used to lift the sheep when it stumbles, or to pull it up when it’s hanging off the edge of a cliff.

Do you know why a shepherd’s staff is curved at the end?

It’s so that when a sheep falls, the shepherd can hook it with that curve and lift it up quickly.

It’s also so that when a sheep is hanging on the edge of a cliff, the shepherd can hook it and rescue it from danger.

So even when David was surrounded by people who envied and attacked him like lions and wolves

even when he walked through the darkest valley.

He did not wander in panic, nor collapse in fear or despair.

Instead, he walked boldly and confidently toward the next step in his life, because God was walking right beside him.

Now, what does hyeongtong (prosperity) really mean?

It means that as we walk through life, when we face obstacles, we do not overcome them alone. God helps us overcome them.

God gives us wisdom to move forward, and people who will support us along the way. And when we face an obstacle that is simply too great to overcome, God Himself removes it for us.

So hyeongtong means moving smoothly beyond the obstacle, advancing to the next stage of life that God has planned.

The key point of hyeongtong is not simply that “the problem was solved.”

Rather, it is that God led us past the obstacle into the next stage He has prepared. That’s the true meaning of prosperity.

Now, let’s think again about Joseph.

If Joseph had been freed from slavery right away, he would have faced even greater challenges. He might have gone back home to Canaan. But how would he have healed his broken relationship with his brothers?

If you look carefully at the Bible, you’ll see that at that point in time,

Joseph and his family were not yet ready for reconciliation or forgiveness.

Joseph didn’t yet have the wisdom or strength to restore those relationships.

And soon after, a seven-year famine would sweep across the ancient Near East.

So God was leading Joseph forward — preparing him for the next stage of his life.

▶ From being a slave, he became a prisoner, where he met Pharaoh’s cupbearer and interpreted his dream.

▶ Through that encounter, he later interpreted Pharaoh’s dream and became prime minister of Egypt.

▶ As prime minister, he prepared for the seven years of famine.

▶ Through that preparation, he was reunited with his brothers and restored their broken relationship.

▶ And through that restored relationship, the twelve tribes of Israel were able to survive in Egypt and later return to the Promised Land of Canaan.

That is what the true, God-given prosperity really looks like.

Everyone, prosperity means moving smoothly toward the true blessings God has prepared for us. It means moving forward without obstruction. Even if you are a slave, as long as God is with you, you will surely move on to the next stage of your life. Even if you are a prisoner pressed down in a dungeon, if God is with you, you can move into an even richer stage of life.

Joseph was able to move beyond every circumstance, becoming a fruitful vine that climbed over the wall, because God was with him. But why was God with Joseph? There are two important reasons found in today’s passage.

Let’s look at Genesis 39:3:

“When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did.”

There are two things Potiphar saw here.

First, he saw that the Lord was with Joseph.

Second, he saw that everything Joseph did prospered. Not because of Joseph’s own ability or strength, but because God was giving him wisdom and power.

Potiphar originally did not know God. So the fact that he could recognize these two things through Joseph’s everyday life means something remarkable.

Simply put, Joseph made it visible. In his words and actions, those around him couldn’t help but see who God was. Perhaps when Joseph began something, he prayed in the name of the Lord. When someone was struggling, he interceded for them in prayer. When his master praised him for doing something well, he humbly said it was not his own doing but that God had helped him.

When someone asked why he had been brought all the way there as a slave, instead of expressing anger toward his brothers, he said he was there because of God’s will and plan.

In this way, Joseph’s everyday words and actions revealed to those around him who God is. So when things went well for Joseph, it was only natural that Potiphar saw it not as Joseph’s doing but as God helping him. Potiphar wasn’t spiritually insightful. It was Joseph’s life that made it impossible not to see God’s presence.

When we live like Joseph, God will be with us, and we will become prosperous people who move smoothly and boldly into the abundant next stages of our lives.

Now let’s look at Genesis 39:4:

“Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.”

The important word here is “attendant.”

In Hebrew, the word sharath (שָׁרַת) is a special word. It is used for priests who serve and minister to God in the tabernacle. That’s why this word appears often in Leviticus, which describes the laws of the priests and the tabernacle.

So why does the Bible use sharath(a word that should be reserved for service to God)for Joseph’s service to Potiphar?

It’s not because Joseph was trying to impress or flatter Potiphar. There’s only one reason: Joseph was faithful. He worked with all his heart and gave his best in everything he did.

To move smoothly and abundantly to the next stage of life, the second important thing is faithfulness. It means doing your best in the work that has been entrusted to you. Even if it’s something you don’t want to do, something you’re not good at, or something that isn’t your own responsibility even if others benefit from it more than you. If it’s what you are supposed to do right now, then you should give your heart and your best effort.

Because from a greater perspective, that work is ultimately God’s work.

So even though it seems strange to use sharath for Joseph’s service to Potiphar, spiritually, it makes perfect sense. Everything Joseph did with diligence and integrity was part of God’s greater plan.

Be faithful to what has been entrusted to you. Do your best.

Even if it’s something you don’t want to do, something you’re not good at, or something that isn’t yours. If it’s the task before you, give it your heart and your best effort.

And think and pray:

“God, let Your plan be accomplished through this work.”

“God, let this work become a part of fulfilling Your purpose.”

Let us become people of prosperity.

Let us become people who are prosperous because God is with us.

May you move smoothly and freely into the blessings and grace that God continually pours out.