In the book of Genesis it is recorded that when God had created man in His likeness, He said, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it" (1:28). God's man is always fruitful, for he reflects the infinite nature and power of the creator and manifests the rich resources of His being.
Among Biblical characters in the Old Testament, we find the career of the patriarch Joseph a particularly inspiring one. His goodness and integrity, love and forgiveness, under some of the most trying circumstances, enabled him to lead such a fruitful life that he saved not only his family but a whole nation from starvation.
Just before his passing, Jacob, Joseph's father, called his sons together and spoke of each one separately, describing his character or predicting what his future was to be. He described Joseph partly as follows (Gen. 49:22): "Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well." And then, referring to the blessings which were to come to his son, he said, "They shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren."
