Recognising God: Part 1

When the sons of Jacob came to Egypt, they saw a man who

was the prime mover in Egypt, a man whose authority was

second only to the supreme ruler, Pharaoh. They needed

his favour to buy precious grain to bring home to their starving

families. The man was Joseph, their own flesh and blood brother. But

they did not recognise him (Genesis 42:8).

At least 20 years had gone by since they had been inflamed with

jealousy and collectively sold Joseph to passing slave-traders. Joseph

was as good as dead and they reported this lie to their father Jacob,

saying that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal.

The brothers probably had no recollection of Joseph’s face. But

God, who was with him, raised Joseph to a status no one dreamed he

would attain, certainly not his unruly brothers. Having expected him to

be dead (44:20), they never considered they would meet Joseph again,

least of all in royal robes in prosperous Egypt.

In the New Testament, we read of another, like Joseph, who was

far more important. In fact, He was Joseph’s God, the same God who

had raised him up against all odds. This God came as Jesus, and John

1:10 states that the world did not recognise Him.

Not only that, Jesus was surrounded by jealous and vicious men

who successfully plotted to kill Him. He was tortured and crucified,

and died the ignoble death on a Roman cross. While Joseph was only

thought to be dead, Jesus truly died. (Part 2 coming soon)

Question for reflection:

Joseph recognised God’s hand through the twists and turns of his life. Why do we sometimes fail to recognise God’s hand in our own lives, and how can we become more aware of His presence and actions?