Genesis Chapters 42

God’s Hidden Presence

To receive the greatest possible blessing from this Bible study, please take a moment to read the above chapter.

For previous lessons on Genesis or previous Bible studies, please visit our archives:     http://www.twosmallfish.org/Archives/index.html

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Prayer:

             Heavenly Father, through my experience of Your Hidden Presence, I’ve learned that You are with me always, all ways—even when I don’t feel like You are there. My feelings and emotions are unreliable, but Your word alone is trustworthy. In Jesus’ name I trust and pray, amen.

Introduction:

            Years ago, the Susquehanna Valley Mall had a pet store. It didn’t have much other than fish, snakes, and a few birds. That didn’t matter to five-year-old Rachel. She loved all God’s critters. Thus, the pet store became a must-visit shop every time we made a trip to the mall. During one visit, my zealous daughter turned the corner in the pet store separating herself from the rest of us. Although I was only a few feet away, my presence was concealed from her. Panic struck and she bolted making the distance even greater between us. She couldn’t find me because she was too frightened to see me.

The Lesson:

            Although they stood faced-to-face with their estranged brother, Jacob’s sons did not see Joseph for who he was.

            One or two years after the famine began in Egypt, the surrounding areas were devastated from lack of produce. Jacob had heard that there was grain available in Egypt and sent ten of his sons to buy some for their families. The last thing they expected was to find Joseph as governor—organizer and overseer of the entire program (verses 1 through 6).

            Joseph recognized his brothers and could have revealed his identity to them immediately (verse 7). Instead, he chose to test them to find out if they had changed from their former vindictive natures.             

            Within this chapter, God reveals His intentions when He conceals His Presence from His children. 

1)        Jacob’s sons’ betrayal caused Joseph to be wary of them. In order to reconcile their relationship, Joseph needed proof that his brothers had changed, if indeed they had. His harshness jarred their memories of their estranged brother, their sin against him, and their need for forgiveness.       

Sin always causes a breach in relationships. Without true repentance, a

lasting reconciliation is unachievable. God wants a lasting relationship with us, but cannot look on sin. Therefore when we experience His Hidden Presence, we must first explore the possibility of sin in our lives. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:8-9). God conceals His Presence to bring us to a humble state of mind. Perhaps the quickest and surest way back into God’s Presence is through confession of sin to Him. Nevertheless, other circumstances induce God’s Hidden Presence.

2)        Joseph maintained his hidden identity because his brothers were not seeking him. They had sold him to Midianite merchantmen that were traveling from Gilead to Egypt (Genesis 37:25-28). These merchants could have sold Joseph anywhere along the way.

Often, we experience God’s Hidden Presence simply because we are not looking for Him or expecting to find Him where He is. Nevertheless, He does not hide Himself so that we cannot find Him. He hides Himself so that we will realize our need and seek His face.

3)        Had Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers on their first visit, they may have been so fearful of his intentions that they would not have returned. After all they had done, how were they to know if he wasn’t full of revenge? They had to be prepared for the truth.

When we experience God’s Hidden Presence, He is preparing to reveal more of Himself to us and conditioning us for a deeper relationship with Him. This preparation is necessary or we would cry as the Hebrew children had done before Mt. Sinai: And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die (Exodus 20:18-19).

4)        Eventually, Jacob and his sons realized their dependency on this lord of Egypt. Without his aid, they were incapable of sustaining their families. At that point, they humbled themselves and obeyed the demands of Joseph.

Obedience beyond understanding is a mark of a true servant. At times, God conceals His Presence to develop our sense of dependency on Him. If Jesus said, I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me (John 5:30), how much more do we need to grasp the concept? While in His absence, we learn to put the Father’s will ahead of our own, and in doing so, we learn to serve Him humbly and completely.

5)        The result of God’s Hidden Presence is Christ in us . . . seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him [Christ] . . . For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God (Colossians 3:9b-10a and 3:3).

Conclusion and Challenge:

            While there are innumerable circumstances that contribute to God’s Hidden Presence, there is only one reason. God conceals His Presence from us—to draw us into a closer, more dependent relationship with Him.

            For some, it has been a dark valley. For me, it has been a cavern far below that dark valley. God kept me in that place until I identified with: Job and cried, Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him. . . He also shall be my salvation. . . (Job 13:15a-16a); Peter and answered, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God (John 6:68-69); and finally Paul and proclaimed, I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20).

            Although I could not sense His Presence during that 10-year, faith-testing experience, my Wonderful Father had never left me alone. He cared for me, and by His right hand, He led me through that cavern of despair.

            Occasionally, I still have moments of uncertainty and need reassurance. And I still find Father God always faithful in all ways.

Prayer Requests:

Clayton and his family, Dodie, our nation’s economy, flood victims, Adrian, Hans, Amber, Grace, Ed and Pauline, Melinda & Barry and family, Shirley and Ryan, Frank and Dorothy, Nick and Rachel, Tammy, our pastors and their families, those who recently lost their jobs and are seeking employment, children with cancer, children with birth defects and their families, our Bible Study, special unspoken needs, and remember me, Brenda Hendricks.

Praise Report:

               Our ten-year old buddy, Clayton, had a cancerous-brain tumor removed in April and is now going through a series of intense chemo treatments. Every six months they test his IQ, a routine procedure for children suffering from this form of the disease. After testing, the counselor requested a consultation with the boy's mother. The counselor could barely believe the results stating that this type of thing never happens. Clayton's IQ jumped 15 points in six months. God is good always, all ways. Amen.

Hallelujah!!

            When fretting because my prayers seemed to go no further than the ceiling, I received this answer from my Father:

            "There's no need for your prayers to go any further than your tearstained pillow. I am here with you. I don't expect you to ascend to me any more than a father expects his infant to jump into his arms. I have loved you with an everlasting love and with loving kindness I have drawn you (Jeremiah 31:3 paraphrased by me).”

WOO HOO!! God is so good—always, all ways.

We are looking forward to your praise reports. Please keep us informed so we can share the wonderful grace of Jesus.

Our Next Bible Study

In preparation, read Genesis Chapter 44

To read previous lessons on Genesis or previous Bible studies,

please visit our archives:

 http://www.twosmallfish.org/Archives/index.html

Invitation:

 Although we have not chosen to be, we are all born into sin because of the fall of man. It sounds hopeless and unfair. But in His infinite wisdom and abundant love, God has provided a choice for us. We can choose to repent of our sinful nature and believe in Jesus Christ. He is faithful and will cleanse us from sin and give us His Holy Spirit to equip us to live for Him. If you’ve made your choice to repent and believe in Jesus, we’d like to hear about it.

If you are free in Christ Jesus, pray for those who remain captive. And tell others, Christians as well as non-believers, what Jesus has done for you. Your testimony will benefit them and help you to strengthen your confidence in Christ’s work in your life and in the future.

If you’d like to participate in our Bible Study, please contact us with your comments, questions, and prayer requests or at twosmallfish@verizon.net . Be sure to mention today’s Bible study in the subject line to get my attention.

A special reminder: to find out what other readers have to say check out the comment page.

May God grant you safety, reassurance of His love, and the revelation of Jesus Christ,

Brenda Hendricks