Spurgeon Meditations

 

And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.

Gen 42 8

This morning our desires went forth for growth in our acquaintance with the Lord Jesus; it may be well to-night to consider a kindred topic namely our heavenly Joseph's knowledge of us. This was most blessedly perfect long before we had the slightest knowledge of Him. "His eyes beheld our substance yet being imperfect and in His book all our members were written when as yet there was none of them." Before we had a being in the world we had a being in His heart. When we were enemies to Him He knew us our misery our madness and our wickedness. When we wept bitterly in despairing repentance and viewed Him only as a judge and a ruler He viewed us as His brethren well beloved and His bowels yearned towards us. He never mistook His chosen but always beheld them as objects of His infinite affection. "The Lord knoweth them that are His isas true of the prodigals who are feeding swine as of thechildren who sit at the table. But, alas! we knew not our royal Brother, and out of thisignorance grew a host of sins. We withheld our hearts from Him,and allowed Him no entrance to our love. We mistrusted Him, andgave no credit to His words. We rebelled against Him, and paidHim no loving homage. The Sun of Righteousness shone forth, andwe could not see Him. Heaven came down to earth, and earthperceived it not. Let God be praised, those days are over withus; yet even now it is but little that we know of Jesus comparedwith what He knows of us. We have but begun to study Him, but Heknoweth us altogether. It is a blessed circumstance that theignorance is not on His side, for then it would be a hopelesscase for us. He will not say to us, I never knew you but Hewill confess our names in the day of His appearing, andmeanwhile will manifest Himself to us as He doth not unto theworld.% 01/05/PM And God saw the light." --Genesis 1:4 This morning we noticed the goodness of the light and the Lord's dividing it from the darkness we now note the special eye which the Lord had for the light. "God saw the light"--He looked at it with complacency gazed upon it with pleasure saw that it "was good." If the Lord has given you light dear reader He looks on that light with peculiar interest; for not only is it dear to Him as His own handiwork but because it is like Himself for "He is light." Pleasant it is to the believer to know that God's eye is thus tenderly observant of that work of grace which He has begun. He never loses sight of the treasure which He has placed in our earthen vessels. Sometimes we cannot see the light but God always sees the light and that is much better than our seeing it. Better for the judge to see my innocence than for me to think I see it. It is very comfortable for me to know that I am one of God's people--but whether I know it or not if the Lord knows it I am still safe. This is the foundation The Lord knoweth them that areHis. You may be sighing and groaning because of inbred sin and mourning over your darkness yet the Lord sees "light" in your heart for He has put it there and all the cloudiness and gloom of your soul cannot conceal your light from His gracious eye. You may have sunk low in despondency and even despair; but if your soul has any longing towards Christ and if you are seeking to rest in His finished work God sees the "light." He not only sees it but He also preserves it in you. "I the Lord do keep it." This is a precious thought to those who after anxious watching and guarding of themselves feel their own powerlessness to do so. The light thus preserved by His grace He will one day develop into the splendour of noonday and the fulness of glory. The light within is the dawn of the eternal day.


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