8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. ~ Exodus 1:8
After Joseph saved Egypt, with the help of the wisdom of the LORD, a new king arose over Egypt that didn’t know Joseph. Because of this, he began the oppression of the Israelites in the land. The Hebrew word for know in this verse is oida. Oida often connotes not only having knowledge but also being able to understand that knowledge. What does this mean?
The new king didn’t know Joseph because he didn’t understand the power that rested upon Joseph. He didn’t understand that in having no regard for Joseph meant having no regard for the God of Joseph.
Many of us know of great men and women of God. We know their works and their wisdom, but we don’t understand their works or their teachings because we can’t comprehend how it fits the ideology we’ve created or accepted in our own mind. So, we mock them and call them false teachers and blasphemous because their actions didn’t make sense to our own biased beliefs. And in doing so, we don’t realize we are mocking the one who sent them. When we bring persecution upon a man or woman of God, we are persecuting Jesus, just as Saul did (Acts 22:7-8).
Jesus lives in and through His Church. This is why we are called the body of Christ because Christ (the head) dictates where the body must go and what the body must do. Therefore, don’t just make a blind judgment call on someone because they are different or believe differently than you. Seek the LORD for discernment as you test every spirit so that you might not persecute Christ because of the lack of understanding.
Peace. Love. Go Forth and Seek God’s Understanding.
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