This brief effort of four posts is insufficient. One cannot describe God in four lessons, by focusing on four descriptive words, or by sharing four primary concepts. This is skimming the surface, this is only a beginning. Nonetheless important, because one has to find the beginning point, one has to start somewhere.
Genesis. Creating God, revealing himself as powerful, personal, desiring to bless his creation in the separation of broken relationship, committing himself in covenant and promise. Creating God, promising to bless, providing, sustaining, rescuing. Holy God, separate from his creation yet present. Even with his desire to penetrate, participate in, and resolve (re-create) the human condition, we would likely understand this God as remote and distant were it not for the rest of the story–the repeated phrase, “God was with him.” This truth is boldly visible in the Joseph narrative; it continues in the Exodus, throughout the Old Testament, and becomes remarkably clearer in the birth of Emmanuel, God with us!
What’s the point? What are we to see? God’s power, promise, provision and protection, plan and purpose? That God’s power extends in the world beyond his chosen people? All of the above and more, beginning to be studied and expanded. God reveals himself as ever-present in Joseph’s life–in both trials and victories. We might say in good times and bad times; through thick and thin; through ups and downs.
So much for a God remote, distant, and limited to the past. Can we believe that this is our God, still sovereign today? This personal, promising, providing, present God is here in the 21st century? Exactly the point!