Exodus 7:1-6, “And the LORD said to
Moses, "See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron
shall be your prophet. (2) You shall speak all that I command you, and
your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his
land. (3) But I will harden Pharaoh's
heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, (4) Pharaoh
will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my
people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of
judgment. (5) The Egyptians shall know
that I am the LORD, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the
people of Israel from among them." (6)
Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as the LORD commanded them.”
Exodus 7 begins the record of the plagues that God brought against
Pharaoh and the Egyptians, due to Pharaoh’s hardness of heart and refusal to
let the Israelites go. There is a mysterious tension in the account of the
Exodus with regards to Pharaoh’s own disobedience and hardness towards God, and
the extent to which God further hardened Pharaoh’s heart. It is important that
we understand that prior to God hardening Pharaoh’s heart, Pharaoh was is no
way concerned with God, or even remotely partial or favourable to God. He
believed in his own gods and as with many other Pharaoh’s before and after him,
he believed himself to be a god. Pharaoh’s heart was already against and
opposed towards God, his heart was already proud and hard.
Why then does God hardened Pharaoh’s heart and strike not just Pharaoh
but the whole nation of Egypt with the various plagues? There are several
answers, it comes as judgement against them for enslaving the Israelites and
treating them in a very harsh, unjust and cruel manner. It comes as judgement
against them for their idolatrous ways, bowing down to other gods and rejecting
the only true and living God. However, there is a greater purpose, one that is
often overlooked, note what verse 5 says, “The
Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD…” There is a missionary, Gospel
purpose to this work of God.
The judgements and plagues that God sent down against all of Egypt demonstrated
two crucial truths; God was greater than Pharaoh and God was greater than all
the gods of Egypt. The mighty Pharaoh of Egypt and the strength of the
Egyptians gods were powerless, were left utterly defeated and broken by the God
of the Hebrews. Why does God do this? God does this not to pointlessly humiliate
the Egyptians, but so as to show the Egyptians, Pharaoh included, who the true
God is. God is essentially opening their eyes and humbling their proud
idolatrous hearts through these judgements and plagues. The chief end and
purpose of this is that the Egyptians might turn away from their idolatry and
worship the true and living God. This is not a case of seeing whose God is
bigger and stronger, it is the reality of people being saved out of idolatry
and being brought a saving knowledge of the real and only God.
As we continue to read through the Bible we will see that the nation
of Israel was to have this very same missionary and Gospel purpose. They were
made to be God’s people, not because God was only choosing one nation, but so
that through that one nation God might demonstrate to all nations the truth of
who He is and thus cause many to turn to Him. Israel was to be a light to the
nations, so that all the nations might know and see that the LORD is God and
then come to God to worship Him, as their very own God.
We live in a world similar to that of Exodus 7, there are large
numbers of people who have hardened their hearts against God and against God’s
people. Some are so opposed that they will enslave, abuse, imprison and even
execute those who are true believers in Christ. Many have turned aside to false
gods and idols, and even more are caught up in the worship of themselves. Yet the
Bible makes it clear that this missionary and Gospel purpose that was given to
Israel, has now been passed on to the Church, to believers in Jesus Christ. We
are the people who belong to God, not so that we might just be the privileged
few, but so that through us, through our lives God might show the world that He
is the only true God. God works in us and in His Church, so that the world might
know that the Lord is God and that salvation is found only in Him. God gives us
this work so that through our witness and conduct as the people who belong to
God, people might see the truth of who God is and be drawn to Him in belief.
This is a task of tremendous privilege, and yet it is one that suffers severe
neglect, or is done poorly. It is tragic than many Christians become like the
nation of Israel did, completely indistinguishable from the nations and people
around them. Is our church like that, are you as a Christian like that?
Lord of heaven and earth, You are the
only, true, living God, beside You there is no other. Thank You that You have
revealed Yourself to us, so that we might know You, and not just know You, but
be saved by You through the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank You for the missionary,
Gospel work that You have given us, that we are to be the fragrance of life and
the light to world, that through us You reveal Yourself to those around us and
draw them to Yourself. Forgive us for neglecting this task, and for the many
times we have be poor witnesses, renew our desire to be people who shine
clearly with Your light, the light of the Gospel. Amen.
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