Who

“But Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD that I should obey his voice”” Exodus 5:2

Who – The most important question you will ever ask yourself is found in the mouth of Pharaoh.  “Who is the Lord?”  We are all Pharaohs when it comes to this question. Pharaoh believed that he was the incarnation of god, that he himself was a god.  All of his life he exercised absolute power over his dominion.  Everyone around him treated him as a god.  Everyone feared him.  As God begins to deal with Pharaoh, we see the symbolism of a spiritual warfare that involves each of us.  Pharaoh looked out on his kingdom, secure in his own power and possessions, and decided that there was absolutely no need to pay attention to any other claim of authority.  “Who is the LORD?” was answered: “No one.  Nothing I need to think about.  I am the Lord of my own realm.”

We like to think we are spiritually astute.  We don’t make Pharaoh’s mistake.  We think that we know who God is.  But this question is not about information.  It is about authority.  Pharaoh knew the facts.  He recognized that the Hebrews had a god just like he had many gods.  But he did not acknowledge that the Hebrew god had any claim on him.

We recognize that God exists.  We might even recognize that God’s Son exists.  We have lots of information about God and the church.  We are a fact-based culture when it comes to religion.  But that is not the question.  Pharaoh hurls an insult at the god of the Hebrews.  He says, “Why should I pay any attention to your god?”  And that is precisely the question.  Why should I pay any attention to God’s claim over me?  Why should I submit to His authority?  The rest of the story about the plagues in Egypt is God’s answer to this question.  You must pay attention because I am the God of creation and the Ruler of the universe and you aren’t!

God humbles the proud and the mighty.  I know from personal experience.  You probably know that a lesson like this is really a lesson in personal plagues.  God does not tolerate any competing authority.  As we submit, He opens our eyes to more and more personal domain issues.  We discover how deeply Pharaoh’s question affects us.  Life is about authority.  That issue must be settled first, every day.  Where do you hear the echo of Pharaoh today?  Where is God pressing you about authority?