“And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice . . .?”
Exodus 5:2
Today’s verse passage is part of the Pharaoh’s response to Moses and Aaron, who had demanded that he let the Israelite slaves go free. As disagreeable and unreasonable a character as the Pharaoh was, his question to Moses and Aaron was remarkably insightful and very well placed. “Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice?” This is a question we all must grapple with sooner or later. God’s word contains numerous moral prescriptions and prohibitions, many of which conflict with our own felt needs and personal desires. Who is this God who demands that we take every thought captive to Him (2 Corinthians 10:5)? The God of Christian theism is, on His own terms, the Greatest Conceivable Being. The writer to the Hebrews declared that “when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself” (Hebrews 6:13). The covenant-keeping God of the Bible is the eternal and uncreated creator of all else that exists (Genesis 1:1, Colossians 1:15-17). He is all-powerful (Psalm 135:5-6, Job 42:2), all-knowing (Psalm 139:1-4), and everywhere present (Psalm 139:5-8). We further learn that He is holy (Leviticus 11:44-45; Psalm 86:2), just (Isaiah 45:21; Zephaniah 3:5), loving (1 John 4:8), merciful (Ephesians 2:4), generous (Acts 14:14-17), kind (Luke 6:35) and truthful (Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18). Knowing this God in a personal way is the greatest blessing imaginable.“Thus saith the LORD,” wrote the prophet Jeremiah, “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD” (Jeremiah 9:23-24). Who is the LORD that we should obey His voice? Our God is the ultimate authority, standing in and over the created order. He alone possesses the supreme right to be believed and obeyed, not only for Who and what He is, but for how He has chosen to posture Himself toward us. Regarding our lowly state, the eternal God took flesh and became our Substitute Sacrifice (1 Peter 3:18), our Advocate (1 John 2:1), our Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 14), and the “friend that sticketh closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24). With renewed enthusiasm, may we regard our God with reverence, love, and corresponding obedience today, for His glory and for the good of others.
God bless you,
Pastor John
English