Exodus 9-10, Mark 2
“But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.You are still exalting yourself against my people and will not let them go.” – Exodus 9:16-17 ESV
God will share His glory with no one, including Pharaoh. His every action and every decision are designed to reflect His glory and greatness. Every plague He brought on the people of Israel was designed to prove His power and convince the Israelites and the Egyptians of His glory. Pharaoh, the great ruler over Egypt, who was viewed by his own people as a god, was simply a tool in God's hand to accomplish His divine will and bring glory to His name. When Moses and Aaron first approached Pharaoh and made their request that he allow them to leave Egypt, his response had been, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go" (Exodus 5:2 ESV). But God was going to introduce Himself to Pharaoh and the people of Egypt. He would provide them with more than enough evidence of His existence and plenty of reasons to proclaim His glory and greatness. When all was said and done, there would be no man, woman or child alive in the land of Egypt who did not know who Yahweh was, and it would not be long before His fame spread throughout the known world at that time.
What does this passage reveal about God?
God was in complete control of the situation. He knew exactly what was going to happen before it happened. He knew what Pharaoh would say and do before Pharaoh did. Each plague was planned and designed to fall in exactly the order in which they came. The intensity of the plagues increased over time. The devastation and destruction they brought on the people and the land grew exponentially each time Pharaoh hardened his heart and refused to let the people go. This was all part of God's plan. Early on, He had told Moses, "Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong had he will drive them out of his land" (Exodus 6:1 ESV). God was going convince Pharaoh to not only let the people go, but to drive them out of the land and fill their pockets with treasure in the process. This entire story reveals a well-orchestrated plan implemented by an all-powerful God whose ultimate objective is to make Himself known among men. Everything in the Exodus story points to God's glory. The defeat of the Egyptians will bring God glory. The release of the Israelites will bring God glory. Even the stubborn refusals of Pharaoh will ultimately bring God glory.
Over in the book of Mark we read of Jesus healing the paralytic. There is an interesting exchange between Jesus and the Scribes. They were appalled that Jesus had dared to forgive the man's sins, something only God could do. Jesus asked them, "Which is easier to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your bed and walk?'" (Mark 2:9 ESV). Obviously, it is much easier to tell someone his sins are forgiven, because the results can't be measured or proven. So Jesus takes the more difficult path. He commands the man to get up and walk. And He gives as His reason, "that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins" (Mark 2:10 ESV). The result of this healing was that everyone who witnessed it "were all amazed and glorified God, saying, 'We never saw anything like this!'" (Mark 2:12 ESV). God was glorified. Jesus performed the miracle, but God was glorified. Jesus' entire life and ministry was designed to bring God glory. In fact, in His prayer recorded in John 17, Jesus told the Father, "I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do" (John 17:4 ESV). Jesus' life and death brought glory to God. The cross brought glory to God. The plan of redemption brought glory to God. And there is a day coming when the give all men will give God glory because of what Jesus has done. "Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:9-11 ESV).
What does this passage reveal about man?
We tend to live for our own glory. We are constantly attempting to make everything about us. The result is that we end up viewing the world from our limited perspective and fail to see God's fingerprints all over our lives and circumstances. Pharaoh thought he was in control. He truly believed he had the upper hand and the last word in what was going to happen. But he was going to learn, perhaps the hard way, that God was the one in control. He would come to understand that God alone was going to get the glory. Every man, woman, and child exists ultimately for God's glory. We were created for His glory. We exist for His glory. All creation is designed to bring God glory. Jesus Himself brought God glory. Should we be any different? God will be glorified on this earth and through the lives of those who occupy it. His name will be lifted up and proclaimed through all the earth. As His people, we are to be His witnesses, His ambassadors, spreading the glory of His name and the good news regarding His Son. Our lives are to be living, breathing proof of His presence and power. Our faith should bring Him glory as we learn to lean on Him, resting in His strength and not our own. Our transformed lives should bring Him glory and proclaim His greatness and goodness to the nations.
How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?
I exist for God's glory, not my own. My life is to be a tribute to His greatness, not my own. He is at work in my life, not to bring me happiness or to satisfy my selfish desires, but to bring Himself glory. And the amazing thing is that He brings Himself glory by transforming me into the likeness of His Son. I personally benefit from the process, but I am not the focus of it. The Israelites were going to get to enjoy freedom from slavery. But it wasn't because they deserved it or had somehow earned it. God would later remind the people of Israel, "It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations" (Deuteronomy 7:7-9 ESV). Ultimately, it was because God was a covenant-keeping God. He is a loving, faithful God who does what He promises to do. For His glory and our good. Jesus did what He did, not because man deserved it, but because God had planned it. He did what He did for God's glory and our good. I am the beneficiary of God's goodness because Jesus sought to bring His Father glory.
Father, I want my life to bring You glory. I know that You will be glorified regardless of whether I acknowledge You or not, but I would rather be a willing participant in the process, instead of like Pharaoh. I want to willingly glorify You by regularly acknowledging Your presence and power in my life. I want to praise You more. I want to focus more on You and less on me. I want to seek Your glory and not mine. May my life be lived in faithful obedience to Your will, bringing glory to Your name. Amen.