Power

 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.Exodus 9:16 ESVhttps://bible.com/bible/59/exo.9.16.ESV 

Secular historians point to the lack of extra-biblical evidence of Hebrew slavery in Egypt and ensuing exodus. But here in this verse, God describes how this anonymous Pharoah has been immortalised in the annals of the Hebrews, so that God is proclaimed in all the earth. The mighty men of the world might think they can stand against God and win, but resistance is futile! 

The more stubborn Pharoah was, the more the Lord was able to display His power. The more insistent Pharoah was of keeping his slaves, the more unreasonable he appeared. It was a battle of wills, and the will of Yahweh prevailed. 

In the end, Pharoah will have been broken by the plagues. In the final plague, his own firstborn son was killed, the next in line to the throne of the world superpower. He might have tried to put a brave face on it, but he will have been devastated by it, and finally relented, to let God's people go. 

The Egyptian propaganda machine might have tried to gloss over the Hebrew slavery aspect, but the Bible exposes it. The Roman propaganda machine might have tried to gloss over the fact the Roman Empire was built on slavery, but the Bible challenged it. The Bible doesn't even whitewash the fact that there was slavery in ancient Israel, but the Biblical ethic of love of our neighbours is incompatible with enslaving people. 

'Almighty Yahweh, thank You that not even the most powerful slave owner can thwart Your purposes. You will have Your way, and Your name will be exalted in all the earth. To the praise of Your glory, amen'

Comments

  1. David Ettinger26 February 2021 at 14:43

    Well done, Robert.

    "The Bible doesn't even whitewash the fact that there was slavery in ancient Israel, but the Biblical ethic of love of our neighbours is incompatible with enslaving people. "

    So true, Robert. Along with that, what many people don't understand is that just because the Bible speaks of something, doesn't mean it supports it. In the case of slaves, it is simply recording history, not advocating it.

    I'll visit your blog more often. Thanks for the link.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Robert26 February 2021 at 14:52

    Thank you for visiting David, it's great to have you!

    I've heard a speaker compare slavery in the Bible to petrol motorised transport as a kind of necessary evil at different times.

    Slavery might have been tolerated in ancient Israel, but the slave trade wasn't, and we see that carried through into the New Testament, which didn't inaugurate some kind of Spartacist revolt; instead commanding slaves and masters alike to respect one another. But I'm sure you know what I'm writing about already! Interesting though!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mercy

  For the Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them. Deuteronomy 4:31 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/deu.4.31.ESV Jesus Christ is Lord. That's why they crucified Him, for claiming to be God and King: blasphemy to the Jews and treason to the Romans. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. So the same Jesus of yesterday is the Jesus of today. He was merciful yesterday, and He'll be merciful today and forever. He doesn't just turn around and decide to destroy people He's lavished His mercy upon. If we've received God's mercy, or if we receive it now, or before Christ returns, nothing can separate us from the love of God. If we want God's presence in our lives, and we cry out to Him for it, He's not going to abandon us in the wilderness of our sin. If we claim God's Bible promises for ourselves in faith, we are safe in Him. God promises never t
Read more

Opposition

  Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. 2 Timothy 3:8 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/2ti.3.8.ESV Jannes and Jambres are the names of the Egyptian magicians who tried to persuade Pharoah not to let God's people go. It wasn't hard for them to encourage him. They might have been able to replicate some of Moses' miracles, but miracles alone are not necessarily signs of divine approval. The devil has power to work deceptive miraculous signs that point people away from God instead of towards Him. Sadly, some charlatan, counterfeit 'Christians' claim to perform miracles (that tend to be fake). Truth is that faith in God is the real miracle for sinners like us. Moses was seeking to lead God's people to the promised land. Jannes and Jambres wanted to keep them in slavery in Egypt. Jesus wants to free us from slavery to sin. Satan wants to keep us out of God's prom
Read more