Tag Archives: Pharaoh

WHAT IS GOD DOING IN SOUTH AFRICA? – 1

Bible Study,

Many of God’s children are running or thinking of running away from South Africa because of the things that are happening in our country right now. Is this the correct way to handle the challenges we face? Is the grass greener on the other side of the fence? Is this what God wants us to do, to abandon the country of our birth, the land where our roots go down deep, for an unknown land and, unfortunately and inadvertantly, to miss out on what He is doing here?

It’s time for us, God’s children, to have a NEW perspective on what God is doing in our country. If, on the surface, it seems that God has left us to our own devices or handed this land over to His enemies, is this the truth?

Before we begin, let’s consider one thought. I have heard many people suggest that we pray for the salvation of certain politicians who are charismatic and persuasive in their political aspirations. “What if so-and-so gets saved. What a power for good he/she would be in our country!”

This may be true and perfectly possible for the Lord but, is this necessarily His purpose for that person? What if the Lord created that person specifically to get glory through his/her behaviour?

Romans 9:17-18 NLT
[17]”For the Scriptures say that God told Pharaoh, “I have appointed you for the very purpose of displaying my power in you and to spread my fame throughout the earth.” [18] So you see, God chooses to show mercy to some, and he chooses to harden the hearts of others so they refuse to listen.”

God is sovereign and He is also just. He gave Pharaoh the opportunity to repent. Five times, Pharaoh hardened his heart. Five times God hardened his heart and confirmed Pharaoh’s decision to defy Him. God allowed Pharaoh to be his own judge.

Let’s turn to the Bible to get God’s pattern for His dealings with nations.

A recent discussion with my son brought me face to face with this issue. His concern is that South Africa is ruled by and given over to demonic powers. If so, how does God feature in a seemingly insoluble problem, a power struggle between God and Satan?

I asked the Lord to show me what He is doing in South Africa so that I can partner with Him, through prayer, in doing His will on earth as it is done in heaven.

This is what He revealed to me.

Let’s begin at the beginning.

First…to whom does South Africa belong? Does this country belong to the highest bidder?

Psalms 24:1 NLT
[1] “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.”

The entire world and all its people belong to God, not to us and not to the spirit beings who rule over us.

Second…who rules our nation?

Psalms 2:6-9 NLT
[6] “For the Lord declares, “I have placed my chosen king on the throne in Jerusalem, on my holy mountain.” [7] The king proclaims the Lord’s decree: “The Lord said to me, ‘You are my son. Today I have become your Father. [8] Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the whole earth as your possession. [9] You will break them with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots.’”

Although South Africa is not in covenant with Jesus, He owns and rules over our nation and every nation on earth by divine decree as the Father’s coronation gift. God has given Him the right to decide who will govern our nation, why, and how He directs our affairs to achieve His purpose for South Africa.

So, this settles these two questions…who owns the nations and who rules the nations? God owns the nations. He gave them to Jesus as His coronation gift. Jesus rules the nations with an iron fist and He is guiding us towards His predetermined purpose.

Third… What is nature of His rule?

Isaiah 9:6-7 NLT
[6] “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. [7] His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!”

Justice, righteousness,and peace! Wherever Jesus rules, He will overcome everything that does not fit in with His rule and standards.

1 Corinthians 15:24-25 NLT
[24]”After that, the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. [25] For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet.”

God’s desire for all nations is expressed in Paul’s instruction to Timothy…

1 Timothy 2:1-4 NIV
[1] “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— [2] for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. [3] This is good, and pleases God our Savior, [4] who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”

Fourth… How does He rule? Here is the principle and the method. God is perfectly just. He carries out His will by working through the way people think and act. People choose their own behaviour and their destiny.

Proverbs 21:1 NLT
[1]”The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord; he guides it wherever he pleases.”

Now this is an interesting slant! Does this verse mean that the heart of a king, a ruler, moves along specific paths of thinking, directed by God, towards a certain goal? What if God allows rulers to think and do what they want to do, even if the outcomes are destructive and wicked, to serve His purpose?

Fifth…God predicts what will happen and then carries out His Word through people’s choices and actions.

Isaiah 45:1, 4-6 NIV
[1] “This is what the Lord says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:…
[4] For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me. [5] I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, [6] so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting people may know there is none besides me. I am the Lord, and there is no other.”

Now let’s examine two situations in Scripture to test this idea.

First, Egypt.

Exodus 2:23-25 NLT
[23] “Years passed, and the king of Egypt died. But the Israelites continued to groan under their burden of slavery. They cried out for help, and their cry rose up to God. [24] God heard their groaning, and he remembered his covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. [25] He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act.”

Egypt was steeped in idolatry. What was God’s intention?

Exodus 7:1-5 NLT
[1]”Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pay close attention to this. I will make you seem like God to Pharaoh, and your brother, Aaron, will be your prophet. [2] Tell Aaron everything I command you, and Aaron must command Pharaoh to let the people of Israel leave his country. [3] But I will make Pharaoh’s heart stubborn so I can multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. [4] Even then Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you. So I will bring down my fist on Egypt. Then I will rescue my forces—my people, the Israelites—from the land of Egypt with great acts of judgment. [5] When I raise my powerful hand and bring out the Israelites, the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.”

How did God accomplish His purpose?

Exodus 3:19-20 NLT
[19] “But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand forces him. [20] So I will raise my hand and strike the Egyptians, performing all kinds of miracles among them. Then at last he will let you go.”

Exodus 5:1-2 NLT
[1] After this presentation to Israel’s leaders, Moses and Aaron went and spoke to Pharaoh. They told him, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Let my people go so they may hold a festival in my honor in the wilderness.” [2] “Is that so?” retorted Pharaoh. “And who is the Lord? Why should I listen to him and let Israel go? I don’t know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.”

Pharaoh persisted in his stubborn resistance…

Despite Moses’ demonstration of God’s power to Pharoah, he refused to do what Moses told him.

Exodus 7:13 NLT
[13]”Pharaoh’s heart, however, remained hard. He still refused to listen, just as the Lord had predicted.”

Until God confirmed Pharaoh’s choices ..

Exodus 9:12 NLT
[12] “But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and just as the Lord had predicted to Moses, Pharaoh refused to listen.”

God’s intention was, in the final plague, the death of every firstborn son of people and animals, to demonstrate His power over the gods of Egypt.

Exodus 12:12 NLT
[12] “On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn son and firstborn male animal in the land of Egypt. I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, for I am the Lord!”

Finally, after destroying the land of Egypt, God glorified His own name by annihilating the Egyptian army…all through Pharaoh’s resistance to God’s command.

Exodus 14:2-4 NLT
[2] “Order the Israelites to turn back and camp by Pi-hahiroth between Migdol and the sea. Camp there along the shore, across from Baal-zephon. [3] Then Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are confused. They are trapped in the wilderness!’ [4] And once again I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will chase after you. I have planned this in order to display my glory through Pharaoh and his whole army. After this the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord!” So the Israelites camped there as they were told.”

Exodus 14:8-9, 17-18, 23-25, 28 NLT
[8]” The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, so he chased after the people of Israel, who had left with fists raised in defiance. [9] The Egyptians chased after them with all the forces in Pharaoh’s army—all his horses and chariots, his charioteers, and his troops. The Egyptians caught up with the people of Israel as they were camped beside the shore near Pi-hahiroth, across from Baal-zephon…
[17] And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they will charge in after the Israelites. My great glory will be displayed through Pharaoh and his troops, his chariots, and his charioteers. [18] When my glory is displayed through them, all Egypt will see my glory and know that I am the Lord!”
[23] Then the Egyptians—all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and charioteers—chased them into the middle of the sea. [24] But just before dawn the Lord looked down on the Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud, and he threw their forces into total confusion. [25] He twisted their chariot wheels, making their chariots difficult to drive. “Let’s get out of here—away from these Israelites!” the Egyptians shouted. “The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt!”…
[28] Then the waters returned and covered all the chariots and charioteers—the entire army of Pharaoh. Of all the Egyptians who had chased the Israelites into the sea, not a single one survived.”

Can you see, then, how God used Pharaoh’s own choices to destroy the nation and free His people from slavery?

Through Pharaoh and the plagues, God poured out His judgement on Egypt’s gods. He revealed His glory by annihilating Egypt’s ruler and his army, showing the people of Egypt that He is God.

How does this story show us God’s pattern for dealing with ungodly leaders?

To be continued…

JOSEPH, GOD’S MAN FOR THE HOUR – 4

Bible Study, ,

Dreams! Dreams! From Joseph, an unknown teenager, to Pharaoh, top brass in a world empire, they kept dreaming. Dreams can mean nothing or they can mean everything to the dreamer. In contact with the Author of dreams, Joseph had become quite an interpreter of dreams.

So, it happened that Pharaoh also had a dream, two dreams in one night, two dreams linked together to provide a warning about Egypt’s imminent catastrophe, but who would interpret his dreams?

None of Pharaoh’s so called “magicians and wise men” could enlighten him, but there was one small link, his cup bearer, to the man who could.

‭Genesis‬ ‭41:8‭-‬9‬ ‭NLT‬
[8] The next morning Pharaoh was very disturbed by the dreams. So he called for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. When Pharaoh told them his dreams, not one of them could tell him what they meant. [9] Finally, the king’s chief cup-bearer spoke up. “Today I have been reminded of my failure,” he told Pharaoh….
[13] And everything happened just as he had predicted. I was restored to my position as cup-bearer, and the chief baker was executed and impaled on a pole.”

Enter Joseph, the dreamer turned interpreter! All the events of the past thirteen years are now centred on this critical moment.

“God will not answer your prayers until He has put all the structures in place to maintain that answer.”

How true is this statement I heard many years ago!

The final structure on place, Pharaoh summonses Joseph to the palace.

‭Genesis‬ ‭41:14‬ ‭NLT‬
[14]”Pharaoh sent for Joseph at once, and he was quickly brought from the prison. After he shaved and changed his clothes, he went in and stood before Pharaoh.”

What thoughts raced through Joseph’s mind as he prepared to meet Pharaoh? Did he have any idea that his own dreams were about to come true? Did he imagine for one moment, that he would not only be released from prison but also be promoted to prime minister of Egypt?

Strange dreams indeed! Seven fat cows eaten by seven emaciated cows? Seven full ears of grain decimated by seven diseased ears! Joseph quickly understands their connection and their meanings. Seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine.

Unafraid to tell this pagan king the source of his understanding, the God of all gods, Joseph gives him the interpretation and the solution to this massive challenge.

So, in a flash, Joseph finds himself second ruler in Egypt! Pharaoh recognised in him a man not only capable of interpreting dreams but also wise enough to run the entire enterprise. Once again, Joseph finds favour with the man in charge.

There is a little recurring phrase in Joseph’s story upon which hangs the entire process of this drama.

‭Genesis‬ ‭39:2‬ ‭NLT‬
[2] ‘The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. “

‭Genesis‬ ‭39:21‬ ‭NLT‬
[21]”But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden.”

‭Genesis‬ ‭41:39‭-‬40‬ ‭NLT‬
[39] “Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has revealed the meaning of the dreams to you, clearly no one else is as intelligent or wise as you are. [40] You will be in charge of my court, and all my people will take orders from you. Only I, sitting on my throne, will have a rank higher than yours.”

The statement, “God was with Joseph…” means so much more than God’s passive presence. When God is “with” us, He comes with all His divine attributes and all His resources to sustain and support His chosen man or woman for His hour.

Th same was written of David, God’s model king and forerunner of the Messiah, Son of David.

‭1 Samuel‬ ‭18:14‬ ‭NLT‬
[14] “David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the Lord was with him.”

There is a category of God’s people in the New Covenant who can share in this privileged position in God if they fulfill the condition.

‭Philippians‬ ‭4:6‭-‬9‬ ‭NLT‬
[6] “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. [7] Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. [8] And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. [9] Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.”

A mind free of worry and filled with gratitude and God’s truth, believing and living it out in everyday life activates God’s favour in all they do.

David prayed..

‭Psalms‬ ‭86:11‬ ‭NLT‬
[11]”Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you.”

And David experienced…

‭Psalms‬ ‭5:12‬ ‭NIV‬
[12] “Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.”

To be continued…

It’s A Mystery!

Bible Study, , , ,

IT’S A MYSTERY!

“What, then, shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For He says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.’

“It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. For Scripture says to Pharaoh, ‘I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.’ Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden.” Romans 9:14-18.

Now we get to the difficult part. We view God through our human eyes and think that He has no right to do with people whatever He chooses.

Does that mean that God deliberately creates some people to show off His glory by making them wicked and then sending them to hell? The Bible never insinuates that He ever does anything like that. That’s the kind of thing a man-made god, capricious and unpredictable like its creator, would do!

We have to see the picture from God’s perspective. Since our forefather Adam’s decision to disregard God’s instruction and make his own rules, the entire human race has been in a state of rebellion against God, leaving Him no option but to allow the consequences of our rebellion take their course. To be true to His justice, He has to punish sin. His punishment comes in the form of death because death is the result of anything imperfect and corrupt.

God could have left it at that and allowed the entire human race to perish at its own hand. Instead, because of His mercy, He intervened by sending His Son to take the rap for us. Having removed the reason for our punishment, He invites whoever wants to, to receive His mercy and His gift of forgiveness, and get back on track to being restored to His image. With sin and punishment out of the way, those who entrust themselves to Him are in the process of being made holy; that is, being set free from sin to obey God for His purposes and for His glory.

So where do our rights come into it? As guilty sinners, the only right we ever have is to God’s justice – and that means eternal separation from Him. He put His law into our hearts at conception. Everyone instinctively knows what is right and wrong; and that makes us doubly guilty before God – guilty because we know what is right and guilty because we because we refuse to submit to His authority and choose to do wrong.

How can we question God if He chooses to show mercy to those who respond to His invitation to return to Him, and to reject those who reject Him? Take the case of Pharaoh to which Paul refers. The Biblical record indicates that God gave Pharaoh ten opportunities to listen to His instruction, and release His people, but five times Pharaoh refused.

Every time he refused to obey God, his heart became harder towards Him. It was not God’s fault that Pharaoh would not acknowledge His authority. Pharaoh made his choice and God simply confirmed it by making it impossible to for him change his mind. So whose fault was it that Egypt was destroyed? God’s fault? No! Pharaoh chose to ignore God’s warnings and take the consequences. And, in so doing, he inadvertently shone the light on God’s power and glory.

Does that mean that our destiny is in our own hands? Yes, in a sense it does, and yet, at the same time, in a way which is beyond our understanding, God miraculously intervenes and rescues us from our own stubborn rejection. Take Paul, for example. He would never have become the apostle he was, had Jesus not confronted him on the Damascus road. He needed that kind of shock treatment to wake him up to the truth.

And that is the mercy of God! If left to our own devices, would we ever turn to Him? I don’t think so. Self-will is too deeply entrenched for us to let go easily. The miracle is that some people actually respond to God’s mercy, turn away from their sin and follow the way back to Him. They are the ones who fulfil His will, enjoy His goodness and will experience the fullness of eternal life.

It truly is a mystery – this sovereignty of God!

Acknowledgement

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