God often manifests himself in ways that are not always what we might expect or even desire. Just ask the Hebrew people back in the fifteenth century B.C. when they were slaves in Egypt. Enslavement and oppression, after all, sound like minor chords to the human ear.
The Hebrews were under submission to a stone-hearted Pharaoh who refused to let them go. Even more confusing from their human perspective was the fact that God was orchestrating everything in their experience. It was God who brought them to Egypt and permitted their enslavement and the slaughtering of their children. It was the Lord who hardened Pharaoh’s heart to refuse to free them upon Moses’ entreaties.
But why? Why was God deliberately allowing Israel to be pounded and persecuted? Why was he preventing Pharaoh’s heart from melting into obedience to the one true God? A confused Moses, upon seeing such relentless oppression, cried out,
Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done harm to this people, and You have not delivered Your people at all (Exodus 5:23).
God’s answer:
But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart that I may multiply My signs and wonders in the land of Egypt” (7:3). . .“But, indeed, for this reason I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name through all the earth,” (9:16). . .“I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may perform these signs of Mine among them, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son, and of your grandson, how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, that you may know that I am the LORD” (10:1-2). . .“Pharaoh will not listen to you, so that My wonders will be multiplied in the land of Egypt,” (11:9)
The answer is that God did not exist for Israel, but Israel for God. He would eventually deliver them through a series of events recorded in the book of Exodus. And through these events, God’s glory would be revealed to the nations.
It’s exactly what you and I claim to desire as our chief ambition in life when we pray, “May you make yourself known and glorify yourself through me.”
A horrific oppression by a hardened Pharaoh would require an astounding deliverance by an awesome God. Because Pharaoh would not budge, God would turn a river into blood. He would swarm their land with frogs, gnats, and locusts. He would smite Egypt’s livestock and cause the people’s skin to burst with boils. He would send an unprecedented hailstorm and pitch darkness upon the land. He would kill all of Egypt’s firstborn—all of them. And he would part the Red Sea. By the time Israel had been delivered, there was no lingering doubt about who was reigning over who. The God of the Hebrews is also the God of the universe.
Through the events of the Exodus, God manifested his name, nature, power, wrath, and faithfulness to Egypt and Israel. In Genesis, he scattered man to form nations. Man responded around the world by forming pagan religions. In Exodus, God would reveal himself as the only one worthy of worship.
They Were Stricken, so that God’s Glory Would Be Revealed
We often desire for God to be manifested through our evangelistic efforts, work ethic, and lives that we ourselves carefully craft. Doubt starts to seep in when he sets the terms of how this is to happen–when he permits trials, oppression, injustice, mistreatment, abusive authorities, and persistent persecution. We start to question God when he answers our noble petition the way he sees fit.
It’s worth remembering, however, that the more extreme the opposition and persecution, the more fully God’s power is revealed. Through Exodus, we know who he is, what he desires, and what He promises. We know that, of all beings, he is the One worth trusting. Had Moses and the Hebrews not been persecuted, our faith would not be as strong as it is.
Recite, then, with a humble confidence: “Let me be stricken, that God’s glory may be revealed.”
This article was adapted from J. R. Cueves’ book, Skillfully Surveying the Scriptures (Xulon and With All Wisdom, 2018).
