Title: The Pharaoh That Caused a National Disaster
Contents
29 In the middle of the night the LORD struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on the throne to the firstborn of the prisoners and the firstborn of livestock. 30 And Pharaoh and all his servants and all the Egyptians rose that night. There was a great gorge in Egypt, because there was not a single house in the country that did not die. 31 Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron by night, and said, "Arise, you and the children of Israel, and go and serve the LORD, as you have said, from among my people. 32 As you said, drive your sheep and cattle, and bless me. 33 The Egyptians said, "We are all dead." They urged the people to send them out of that area quickly. 34 The people put bowls of uncoated dough on their clothes. 35 And the children of Israel did as Moses had said, and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and clothing, 36 and the LORD gave the Egyptians favor to the people, to give them whatever they asked for, so they took the Egyptians' goods.
1. Words that begin
Most leaders, let alone rulers, have the belief that they should teach, guide, and lead people. These leaders' beliefs stem from the illusion that they are superior to others in every way. All leaders, including rulers, should have the belief that they should be able to help people. The beliefs of these leaders stem from the belief that the talents of outstanding people should benefit everyone.
2. Death of the first living beings, fulfillment of prophecy
Pharaoh in the book of Exodus is the title of the ruler of Egypt, not the person. Egypt's Pharaoh, who confronted Moses, the messenger of God, was the epitome of leaders who believed in teaching, guiding, and leading the people. Pharaoh not only worshiped all kinds of idols, but he was also worshiped by the people while claiming to be a god. Because he was such a person, even though he saw the whole of Egypt being devastated by God's power nine times at least nine times, each time he offered to let Israel go, he would disobey whenever he could breathe. What is even more amazing is that the judgment of the nine plagues was spiritually a victory over the representatives of the Egyptian pantheon, and even though it proved that all the gods were nothing, Pharaoh did not fully realize it and was only showing foolish arrogance.
For example, the first judgment of the plague, which turned the Nile into blood, killed the fish and made the water stink, was a victory over the Nile god, Harpi. The Egyptians deified the Nile, praising it as “the Giver of life to all men, the One who brings joy, the Creator of the whole earth, and the One who fertilizes it.” And the ninth plague, the Judgment of Darkness, is a victory over the sun god Amon-Ra, and it is an event that reveals that the sun is a creature, not a god.
The judgments of God's power and the plagues of Egypt were each an opportunity for Pharaoh and the Egyptians to repent and believe in the true God, but they only disobeyed and rebelled.
The result of Pharaoh's foolish arrogance and stubbornness, lies and disobedience, and disobedience and disobedience before Moses, the messenger of God, was a terrible disaster. The plague was the death of the deified firstborn of Pharaoh, as well as all the firstborn and firstborn of Egypt. All of Egypt's first life-death judgments are divine triumphs that reveal that the human-headed Ptah, worshiped as the life-giver and sustainer, is nothing.
God's judgment on the first living beings was harshly realized on a night when no one expected it. Pharaoh and the people who worshiped all kinds of idols and resisted God shook the whole country.
One day, off the shores of the Great Barrier Islands in northern New Zealand, 142 whales made their way to shore and committed suicide. Experts say that when the whale's leader fell ill and disorientated to shore, other whales may have followed. In this way, if the leader leads the wrong way, it leads to the death of many people.
On a country road, a farmer was dragging an oxcart. A taxi passing by, causing dust, stopped. With a customer on board, the taxi driver asked the farmer, “Uncle, which way should I go to get to the Astragalus?” The farmer said, “Are you a fortune teller? I'm on that road right now, so just follow me." “How far are you going?” The taxi driver asked, and the farmer answered. “I only have to go another 20 li, so please follow me quietly.”
Wouldn't it be better to ask the customer to take a taxi and walk with them? How many leaders today do not know the speed of the trend, do not listen to the cries of the masses, do not judge the situation, and tell them to follow them? It is not that there were no loyalists who spoke directly to Pharaoh. Exodus 10:7 says, “How long will this man become a trap for us, and Pharaoh’s servants said to him, Send them out to serve the LORD their God? Do you not know that Egypt is still destroyed? Don't you know that the country is ruined?” Still, the foolish and arrogant Pharaoh refused to listen, and told the people to follow only the path of ruinous disobedience.
3. Pharaoh who surrendered and promised to let Israel go
It was only after losing the firstborn of all Egypt, the firstborn of all animals, and even his beloved firstborn, Pharaoh realized to some extent and surrendered. At night, Pharaoh called Moses, the messenger of God, and his spokesman, Aaron, his brother, and said, “Arise, you and the children of Israel, and depart from my people, and drive your sheep and cattle according to your word, and bless me.”
He took the opportunity to repent, believe in God, and receive salvation as an opportunity to oppose God. He disobeyed, but after being beaten hard, he gave in. A father sits his son who doesn't study but does other things and says, "Are you going to be beaten and study? Do you want to study on your own?” I hope that all of us will not be beaten and not obey, but will obey and receive the promised blessing. Everyone, I hope you will learn and obey the Word of God given through the Lord's messenger.
Whether you look at history or modern times, foolish dictators seek to deify themselves or call themselves the sons of God, and some religions claim to be united with God, or to become Buddhas or gods. , an instinctive fear of judgment after death. The Pharaohs who were called gods, the Roman emperors, the Chinese emperors, and the Japanese emperors all surrendered, lost, and died.
Isn't it interesting that Pharaoh, who was said to be a living god, secretly told Moses and Aaron? “Bless for me.” He asks for a blessing for himself so that he can receive the blessing of the God of Israel, not the gods of the Egyptian pantheon. Which rulers are you not like? Shouldn't we ask for a blessing for the people who have suffered ten times of calamity because of him, not himself as a leader? Pharaoh is the epitome of a ruler with no qualifications and no qualifications. What did the Egyptians say? “We are all dead,” he said, and urged the Israelites to get them out of Egypt quickly.
Now the people of Israel were busy getting the blessing of liberation. The Israelites wrapped a bowl of uncooked dough in their clothes and put it on their shoulders. In addition, they proudly demanded silver and gold jewelry and clothing from the Egyptians, who obeyed Moses' command and acted as unjust masters. Then, God worked to shake the hearts of the Egyptians and give them what they asked for for obedient Israel.
There is no distinction between the words “believe” and “obey” in the dialects of the Cuiketec and Zertal Indians in Mexico. One word contains two meanings. Knowing this fact, the early missionaries thought their language was incomplete, thinking that language differentiation did not occur because they were a language of an uncivilized race. On the contrary, the Indians found it strange to see the civilizations distinguishing between the two horses. In fact, the imperfection of the language is what makes civilized people think deeply.
The Indians think these two words must be one. They said, “Does not faith lead to obedience? Isn't obedience a sign of faith?”
Not a few church members are professing to believe in God even though they do not obey God. Such church members are revealing themselves as hypocrites.
4. Conclusion
If there are really pitiful people, they are rulers and leaders who do not know that they are creatures and do not fear God the Creator. These people tend to think of themselves as exceptional people who need to teach, guide, and lead people in every way. Such people are prone to extreme megalomania of self-idolization or self-deification at best, and they are bound to suffer catastrophe together with their stubbornness, like a car without a brake system.
I hope that all of us will receive and enjoy the promised blessings together by believing and obeying God who gives the word through His messengers.