Good morning, welcome to the 5MC and welcome to Exodus chapter 5. Exodus 5 starts one of the largest, most well-known events in God’s Word, the 10 plagues upon Egypt. We saw yesterday in chapter 4 that the Israelites cried out to God in their suffering and slavery and their cries reached the ears of God. We will see this pattern repeated over and over as the Israelites start their long and arduous journey towards the promised land. The people find themselves in a dilemma (most times their own doing) they cry out to God, He hears, and He saves them. It reminds me of the precious bond between a new mother and her tiny infant. Out of her abundant and unconditional love, she will move mountains to quell the cries of her child. God is no different. He is our heavenly Father and He is constantly listening for the cries of His children. And He will do anything to quiet our weeping and ease our pain as those cries reach His ears.
Because of these cries, God calls Moses from the burning bush and begins the plan to free His suffering children. Today Moses and his older brother and mouthpiece, Aaron, go to the Pharaoh and begin God’s plan by making a four word demand of the Lord. Four words made famous as Charlton Heston delivers them in his distinctive deep voice to Yul Brynner in the great film, The 10 Commandments. "Let my people go." But in my estimation, that’s not the four words that should have had the emphasis from this passage. As Moses presents the demand from the Lord, Pharaoh’s first response is one that chills the spine. One that shows the state of his soul and one that continues to confound the world today, “Who is the Lord?” (Ex 5:2) When I read this response from Pharaoh it sends me into deep reflection. In these four words is a statement that has plagued mankind ever since they left Pharaoh’s lips.
Pharaoh of course was not being philosophical in this moment; he was merely stating a fact. Why would he obey someone that he did not know? If a stranger walked up to you today and asked for the cash out of your wallet, what would you say? More than likely your response would be, “excuse me, who are you? I don’t even know you.” It was no different for Pharaoh as Moses and Aaron walked into his throne room and dropped this crazy, forceful command in his lap. Let your entire free work force go free and then watch your society crumble as no one is left to labor. It was a crazy request if you think about it.
My reflection is in the depth of the statement itself and how it pertains to us and our world today. Why would anyone obey someone they don’t even know? We see a world today full of people that don’t know God and therefore do not obey His commands. Why would they? But what if, you can in fact, answer this question and you know who the Lord is? How did that happen?
If you have called upon the name of Jesus Christ to save you from the penalty of your sins, you have been redeemed. Saved. As you experienced that precious moment, you received a gift. The gift of the Holy Spirit of God. And in receiving that gift, you became a new creature. A new creature because you now have the spirit of God residing within you.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Cor 5:17
As a result of this transformation you know God. He is part of you. You can talk to Him, hear Him, and share in His wisdom as He guides your steps. But think back to your life before. The life where you did not know Him. I know for me personally the difference was black and white. Life before Christ had no boundaries of right and wrong, of sin. Life after was one that was controlled by a well-defined idea of sin and the repercussions of them. As we sin against God, we “grieve” the Holy Spirit and this causes us broken fellowship with Him. “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” (Eph 4:30) As a result of our sin, we can “feel” the distance of this broken fellowship and strive to avoid it. As with everything else in life, practice makes perfect, and after repeating this process over and over, we get to “know” God and His Holy Spirit better and better.
But what about the millions of people in the world today that have the same honest statement as Pharaoh, “who is the Lord?” People to whom God is just merely a stranger? A God that, to them, is just part of a big ol' dusty history book, full of miracles and strange customs, but yet strangely distant? A God that seems impersonal and irrelevant in their daily existence in far away 2019. You see that is really the crux in answering this question, how do you make God real to people today that would ask the question, “Who is the Lord.”
Marge and I are going to be hosting a series called “Alpha” at Southcliff starting Wednesday, October 2 that will be attempting to do just this, answer people’s questions about God. Who is God? Is He real? Did He write the Bible? How did He write it? Can God speak to people today? What is Heaven and how do you get there? Are there many ways to Heaven? Does God want me to be happy? How do I claim this happiness? The questions can go on and on. But the questions are the beginning. Questions about God are the signs of an inquisitive mind that is being called to find Him by learning more about Him. We are always being called closer to God, it’s just a matter of whether or not we’re willing to take a few steps in His direction.
If you’re reading this today and asking, “Who is the Lord”, I’m praying for you. That you will continue to ask all the questions you have about God. That God will put someone into your life that can answer these questions using the one resource that can correctly answer them, the Holy Word of God.
As far as the question? You can answer it by simply flipping the words…The Lord is…
The Lord is love. The Lord is truth. The Lord is mercy and grace. The Lord is goodness and peace. The Lord is slow to anger and full of patience. The Lord is ever-present and all-knowing. The Lord is powerful in His ways and is ever ready to help. The Lord is many, many things, all good and righteous. But most of all, the Lord is personal. He is my God and He is your God. He sent His Son Jesus here to this planet to hang on a Cross and die...for you. Raised three days later so that you will not die, but live. Jesus did this for you. You can have a personal relationship with a personal God today. The work has been done, it is finished, all you must do is ask Jesus to be your Lord and He will save you from your sins and allow you to live in Heaven with Him for eternity. That, my friends, is who the Lord is.
If you continue to ask the question, “Who is the Lord,” I encourage you to keep asking the questions that you have on your heart. I also invite you to come be a part of the series “Alpha” that Southcliff is hosting. There you might just find the answer that you have been seeking. For times, dates and intro videos visit alphausa.org/about or Southcliff.com. I’d love to see you there…we’ll have cookies.
If you’re reading this, you are being prayed for.
Dan, I look forward to reading The 5 Minute Challenge every day. You are a very gifted author. Thank you for sharing your walk in the Word with us every day. May the Lord bless you and keep you as you abide close to His heart.