I Will Be Honored
"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying…. I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord. And they did so."
Exodus 14: 1,4
King James Version
EXPLORATION
"I Will Be Honoured"
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"The greatest single distinguishing feature of the omnipotence of God is that our imagination gets lost thinking about it."
Blaise Pascal
How have I seen God honour His name in my life?
"The God of the Bible is the God who reveals Himself in all the glory and the wonder of His miraculous, eternal power."
M. Lloyd-Jones
INSPIRATION
"The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice…."
Psalms 97: 1
King James Version
Egyptian Advisor #1: "Pharaoh, those Israelites in Goshen have left town. Headed to the desert. This is going to create a big problem for all of us. Who is going to build our buildings? Who will do our chores? Who will be our servants?"
Pharaoh: "Don't worry you dummy. Haven't you heard the news? My spies informed me that those foolish followers of that God, Jehovah, have been led by Him in the wrong direction. They aren't headed for Canaan. They're wandering around in the southern desert, lost and loony! What idiots! Following a God they can't see or touch. Don't worry! They'll be back. Following their supposed God just shows how silly they really are!"
Quite a diatribe by the mighty Pharaoh, ruler of the greatest country on earth. Scoffing at the Israelites' God. Laughing at the way God's people were led on a strange route into a wilderness they didn't know, and by a man, Moses, who they didn't really trust.
As we discovered yesterday, God warned Moses that when Pharaoh heard about the Israelites entanglement in the wilderness, the news would only embolden this heathen leader. That's exactly what happened. But God also told Moses something we would do well to never overlook: "I will be honoured" (Exodus 14:4).
Now let's start at the beginning. The children of Israel left Egypt. God directed them to go south – opposite from where they intended to end up – in Canaan, the Promised Land. Pharaoh, laughing at the futility of their endeavor, believed these hapless slaves were entangled and so he decided he could follow them and bring them back into bondage.
STOP! Does this scenario sound familiar to you? As God's child have you committed yourself to His care and keeping? Then the next thing you know, you are wandering around in some desert experience, blinded by blowing desert sand; scorched by the unending heat of the sun; and left to feel forgotten by an entangling set of circumstances.
To make matters worse, Pharaoh, hearing of your plight, jumped into his chariot, and for good measure brought along "600 chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them" (Exodus 14: 7, K.J.V.). The whole army is on its way!
This is exactly what happened to the children of Israel when they made a commitment to follow God. And this is exactly what happens to you and me when we take ourselves and our families out from under the domination of Pharaoh. He doesn't want to let go. He needs slaves. And our misery gives him great pleasure. So Pharaoh rides into our wilderness with his army of warriors and shouts, "I'm going to take you down!" I know what I'm saying is true for I have heard Pharaoh's bragging cry and so have you!
But don't be frightened! Don't shudder! Don't fear! God had a message for Pharaoh in Egypt and God has a message for the Pharaohs in your life and mine: "They shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the Lord, to deliver thee" (Jeremiah1: 19, K.J.V.).
Take that Pharaoh! Our God, the ruler of the universe, the King of our lives, has promised deliverance. Even more than that, He has promised that not only will His children be saved, but that His name will be honoured or as the Hebrew translation says, "His name will be made glorious and will prevail!" I love that, don't you?
If today you feel that some entanglement has Pharaoh making fun of you, telling you how weak you are and how foolish you are to follow God on a journey that seems perilous, I invite you to remind Pharaoh who will prevail.
On the Reformation Monument in Geneva, Switzerland, reads an inscription:
"One man with God is always in the majority." Daughters of God, this goes for us too. Pharaoh doesn't have a chance when we align ourselves with our Heavenly Father. As Jonathon Goforth so pointedly reminds us, "All the resources of the Godhead are at our disposal!" PRAISE GOD!
"A mighty fortress is our God,
A bulwark never failing;
Our helper He amid the flood.
Of mortal ills prevailing."
Martin Luther
AFFIRMATION
How Do I Name You?
"How do I name you, O God?
With the venerable, comfortable, awe-full language of tradition?
Almighty, Eternal, Everlasting,
Creator, Redeemer, Advocate,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?
With the language of flesh and blood as it mirrors your
Incarnation?
Mother, Sister, Father, Brother,
Maker, Lover, Keeper,
Friend?
By what name will you hear and answer me?
O God, I call upon you from the depths of my soul!
For you have touched me and I must seek you,
Naming you with the Voice, the Love, and the Need within me."
The Reverend Glyn Lorraine Ruppe-Melnyk
Your friend:
Dorothy Valcárcel, Author
When A Woman Meets Jesus
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