Lesser gods
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Exodus 9:15-16
15. For by now I could have put forth my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth; 16. but for this purpose have I let you live, to show you my power, so that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.
Isaiah 44:24-26
24. Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb: "I am the Lord, who made all things, who stretched out the heavens alone, who spread out the earth -- Who was with me? -- 25. who frustrates the omens of liars, and makes fools of diviners; who turns wise men back, and makes their knowledge foolish; 26. who confirms the word of his servant, and performs the counsel of his messengers; who says of Jerusalem, `She shall be inhabited,' and of the cities of Judah, `They shall be built, and I will raise up their ruins';
Romans 9:15-18
15. For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." 16. So it depends not upon man's will or exertion, but upon God's mercy. 17. For the scripture says to Pharaoh, "I have raised you up for the very purpose of showing my power in you, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth." 18. So then he has mercy upon whomever he wills, and he hardens the heart of whomever he wills.
In the time Moses lived, pharaohs were considered as gods. Massive statuary and magnificent building were erected to honor the pharaoh in power. They had tremendous wealth. They literally held life in the palm of their hand--if they just had a bad day, one who was in the general vicinity might be put to death--just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time! Even though Moses had been brought up in pharaoh’s house-hold, he was considered a traitor, because he ran away--denying his adopted family that had given him so much.
Fast forward several decades. Moses returns to his childhood home. Not for a joyous reunion, but as a messenger from God -- that’s with a capital “G!” “THE” God! What Pharaoh didn’t realize was that God had laid in place this great plan for Moses before the world began. And the Pharaoh was part of that plan! Pharaoh was amused initially, I’m sure. Then irritated. Finally, after his own son died, he understood that Moses spoke of a god who had more power than even Pharaoh and his powerful magicians and soothsayers could defeat. So he tried to defeat Moses and his plan (which was, of course, God’s plan) with his mighty army. And God took care of that in short order too! (THE GOD, that is!)
Pharaoh thought he had it all figured out. He had power and wealth and really, anything he desired. In those times, it was believed that pharaohs ascended to power by will of the gods. Sometimes it was fabled that pharaohs were “children of the gods.” But guess what? God used man’s plan to fulfill his own plan! He used Pharaoh's stubbornness and arrogance to give Moses opportunities to display a power that could only originate from a god greater than all other gods! Those slaves needed to see that too, otherwise their fear would have been greater than their hope and they wouldn’t have followed Moses.
We might excel in a particular skill or profession. We may be the “top producer” or “star seller” or CEO of a huge conglomerate or even the president of the country. Society values those titles and labels. Excelling is important to man. And so often we begin to “believe our own press” don’t we? Like, Pharaoh, we believe that our lesser gods are the ones to whom we owe homage. We worship them and even put ourselves on a pedestal. It is tremendously reassuring to me that God -- THE GOD -- uses even man’s foolishness to bring about his plans and to show his power to us.
I hope today you stop to remember that those lesser gods in our lives interfere with our relationship with the one true God of all. And that you cast off your life of slavery to those gods, accepting the freedom afforded us through God’s grace.
Mary
