Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Year 4, Day 56: Exodus 7

Theological Commentary: Click Here 


Discipleship Focus: King

  • King: This is the pinnacle of the Kingdom Triangle.  When we look towards God’s position in the universe, we acknowledge that He is king.  Authority comes from Him.  Power comes through His authority.  He is looking for representatives for His kingdom.


I have a feeling I’ll be able to write quite a few posts on this kingdom dynamic over the next few chapters.  You see, whereas the Covenant Triangle (Father, Identity, Obedience) is all about relationship and invitation, the Kingdom Triangle (King, Authority, Power) is all about calling and challenge.  And what we have brewing between Pharaoh and God is an old fashioned O.K. Corral style shootout between two beings who consider themselves eminently powerful.

Pharaoh sees himself as a god among powerful gods in Egypt.  He is king of the land and accustomed to it.  When God puts His power on display, Pharaoh considers it a challenge and hardens his heart.  Pharaoh is determined to not let God win.  Pharaoh has no desire to acknowledge God as king.  Therefore we have a power struggle and a conflict of authority.  I don’t mean to give out any spoilers, but God wins these kinds of conflicts every time.

On the other hand, Moses is in the process of figuring out his relationship with God.  As we’ve seen over the last few chapters, he’s learning to submit.  He’s also still wrestling a bit with God with respect to trying to figure out exactly what authority and power God as king has given to him.  But to Moses’ credit the one thing that he is not confused about is that God is indeed the King.  God is the one who is setting the marching orders.  God is the one with the plan.  God is the one who can see the outcome and get His people there.  All the power that Moses and Aaron put on display comes from the authority that God the king has placed in their life.  Contrary to Pharaoh, Moses and Aaron are content to let God be king even if they do struggle and become frustrated with God’s implementation from time to time.


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