Pharaoh did not acknowledge God, not even after the plague of the firstborn (Exodus 12). If your memory of Exodus is a little rusty, think about the movie "The Ten Commandments" with Charlton Heston. Haven't we all seen that movie a gillion times? But it made a lasting impression on most of us, especially as the Angel of Death (a.k.a. green fog in the movie) moved through Egypt killing the firstborn of every household that didn't have lamb's blood on their door post. You would think that Pharaoh might finally, finally acknowledge God after losing his own son, but no...he didn't. He wouldn't.
Our pastor spoke on Matthew 16:13-16 yesterday.
"When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Phillippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (NIV)
Who do you say God is?
Pharaoh couldn't answer that question. He admitted he didn't know God in Exodus 5:2. He'd seen one miraculous sign after the other, but still he refused to acknowledge God. The folks in Matthew were like Pharaoh. They couldn't accept that Jesus was God. Instead they said he was John the Baptist, or Elijah, or Jeremiah, or even one of the prophets. I wonder why it was easier for them to accept that he was a dead man come back to life rather than accept that he was the Christ, the Messiah they'd long awaited.
But what about you?
Do you believe Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God? Jesus went on to bless Peter (Matt. 16:17) because of his faith in who Jesus is. Jesus will bless you, too, if you believe in Him and acknowledge that He is indeed who He said He is--Immanuel, God with us.
Pharaoh had a choice.
You have a choice, too.
What is your answer when Jesus asks, "But what about you?"
No comments:
Post a Comment