Philippians 1:16-18; James 1:1-5, “Joy” (2)

In the NT we also see that the cause of joy is important.  In Luke 10:17-20 Jesus warns His disciples not to find joy in what causes them to be exalted in people’s eyes (they even had authority over demons) but to find joy in the fact that their names were written in heaven.  You can see how chara is not dependent on hedone.  Thus we often find the theme that there is joy in suffering.

§  Matt. 5:3-12: The entirety of the Beatitudes is contrary to “philosophy.”  Take the first: Blessed (a term some translate “happy”) are they that mourn.  People do not normally think like this.  Jesus says it is true.

§  Matt. 5:10-12: Blessed/happy are the persecuted. Rejoice and be glad.

§  Rom. 5:2-3: We “rejoice in hope of the glory of God.  … but we also glory in tribulations” because of what it produces.

§  James 1:2: “Count it all joy when you fall into various trials” because of the good thing that the trials can produce in your life.

§  John 16:20: Your sorrow will be turned to joy.

§  Heb. 12:11: No chastening seems joyful but painful, but yields the fruit of righteousness afterwards to those who are trained by it.

Another important NT theme is the idea of complete or full joy.  It is God’s plan for His people.  Note that the cause of this joy is not sensual pleasure but is rather bound up in the spiritual disciplines (Bible reading, prayer, etc.).

§  John 15:11: These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may remain full.

§  Jn. 16:24: Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

§  1 Jn. 1:3-4: Fellowship with Christ and each other produces full joy.

§  2 John 12: Fellowship is again the cause … “I hope to come to you and speak face to face, that our joy may be full.”

We often distinguish between joy and happiness with the former being a deep sense of our relationship with Christ while the latter is a feeling dependent on our circumstances.  This can be a helpful distinction but remember that the word for blessed in the Beatitudes (Matt. 5:2-12) is often translated happy.  But note that Jesus is saying that this happiness does not depend on sensual pleasure.  Our senses may be saying “life is difficult” and yet we still are “blessed.”

Samuel Dickey Gordon, an evangelical author in the turn of 20^th century, penned the following definition of “joy”.  In Philippians we will see it manifested in Paul.  May it be the fruit of the Spirit in our lives as it was in his!

Joy is distinctly a Christian word and a Christian thing.  It is the reverse of happiness.  Happiness is the result of what happens of an agreeable sort.  Joy has its springs deep down inside.  And that spring never runs dry, no matter what happens.  Only Jesus gives that joy.  He had joy, singing its music within, even under the shadow of the cross.  It is an unknown word and thing except as He has sway within.

Phil. 4:4; Matt. 5:10-12, “Joy”

We acknowledge significant dependence on TDNT (The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament) in this study.  Joy in the New Testament is one those amazing Greek words that finds it’s true meaning in the NT and not in the normal Greek usage.  It helps to compare two Greek words: chara (joy) and hedone (pleasure, from which we get the word hedonism).

·        Hedone derives from the same root as hedus meaning sweet, pleasant, delightful, the original sense of what is pleasant to the senses, namely to the sense of taste.  It means sensual pleasure.

·        Chairo means to rejoice, to be merry.

What is interesting is the use of these words in ancient Greece.

·        In Plato the terms are barely distinguished; joy and sensual pleasure are the same.  Joy is joined with sensual pleasure.

·        In Aristotle, chara is almost completely replaced by hedone.  In other words, what really is important to a happy life is pleasing the senses.

·        For the Stoics chara is a special part of hedone, with hedone (sensuality) being one of the four basic affections of life.  All emotions are prone to be defective; thus chara, being an emotion, is viewed negatively.  The “good moods” of the soul (like joy) are distinct from the affections (such as sensual pleasure).  Thus again, what is important to our significance as humans is that we are sensual.  We may or may not be joyful, but that is not really important.

When you come to the Bible you find that joy is not an incidental; it is fundamental to the life of God’s people.  In the Old Testament joy is inward (can we say spiritual or soulish).  But it is not just inward; it has a cause and joy finds expression.  Consider this in two examples:

Psalm 5:11: But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; let those also who love Your name be joyful in You.

 1 Samuel 2:1-2: And Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the LORD; my horn is exalted in the LORD.  I smile at my enemies, because I rejoice in Your salvation.

The cause of rejoicing is bound up in the LORD and how He defends and saves His people.  It is not only permissible; it is commanded that this joy be shouted or that it produce a confident smile in the face of one’s enemies.  It is good, it is a righteous thing, to be joyful.

God Himself is a God of joy and rejoicing: I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in My people; the voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her, nor the voice of crying (Isa. 65:19).  This is amazing and powerful.  The cause of God’s joy is that the people are His.  And His joy results in His acts of blessing on His people.

(We will pick this up tomorrow by considering joy in the NT.)

Ac. 16:25-40; Phil. 1:1-2 (Intro. to Philippians, 2)

3.   When was Philippians written? 

a.   If written during the Ephesian imprisonment, then it was written about 4 years after Paul was in Philippi in 55AD. 

b.   If written during the Roman imprisonment then it was written around 61AD, about 10 years after being in Philippi.

     4.   What was the occasion for Paul to write this letter?

a.   The Philippians had often helped meet Paul’s material needs with gifts.  They had recently done this, sending money AND one of their brothers, Epaphroditus, to take further care of Paul (2:25). 

b.   But while with Paul Epaphroditus became very ill, almost dying (2:27) and now Paul felt Epaphroditus should return to Philippi.  So Paul sent this very personal letter, thanking them for their help, and giving teaching to help them deal with the Judaizers.

    5.   What type of letter is Philippians?  The purpose is primarily personal, though it contains some magnificent doctrinal passages.  Philippians ranks with 2 Corinthians as among the most personal letters Paul wrote to churches.  In this letter Paul, over 100 times, uses the first person pronoun.  These people were the dearest of friends to Paul.

    6.   What is the theme of Philippians?  Paul talks about a number of things.  But in it all there is a recurring theme: the joy of fellowship with Christ.  You cannot study Philippians without sensing that Paul truly knows Christ, and that this knowledge of Christ is the source of overabundant joy.  Thus the key words are joy and rejoice, found 14 times in the letter.  We will consider this term in tomorrow’s study.

5.   What is the key verse of Philippians?  There are many passages worthy to be committed to memory.  But at the center of it all is Phil. 1:21: For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

   7.   What other important passages are there to note?

a.   1:19-26: the value of living and dying. 

b.   2:5-11: the humiliation and exaltation of Christ. 

c.   3:7-11: counting everything loss for Christ. 

d.   4:10-20: learning to be content.

    8.   What is the simple outline of Philippians?

a.   Ch. 1-2: Joyous fellowship happens when Christ is all in all. 

b.   Ch. 3-4: Related teaching that enables Christ to be all in all.

Acts 16:6-24 (Introduction to Philippians, 1)

1.   Who wrote Philippians? Paul and Timothy, 1:1.  Timothy may have written the letter as Paul dictated.  At the time Paul was in prison.  Paul’s imprisonments:

a.   In Philippi, Acts 16:16-40 

b.   In Ephesus, 1 Corinthians 15:32

c.   In Caesarea, Acts 24-26 

d.   In Rome, Acts 28:16,30-31

e.   In Rome again, 2 Timothy 1:8,12,17; 4:1-1

Most feel Philippians was written during the first Roman imprisonment, though a good case is made for the Ephesian imprisonment.

2.   To whom was this letter written? The Church at Philippi, 1:1

a.   Philippi was originally known as Crenides (Greek for “fountains”, referring to the many springs in the area) but was renamed after and by Philip of Macedon (father of Alexander the Great).  It was 10 miles from Neapolis (the end of the Egnation Road, the famed military road of 490 miles that connected Rome with Macedonia and Achaia (Athens, Corinth, etc.). 

b.   From the Greeks it passed to the Romans (along with all of Macedonia) & nearby was fought an important Roman battle in 42AD.  At that time it was made a Roman colony, which made it a piece of Rome transplanted.  Veterans of battle were settled there.  A Roman colony involved 3 things:

                         i.    libertas (self-government).

                        ii.    immunitas (freedom from paying tribute to Rome).

                       iii.    ius italicum (rights of those living in Italy). 

c.   The Philippians were very jealous and proud of their status.  The city rulers called themselves praetors (“magistrates” in the AV, Acts 16:20-22) and were accompanied by lictors (officials who carried rods to beat offenders, Acts 16:22), imitating the Roman pattern. 

d.   The church at Philippi was founded by Paul (Acts 16), being the first church established on European soil.  Paul was called in a dream to come over to Macedonia and help us (v9).  Upon reaching the city, he found no synagogue (not enough Jews) and so went to the place of prayer (v13) near the Angites River.  His first convert was a business woman named Lydia; later converts included the jailer and his household (v33).  Others are mentioned in Phil. 2:25 and 4:2-3.  It was predominantly a Gentile church, although they were being bothered by Judaizers, those Jewish Christians who taught that Gentile converts had to follow the Old Testament Law.

Psalm 62

As we write this it is in the midst of turmoil in Israel involving Palestinians who have taken to stabbing Jews.  It is the cause of much fear.  Our companions in the gospel in Jerusalem tell us the streets, shops and mass transportation are much emptier than normal, although visits to the Garden Tomb are continuing at a good pace.  In other words, among the Jews there are significant levels of fear. The government is seeking to deal with the situation, with mixed success.  And of course Israel has had to deal with the opinions of the nations as, among others, the US Secretary of State and the head of the UN have made their presence known. 

All of that provides an interesting backdrop for Psalm 62.  This Psalm exhorts us to waiting silently (v1-2, 5-7), for God alone (v5), and not in men or money (v9-10).  We are called to trust in God Who has both the ability (power) and motivation (mercy) to help us, and/but Who will render to each one according to his work (v11-12).  Notice the very symmetrical layout to the Psalm:

v1-2: my soul is silent before God		v5-7: wait in silence before God
v3-4: speaks to the attacker (you will not succeed)		v8-10: speaks to the people (trust God and no one/nothing else)
	v11: God can be trusted!

Verses 1-2 and 5-7 are of course quite similar and give us the view of God that is critical for this situation.  God is my rock … my salvation … my defense (strong tower).  The situation is an attack (v3, lit. to shout out or rush in).  We are exhorted to trust God in this.  Does this mean we are not allowed to protect ourselves?  Certainly not.  What we call self-defense can be part of God’s defense for us.  But it does mean we don’t live in fear.  We can speak to the enemy with confidence as David does in v3-4.  We can confidently affirm, He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).  We are overcomers but only because our trust is in God who is for us (Rom. 8:31; 1 John 5:4).

Another way to think about this is suggested in the closing stanza of this Song. God has both power and mercy.  I love the way David says this: God has spoken once; twice I have heard this.  In other words this is a sure thing.  God will always do what is righteous.  But what that means is that He will render to each one according to his work.  So when we are attacked/shouted at/rushed in upon, we trust in God and not in men (v9) or money (v10).  In other words, we do not become like the attacker!  What this means quite often is that our trust keeps us silent while we wait for God to do what He has power and mercy to do.  He is our rock!  He is our defense!  Amen!

Matthew 13:10-17; 15:7-14, Heart-Hardening (8)

Looking over the last few days I realize how hard it is to speak about God’s work of “heart-hardening” in the life of someone who is fully complicit in what God is doing.  I maintain the need to be true ALL that God has said and in this case that means to be I must acknowledge God’s work in Pharaoh’s heart while acknowledging Pharaoh’s “freedom” to do his own will.  Yes, the issue is how to define the word in quotes in such a way that I give full weight to all that God has said.

Today’s reading gives us another setting where this tension is clearly stated (as we noted at the start is evident also in Rom. 9-10).  Paul’s question (Why does He still find fault?  For who has resisted His will?) is properly asked here as well.  Note:

·        13:11: Through parables God withheld the mysteries from the multitude.  Through parables He gave them to the disciples (granted, with Jesus’ explanation).

·        13:12-13: The immediate reason was that the multitude was missing something (whoever does not have). 

·        13:14-15: The bigger picture is given by the Isaiah 6:9-10 passage which is, of course, prominent in the NT (Jn. 12:40; Acts 28:26-27).  God’s blinding of Israel in the days of Christ is part of the bigger picture of bringing the gospel to the Nations (Paul’s point in Rom. 11, of course).

·        15:7-14: Jesus relies on these truths in the situation here.

o   First He points out the complicity of Israel using another Isaiah passage (29:13).  They are guilty; they do not honor God; their heart is far from Him.  Specifically, the false shepherds teach traditions as if they were God’s word.

o   Then He teaches the multitude but tells His disciples, with respect to the Pharisees, to let them alone.  The whole situation is seen as “the blind leading the blind.”  At the same time, the whole situation is seen as, Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.

There is often, in the Body of Christ, a tendency to want to fall off on one side or the other, to sacrifice one clearly stated truth for the sake of another clearly stated truth.  I suppose that is my concern here, that a local church not give in to unnecessary contention.  It is not a matter of denying the importance of what my “sovereign grace” friends have to say not to deny the value of what my “Wesleyan” friends consider important.  It is affirming both because the Scriptures affirm both.  I do not want to be involved in our calling to preach the gospel/make disciples of all nations without the confidence that 1) God is at work, and 2) every person has a choice they must make.

Ex. 14:1-9,17-18, Heart-Hardening (7)

Again, in the opening verses of Ex. 14 (v1-4) I believe we see God hardening Pharaoh’s heart with the full cooperation of the Egyptian king.  When Pharaoh told Moses and Aaron to leave, with all the people and livestock, he sounds like a beaten man.  Bless me also he concedes, sending them off to worship the LORD (12:31-32).

How did God harden Pharaoh’s heart so that even with the death of his son he would come to chase after Israel to bring them back?  For one thing, it becomes very clear what the loss of the Israelites means to the economy and lifestyle of Pharaoh, his household and his servants.  Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?  This by itself is a normal thought.

But God does something very intentional, instructing Moses to lead Israel on a path that is not very smart if you are people without any weapons to use in defending yourselves and if you are running from a king with a very capable army.  God leads them into what the old westerns called a box canyon.  God leads them to the edge of a sizeable body of water with no escape either way up or down the coast, an area where the only logical way out is the way they came in.  Pharaoh think the only logical way you can in his position: they are lost!  They have no idea where they are going.  He did what makes sense if you are a self-exalting king and whose subjects think is god.  You jump at what appears to be an easy opportunity to show your greatness.

What we are and have been trying to say is that without question, as the Bible says, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart.  But the way in which He did this made Pharaoh truly accountable.  Pharaoh himself said it: I have sinned.  While he did not mean those words, he still knew what to say because he understood that he was in a contest with the God of Israel.  He learned what God intended: Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.  He learned this fact, but he did not submit himself to it.

I want to say one more thing about this whole story, and especially the words we just quoted from 14:18.  Many people stumble over this, wondering, as Paul noted (Rom. 9:19): How does He (God) still find fault?  One answer is that Pharaoh fully cooperated with God’s hardening of his heart; Pharaoh is culpable.  But can we also say that the Exodus was a gracious extending of God’s hand to Egypt.  Yes, to Egypt.  What does God say is His purpose?  He says the end result of this is that the Egyptians … Pharaoh, his servants, his wise men, his military, his subjects … that the Egyptians will know that He is the LORD.  The Egyptians need to know this.  It is key to their salvation if you will.  Remember how the people of Egypt regarded Moses as a god (Ex. 7:1,5).  Even in Pharaoh’s house some began to fear the word of the LORD (9:20).  The citizens of Egypt could see what was happening and became favorable towards the Israelites (11:3).  And there were some Egyptians who joined themselves to Israel so that a mixed multitude went up with them also (12:38).  Even in judgment God’s mercy towards Egypt is evident. 

Today, as in every day I am sure, most people reject this idea.  God uses what we call “natural disasters” to call people’s attention to Him, to call them to fear Him.  I am not saying they are punishment directed at some particular sin (though they could be).  I am saying that in tragedy there is an opportunity to recognize our weakness and our deep need and to humble ourselves before the Lord.  The more we reject these opportunities the harder our hearts become.  As the hymn writer put it, and as the Scriptures say: early let us seek Thy favor; early let us do Thy will. 

Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say, “I have no pleasure in them” (Eccles. 12:1)

It is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth (Lam. 3:27).

Ex. 10:1,7-11,24-29, Heart-Hardening (6)

In today’s reading we can understand again that God’s hardening of Pharaoh’s heart took place with Pharaoh’s full cooperation.  Pharaoh did what he desired to do.

One way we see it is in the words of his servants.  God says He will also harden the hearts of the servants (10:1).  And sure enough, it is the servants who are ready to give up the fight first (10:7).  By the end of Ex. 10 Pharaoh and Moses have their final words.  In other words, Pharaoh holds on for a little longer than his servants.  Can we see Pharaoh’s exerting his will and exalting himself in this?  Let’s quickly review the verbal war between Moses and Pharaoh; in doing this I think we see Pharaoh’s pride.

·        5:3: Moses’ basic request, speaking for the LORD: let My people go three days into the desert for a feast.

·        7:16: Repeated before the first plague.

·        8:1: Again before the second plague.  Pharaoh agrees to let the people go to sacrifice to the LORD (8:8) but then changes his mind (hardens his heart).  I think Pharaoh’s words show his pride when Moses tells him to choose the time to remove the plague and Pharaoh doesn’t say what he wants to say (get rid of them NOW) but instead tries to save face (it’s not that bad; tomorrow is soon enough).

·        8:20: Repeated before the fourth plague.

·        8:25-29: Pharaoh permits them to go sacrifice in the land which Moses rejects.  Pharaoh agrees, Moses rebukes Pharaoh (don’t be deceitful again).  Moses sounds like a mother to a little child which would serve to incite Pharaoh’s pride.

·        9:1: Repeated before the fifth plague.

·        9:13-17: Repeated before the seventh plague with Moses’ warning that this plague will go to your heart.  This is a direct challenge to Pharaoh.  For the first time he seems to confess sin (9:27-28).  And again Moses lays the guilt on Pharaoh: As yet you exalt yourself.  Pharaoh is doing what his pride tells him to do.

·        10:3: Repeated before the eighth plague.  Moses’ words lay the responsibility on Pharaoh: How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me?  This is when the servants encourage Pharaoh to give up and let the men go to worship (10:7).  Pharaoh agrees to let the men go, but Moses will not accept this.

·        10:24-29: After the ninth plague Pharaoh permits all the people to go but not the livestock.  Again, Moses does not agree to this.  And with this the verbal war ends.

Let me be clear.  God is hardening Pharaoh’s heart.  But what we are saying is that Pharaoh is proud and is constantly trying to save face, making compromises so he can gain something out of it.  I am not making a political statement here when I say that the current showdown (Jan. 2019) between President Trump and the Democrats reminds me a lot of Moses/God and Pharaoh/Servants/gods of Egypt.  Both sides try to explain why they maintain their positions.  I don’t doubt that God is at work, even in that situation.  I always think that is the case.  At the same time I don’t doubt that they are all doing according to what they want to do. 

Ex. 9:13-21,27-35; 10:1-4, Heart-Hardening (5)

There are some additional thoughts to consider about the hardening.

·        9:14: This plague (hail) would go to your very heart.  This would not simply be a terrible irritation; it would involve loss of life.  The others were what we might call “one-and-done” but this would have lasting results.

·        9:16: Moses makes it clear to Pharaoh the nature of this challenge.  This not a battle of equals or even nearly equals.  The God of Israel is using Pharaoh, god of Egypt.  If Pharaoh was humble he might respond to this.  But he is proud; it just hardens his heart more.

·        9:15-16: Perhaps Pharaoh had thought to himself, “at least no one has died yet.”  A king’s glory is his population, his people (Prov. 14:28).

·        9:19-21: This announcement of the plague of hail comes with an escape.  And it is interesting: some people took Moses up on this, even among Pharaoh’s servants. 

·        9:31-32: When the plague was over there was still the potential of food to eat as some of the crops (wheat, spelt) came up later.  This would give the proud the tiny glimmer of hope, so to speak, that would lead him to harden his heart. 

·        9:27-28: This tells us Pharaoh knew what to say; he knew the “right” words to say to the God of Israel.  But when the hail quit suddenly it was not so bad (v34; cf. 10:16-17).  Again, the accumulation of one plague after another plus the refusal to lose the benefit of slaves multiplied by the sinner’s pride (the heart of Pharaoh was hard, v35) brings the same result: neither would he let the children of Israel go.

In the opening verses of Ex. 10 (v1-4) God again makes His plan known.  He is doing something that will be good for Israel.  They will be able to use this experience to encourage their faith from generation to generation.  He also makes sure that Pharaoh knows the plan.  This will continue until there is some sort of humility on his part: not just the right words but the right choice.  Even today that kind of preaching, where there is a warning of judgment to come, has the same two options for response.  Hear the word of God in Philippians 1:27-28:

Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ … that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition (destruction), but to you of salvation, and that from God.

We believe what happened with Pharaoh as well as with Moses happens today.  The gospel with its warnings for those who reject it and encouragement for those who receive it by faith is what was happening in Exodus.  As Moses grew stronger in faith and boldly stood before Pharaoh, that in itself was a powerful rebuke to the king.  So today, when the gospel is lived and preached before the world it provides the necessary opportunity for people to make a choice, one of pride or humility.

Ex. 8 (esp. v13-15,18-19,31-32), Heart-Hardening (4)

We have noted that the LORD told Moses He would make him as “God” to Pharaoh.  Part of it was Pharaoh’s way of thinking that opened him up to this idea.  But what God did was to respond to Moses as if Moses was in charge.  Twice in this chapter we see Moses leave Pharaoh and plead with God to remove the plague and God immediately does according to Moses’ word.  Since God is unseen this would appear to Pharaoh as if Moses was calling the shots.  Pharaoh’s adversary is very real, very visible.  That makes it harder for a proud man to back down.  

Further we note that the succession of plagues also serves to harden the heart of the proud king of Egypt.  Each plague is removed at the “promise” of Pharaoh to let the people go.  But once the pain is gone then he changes his mind.  In the case of the lice and flies the removal of the plague removes the pain.  The plague on the livestock and the hail and locusts have some lingering effects, even after the plague is lifted.  But Pharaoh can live with these losses and would assume he would lose even more if he lets the slaves leave who are helping to make him wealthy.

It is quite instructive the way the Scriptures record the shape of Pharaoh’s heart after plagues 4-7.  All this is true, of course, though they do not all say the same thing.

·        8:32: Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also.  “Also” indicates Pharaoh has been involved in the process.  His pride is leading to increased intransigence.

·        9:7: the heart of Pharaoh became hard.  This almost sounds passive (the Hebrew imperfect tense has a variety of uses). 

·        9:12: the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh.  God continues to be involved in the process.  The plague of the boils was a very personal, painful experience.  It was intense.  You might think Pharaoh would reach his limit and let them go.  But it is not yet God’s time.

·        9:34: he sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart, he and his servants.  In this case the burden is solidly on Pharaoh; it is his sin.  But note also that the hearts of his servants are also hard.  They do not want to lose the benefit of the slaves.  But even more, they do not want to see their gods as impotent in the face of the God of Israel.  It won’t be until the threat of the eighth plague (10:7) that the servants will tell Pharaoh he should let the people go.  You could say that this is God’s mercy to Pharaoh in the sense that He is giving the king a good reason to give up.  But when God’s mercy is offered to the proud and then rejected by the proud it increases the hardness. 

With each plague Pharaoh’s heard becomes harder.  To give in after four or six or eight plagues leads the proud heart to say, “if I give up now then people will think I lacked the wisdom to give up after one or two.”  It provides another reason to dig in and hold your ground.

Ex. 7, (esp. v1-7,10-14,22-23), Heart-Hardening (3)

We concluded yesterday saying Pharaoh was a normal sinful man.  He did what you would expect when challenged.  He did what he wanted to do, not what God made him do by twisting his heart.  What you see in today’s reading, as the plagues begin, is a confirmation of this: Pharaoh is doing what he wills as he does God’s will.

·        7:1: The way the LORD worked resulted in Pharaoh’s considering Moses as God.  How did God do this?  He worked through Pharaoh’s normal way of thinking.  Pharaoh was the incarnation of an Egyptian “god” so he was conditioned to think in terms of a “man” being not only a challenge but an opposing “god”.  As the plagues wore on this would have increased and Pharaoh’s heart would become harder in his need to win the competition so to speak.

·        7:3-4: God’s plan is to bring Israel out of Egypt and into Canaan.  The ever hardening heart of Pharaoh allows God to do this with many signs and wonders.  Note that besides what God is doing to Pharaoh, He is also at work in Moses to change him from the man of many excuses (Ex. 3-4) to the shepherd of Israel.

·        7:10-13: Here is another thing God does in hardening Pharaoh’s heart.  He uses signs and wonders that, for a short while, can be matched by the magicians of Egypt.  These men are a part of Pharaoh’s religious power.  They can do what Moses can do here, and then in turning water to blood (7:22) and in bringing up frogs on Egypt (8:7).  The third plague (lice) they cannot replicate (8:18-19) and when that happens they tell Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.”  That exchange illustrates what we are trying to illustrate.  When they speak thus to Pharaoh you can say that this is an opportunity for Pharaoh see that he is overmatched and to let the people go.  Yet the same event becomes a hardening event when he refuses. 

·        7:13: In each of these verses we read in the NKJV that Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the LORD had said (also 7:22; 8:19).  The AV (KJV) translates these verses thus: And He hardened Pharaoh’s heart.  Other translations of note are the NASB (Yet Pharaoh’s heart was hardened), NIV (Yet Pharaoh’s heart became hard) and ESV (Still Pharaoh’s heart was hardened).  All the translations acknowledge that what happened was as the LORD had said.  The point is to say that as the plagues continued the effect was that the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart increased as the LORD said.  F. C. Cooks comment (on Ex. 4:21) we believe catches the essence of what is happening: Calamities which do not subdue the heart harden it.  God is hardening Pharaoh’s heart; it is God who is working the signs and wonders.  But Pharaoh is hardening his own heart, or allowing it to grow in hardness, by refusing to respond properly to God’s works.  The more plagues there are, the harder his heart.

This is a situation we would do well to consider.  As 1 Cor. 10:13 says: There has no temptation taken us but such as is common to man!

Psalm 61

This is a Psalm of David.  David is a man’s man, so to speak.  He killed 200 Philistines on his own once.  He led an army.  He ruled a nation.  But he also knew the love of a friend, a peer, Jonathan; and he knew the overwhelming grief of Jonathan’s death.  He knew the heartache of family turmoil and the death of grown sons.  He knew what it was to be used and exalted by God, as in the killing of the giant.  He knew what it was to be severely rebuked and humbled by God, as in the tragedy that surrounded his first attempt to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem.  He knew the trouble he brought upon his family and the citizens of his kingdom by his own selfishness and pride.  He had numerous situations in his life whereby he might have said, “My heart is overwhelmed.”  And apparently he is in the midst of one of these overwhelming situations.  And in that moment he is crying out to God.

And what does he cry?  Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.  Think about that for a moment.  What insight!  He is in the “slough of despond” or on the “narrow way” or whatever you might call it.  He has looked inside himself and what he sees is a heart that is weak, faint, and unable to advance.  This tells us that he is not ignoring the situation or blaming it on others or making excuses for himself.  He is facing it head on but it has overcome him.  He does not see in himself the resources to go on. 

What does he do but to look outside of himself?  He cries out to the God that he has learned to trust.  In smaller ways perhaps, or at least what he now might consider easier situations than what he now faces, God has sheltered him.  God has been the strong tower in which he has found protection from the enemy.  God has blessed him in the past and he anticipates will do so for years to come.  But he does not say, “God, get me out of this mess and back where I was before.”  He does not simply say, “God, protect me.”  He says, “God, advance me.  Take me to a better place than I was before my heart was overwhelmed.  LEAD ME to the rock that is higher than I.”  What a prayer for these “defining moments” in our lives.

Note the commitment, the faith of David.  I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.  In v7 abide means to sit down, to remain, to be in a restful situation.  In v4 abide is a different Hebrew word that has the idea of turning aside, as in turning off the road to a place of lodging.  David is saying he will turn aside to the place of fellowship with God.  He will seek God in the place of His dwelling.  The wings that he trusts in for shelter are not those of the hen that covers over her chicks in time of trouble.  That’s a nice picture, but here these wings are those of the cherubim that cover over the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle.  David pleads with God to lead him; he then commits to a relationship with God in which God can lead him.  For David this happens via pilgrimage, going to the temple.  For us this happens via our communion with God in the word and prayer.

Lastly note the effect of this approach to the overwhelming moments in our lives.  David has a confidence that God, by His mercy and truth (v7), will preserve him.  He will preserve him forever as an object of praise to God; and He will preserve him daily in faithful service to God (v8). 

How do we handle these overwhelming situations?  Do we face up to the realities of the situation?  Do we cry out to Someone who is trustworthy?  Are we pleading with Him, not simply to get us unstuck, but to lead us to a higher place?  Are we submitting ourselves to God so that we are able to be led? 

Ex. 3:19; 4:21-23; 5:1-9, Heart-Hardening (2)

As we approach this subject of the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart we do want to remember what God said first about the subject.  But I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand.  If you are wondering, I am sure does not register some small uncertainty on God’s part; it is the general Hebrew term for know (yada); God knows Pharaoh will not let the people go.  You can say He knows because He intends to harden Pharaoh’s heart.  Or you can say He knows because He knows everyone’s heart.  Both would be true statements about God.

The next statement about this matter (4:21-23) is God’s promise: I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.  As we noted yesterday we are not denying God’s involvement in this.  What we want to show is how God did this in such a way so that Pharaoh was making his own choice at the same time God was doing His will.

I think it is also valuable to note that God explains His own will by what He tells Moses to tell Pharaoh.  Moses is to say, Thus says the LORD.  In other words, Pharaoh needs to know that this is an issue that has to do with the God of Israel.  Then he is to say, Israel is My son, My firstborn.  This certainly sets the stage for the climactic last of the ten plagues.  Pharaoh was “god” in Egypt and so was his firstborn, the one who would reign after him.  Moses’ father-in-law would say later that through the plagues the LORD God of Israel had shown Himself greater than all the gods of Egypt for in the very thing in which they behaved proudly, He was above them (Ex. 18:11).  As has often been noted, each plague was an attack on a god of Egypt.

In this passage you also see the warning of God to Pharaoh.  If you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn.  Neither Pharaoh nor us, thousands of years later, have the freedom to blame God for Pharaoh’s demise.  The king had fair warning and would know, in the end, that he lost a battle that he had pursued.

When we come to the first exchange between Moses and Pharaoh (5:1-9) there are some things that are evident in the identity of Pharaoh.

·        5:1-2: Pharaoh understood the challenge.  The king was “god” in Egypt.  Moses spoke for the God of the Israelites.  The religion of Egypt was at stake and Pharaoh was the one to take up the battle.

·        5:3-9: Pharaoh was the dictator.  When Moses and Aaron in essence pled for mercy (lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with a sword) Pharaoh did what kings do.  He made a judgment, increasing the burden on his slaves.

·        It will be evident throughout the plagues that Pharaoh and his servants enjoyed what they got from the slaves.  They are greedy.  Egypt is prospering by having these people in bondage and no one wants to lose their material advantages.

All we are saying is that Pharaoh’s response was to be expected, given who he is and his situation.  In other words, what else do we expect from a fundamentally proud man when his power and position are challenged?

Rom. 9:14-18,30-33, Heart-Hardening

For a few days we would like to address the issue of God’s hardening of Pharaoh’s heart.  We would like to demonstrate that as God hardened the heart of the King of Egypt, the King of Egypt did exactly what he willed to do.  The wickedness of his heart was revealed in the events that played out in the Exodus.

We begin in Romans 9.  There can be no question that God harden Pharaoh’s heart.  There is no way to adjust one’s theology to deny that fact without denying Scripture.  Rom. 9:17 quotes what was said to Pharaoh (Ex. 9:16).  And Paul places these words in between his strong statements of God’s sovereign involvement.  He quotes God’s words to Moses in Ex. 33:19 where God is specifically describing His character to Moses.  I will have mercy … compassion on whomever I will…! 

Paul also asks the logical question in 9:19: Why does He still find fault?  For who has resisted His will?  But I want to note a couple of things.  First, Paul does not give an explanative answer to that question; he simply answers with a question, who are you to reply against God?  He follow that up with a “what if” (v22-24).

 The second thing I want to note from Romans 9 is the ease with which Paul moves from this discussion of God hardening whom He wills (v18) to his explanation as to what is happening among the Gentiles and Jews (v30-33).  Gentiles are coming to Christ but Jews for the most part are not.  The Jews are rejecting Christ.  And if you ask “why,” which Paul does of course in v32, you do not get the answer “because God willed to harden their hearts.”  Now again, do not misunderstand me.  I know the Isaiah passages about God’s blinding the eyes of Israel lest they see and repent.  But my point is that Paul does not use those here.  Instead he says that the reason for Israel’s rejection is unbelief, their unbelief.  THEY stumbled at that stumbling stone, the One prophesied in Psalm 118:22-24 and especially Isa. 8:14 and 28:16.

God blinded Israel.  But God is not blamed for Israel’s rejection.  Israel acted by their own choice.  They stumbled is not passive; it is in Greek aorist (decisive action in the past), active (action taken fully by the subject) and indicative: a description of the facts).  Whatever God did and however God did it, He did not coerce Israel.  Israel did her will as God did His will.

Often people use the term sovereign to refer to God’s character and actions that are inexplicable.  God does what He wants and is under no obligation to explain Himself. It is true that God is unknowable as the Infinite One is unknowable to the finite creatures.  But I do not believe that is the case here.  It seems that God gives us an understanding of this in the account in Exodus.  And the explanation will avoid both the dangerous Open Theism that describes God as learning-as-He-goes as well as the danger of Hyper Calvinism whereby God gets the blame for my sin.  Whether we succeed or not in your eyes, the focus on God’s work in Exodus will be beneficial (2 Tim. 3:16-17).