2 Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD and I will not let Israel go.”
This is the question of the non-believer today. They don’t know the Lord, so therefore don’t know His power. If they did, they would surrender immediately. But instead, they pretend to have knowledge and power about everything. They will rarely admit any lack of knowledge. Pharaoh is the leader of Egypt. His education would have included a class in cross-cultural awareness. It would have been important for him to know the beliefs of the peoples he ruled. He realized that the Lord was making a demand on him through this request. When Moses and Aaron went and told Pharaoh that the Lord said they were supposed to go and worship, it placed a demand on Pharaoh. Pharaoh would have to give the people time off from work. That would delay his construction schedule. That would cost him money. This is especially true in this case. The Lord was not asking Pharaoh for permission, but demanding that he let the Israelites go and worship. By demanding, the Lord was challenging Pharaoh’s authority. And Pharaoh knew that. A king would only bow to a great authority and Pharaoh was not about to admit that the Lord was a greater authority. That is why kids put up the fights that they do. They think they are the greater authority. In a home, parents must be in charge, because God placed them there just for that reason. If kids were in charge, we would see chaos. Adults bring order. Parents have to win the battle that puts them in charge. Usually this takes place between the ages of two to three. When kids know that they are not in charge, they can relax and enjoy life. If they think they are in charge, they must create structure for themselves. It is that structure that helps them feel safe. When the person in charge doesn’t feel like they are able to bring structure, chaos follows. Power grabbing or giving up usually results. Pharaoh grabs power even over something as insignificant as the brick making in his country. Rulers of countries should not have to concern themselves with the ingredients used to make the bricks in his country. Rulers have much more important things to worry about. When a leader gets involved in the weeds, they are feeling out of control.
The Arnold Journey 