Our Tragic Flaws...Exodus: Gods & Kings

December 8
Exodus 5:1-10:29
God Versus Egypt
Read Dr. Spina’s commentary at www.spu.edu/lectio

Just in time for the December 12th premier of the movie Exodus: Gods & Kings.  Click here to see the trailer on YouTube.

Pharaoh

Summary

Pharaoh isn’t always considered a true biblical character, at least in the sense of being one of God’s covenant people.  And yet the fact remains that Pharaoh, while being an antagonizing enemy of the Hebrews, shares with them the status of being God-created.  Even though Pharaoh doesn’t know God (“Who is this Lord…I do not know the Lord" 5:1-2), they're engaged with each other in an epic battle of wills.

Pharaoh’s Tragic Flaw

Hamartia – “the flaw in character which leads to the downfall of the protagonist in a tragedy” from the Greek “to miss the mark” (Dictionary.com)

Stubbornness, in not responding to God’s directives

No one says “no” to God quite like Pharaoh! What's at the root of Pharaoh’s stubborn streak with God?

Exodus 5 – Valuing work productivity over the word of the LORD

• After Moses and Aaron give the “thus says the Lord” request for him to let God’s people go, Pharaoh responds: “Who is the Lord, that I should heed him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.” (v.1-2)  In this case Pharaoh's stubbornness was anchored to his concern for work productivity – “you are taking people away from their work…get to your labors!” (v. 4).  Then, vindictively, he makes the Hebrew slaves meet their brick production quotas without the key ingredient of straw.

Exodus 7 – A Hardened heart that doesn’t listen to God’s human ambassadors

• The text tells us that the LORD says “I will harden Pharaoh’s heart” (7:3).  Later in the story we learn that Pharaoh “sinned once more and hardened his heart, he and his officials” (9:34).  There has always been lively conversation on this point of the story – is Pharaoh just a victim of God’s omniscient actions, or is he fully responsible for his resolute refusals?  Regardless of how we resolve this question, it’s clear that Pharaoh demonstrated a heart hardened toward God by not listening to God’s appointed human messengers: note the recurrence of phrases such as  “When Pharaoh does not listen to you…” (7:4) and “Pharaoh would not listen to them” (7:13).

Exodus 7-10 - Not taking to heart the signs of the LORD’s authority

• The story of the ten plagues boils down to Pharaoh consistently refusing to acknowledge the LORD’s authority over him and his nation.  Each plague is convincing, but in his stubbornness Pharaoh brings on another plague because he refuses to “take it to heart” (7:23).  Even though the plagues were terrible for the people of Egypt, Pharaoh remained stubborn.  Even when the infestations came into his own house and family, Pharaoh, after giving a glimpse of a possible change of heart  (“I will let you go…pray for me” in 8:28, “Do forgive my sin and pray to the Lord to remove this thing” in 10:17), becomes even more stubbornly entrenched in his refusal of God’s authority.

Personal Identification Questions

• Where might this tragic flaw show up in your story?

• How do you experience stubbornness in relation to God?  What concerns keep you from taking God’s word to heart and responding to God’s call & direction for living?

• How do you deal with the fact that God has authority over you?  Do you embrace it with willing appreciation or do you chafe under the idea that you aren’t the ultimate authority of your existence?  If you struggle with stubbornness, what “fall-out” have you and others experienced because of it?

Prayer of Confession

LORD, why is it so easy for me to be stubborn in relation to your word, authority, and call?
I’m sorry…
For hardening my heart to your commands
For not listening to Your word that comes to me through your messengers
For insisting on my own way regardless of the collateral damage to others
Lead me not into temptation, and deliver me from evil.
Amen.

Encouragement

Mark 9:24 (NRSV)
I believe; help my unbelief (the Father of a Boy with afflicted with a spirit, to Jesus)

Ephesians 3:20-21 (NRSV)

Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more that all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.