One of the most arrogant statements in the Bible came from one of the Pharaohs of Egypt. Here it is:
Exodus 5:2 (ESV)
2 But Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.”
Oh, but he would let Israel go. He was right when he said he did not know the LORD, but he would, and so would all of Egypt. God later said, “The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them” (Exodus 7:5).
Yes, the Egyptians came to know God and His unmatchable power. By the 10 plagues that He brought upon Egypt, culminating in the death of all the firstborn among them, God revealed Himself to the Egyptians, and they finally realized with whom they were dealing. In the end, they were begging the Israelites to go (Exodus 12:33).
Egypt is generally viewed as a type of the world. In the world, people have the same attitude toward God as Pharaoh did. They would say with him, who is the LORD that we should obey his voice. The world’s ignorance of God is what has led to it persecuting the people of God over the years. We should not be surprised by any kind of mistreatment we receive from the world. They misunderstand what we are all about because they do not know God. John said, “The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know Him” (1 John 3:1). Because of this, John went on to write, “Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you” (ver. 13).
Like the Egyptians in Egypt, people in the world will, sooner or later, come to know God, but for most of them, it will be too late.
1 Thessalonians 5:3 (ESV)
3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
If you are not a Christian, I am glad that you are visiting our website and reading this blog. Do not let what Paul describes in the passage above happen to you. Do not let the coming of the Lord surprise you like a thief. Prepare yourself now for the inevitable meeting with Christ on the day of judgment. We all must appear before God someday.
Romans 14:11-12 (ESV)
11 For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” 12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. On that day, just like the Egyptians in the days of Moses, you will know the Lord, not from the standpoint of having a relationship with him but realizing that He is the almighty God with whom we all have to do (Hebrews 4:13).
Make it a priority in your life to get to know God now. True success in this world is to attain fellowship with God (1 John 1:1-4). If you have not done that, do it soon, before it is too late.
As you wind down for the night, think about these things.