Prompt: Economic Crisis, War, Chaos, by Yoji Shinkawa
By exploiting the Jews and refusing the word of God to set Israel free, Pharaoh and the people of Egypt during Moses' time were living in danger. The king and the Egyptians never realized that by threatening the people of God, they were challenging the living God. They never foresaw that such act of defiance could lead to a national disaster.
Observing what's going on around the world at present, I could not avoid thinking that like the Egyptians during Moses' time, our generation too is living in danger. There is so much defiance of God's word in our time. Yes, people still give lip service to the Bible, but when it comes to public policy the Bible has nothing to say. So it's up to the politicians to make laws that would please their constituents regardless of whether such laws are contrary to God's word or not. The two most notorious examples are the state's view of marriage and the monetary system. The law that supports same-sex marriage is a direct challenge against God's law on human sexuality and the sanctity of marriage. And the laws that support the current monetary system are contrary to God's law on private property. These violations of God's laws are acts of sowing seeds of social destruction.
In this article, I just want to share how Pharaoh and the Egyptians of Moses' time placed themselves in great danger which later destroyed their economy and the annihilation of their military force. By sharing them with you their story, let us reflect and see their relevance for our time. And the first lesson we can see from the experience of Egypt is that:
It is very dangerous to live in a time when the rulers of the land show contempt and defiance of God's word.
How did Pharaoh showed contempt and defiance for God's word? The narrative states that when Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said:
This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: "Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the desert."
Pharaoh replied:
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.
That my fellow Hivians is an act of contempt and defiance. Pharaoh did not recognize any other god, but himself. He considered himself as the highest court of appeal. Beyond him, there is no other power. He didn't see that his power was just a delegated power from on high. In other words, he is like Lucifer that wanted to usurp the throne that belongs only to God. No human creature has the right to such power, not even the most powerful ruler on earth such as the king of Egypt.
In our time, when politicians plunder the public money instead of using it for public good, they are actually violating the law of God. God said:
You shall not steal!
Such command is applicable to all regardless of position in society. It is true for individual citizens as well as public officials. No government has the right to break that law. Breaking that law would invite the judgment of God. And that would be very dangerous. If it will not be corrected, divine judgment will certainly come. God cannot be mocked. Man reaps what he sows. If a society decides even through democratic process to make stealing a public policy, such society would suffer economic crisis and impoverishment.
It is very dangerous to live in a time when the highest officeholder is ignorant of the most important knowledge.
What is the most important knowledge a man must possess in this life? Is it academic knowledge such as math and science? Or is it knowledge of public policy and economics? When the Lord Jesus Christ prayed in Gethsemane, we got a hint about the most important knowledge a man must possess in this life. Jesus prayed:
Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent (John 17:3).
In other words, the most important a man must have in life is the knowledge of God the Creator and the knowledge of Jesus as our Savior.
Richard Baxter, the English Puritan of the 17th century answered this question in the same way in his book, The Christian Directory:
The greatest knowledge you can attain in this life is to learn how "to obey your Maker, and to save your soul" (ibid.). If it is really true that the knowledge of the law, of trade, and of business is as important as knowing "how to be reconciled to God, to be pardoned and justified, to please your Creator, to prepare in time for death and judgment, and an endless life", then let natural knowledge be given the priority (ibid.). "But if all earthly things be dreams and shadows, and valuable only as they serve us in the way to heaven, then surely the heavenly wisdom is the best" (ibid.). It is unfortunate to see a man who is an expert in the law, in many "languages, sciences, and arts, and yet" does not know how to live for God, "to mortify the flesh, to conquer sin, to deny himself . . ." (p. 14).
Sad to say, despite their education and having the highest position in the then world, Pharaoh did not have such kind of knowledge. His mouth betrayed him:
I do not know the Lord.
He did not recognize himself as God's creature. He had no realization of his fallenness and therefore did not see the need for a Savior. He is his king and savior. He is his god.
When the highest officials in the land or any nation are ignorant of God, that's a clear indication that the people in that land are living in danger. it is just a matter of time for them to see the visitation of divine judgment.
It is very dangerous to live in a time when humanistic worldviews rule the land.
Pharaoh refused to let Israel go and instead made a law, which was more oppressive than before. And he came up with his interpretation of God's direct command. He saw it as laziness on the part of the Jews. He concluded that the Jews wanted to escape labor and came up with an excuse to offer sacrifice to God. He saw all of these as lies.
Pharaoh arrived at such a conclusion simply because he had a different worldview. In his worldview, there was no being higher than him. In his worldview, he was both god and the ultimate king. Such a worldview gave him a different interpretation of everything. He saw worship as laziness. He saw serving God as a lie.
That's how people hostile to religions particularly to Christianity see us. They think we are delusional, primitive, and outdated. We are foolish for believing that Someone exists that we don't see. We believe in fairy tales. We are too lazy to think. We don't use our brains. And they see themselves as "rational" and "scientific". They are intelligent and modern and that's why they cannot accept religions and the teaching of Christianity. It's too primitive for them.
And so you see worldview matters. The way you view the world affects the way you see and interpret things and events. Since in our worldview, the Supreme God exists and commands all mankind to worship him, to refuse such command is to deny our humanity and to invite judgment from God.
Conclusion
The war in Ukraine has been raging for 657 days now. People suffer due to collusion between big corporations and politicians. As a result, they harm the economy and pose a serious threat to society. However, though these are serious threats, the most dangerous threat of all is that when our leaders - politicians, bureaucrats, policymakers, intellectuals, and even religious influencers show contempt and defiance of God's word, are ignorant of the knowledge of God, and make decisions based on a humanistic worldview. A change of mind and heart is our only hope.