A
Tale of Two Men
One of the great values of the OT
scriptures, apart from revealing God’s redemptive plan through the
ages, is the spiritual lessons we can learn from history. We can derive
one of those lessons by juxtaposing two men, two national leaders,
whose diverse reactions to truth determined the future of their
nations. Those two men are the Egyptian Pharaoh with whom Moses dealt
and the king of Nineveh with whom Jonah dealt.
The prophet Jonah, whom God had
literally raised from the dead, walked through the streets of Nineveh
with a message one could condense into three words: “Repent…or else!”
God had set the deadline at forty days. The prophet Moses walked into
Pharaoh’s palace with a message one could condense into four words:
“Let my people go!” While no deadlines were given, a series of plagues
ensued for the sin of non-compliance.
The king of Nineveh recognized the
ring of authenticity and authority in Jonah’s voice and set an example
by first donning sackcloth and ashes and then commanding his people to
do the same. His act of compliance saved his nation from destruction.
Contrariwise, the Egyptian Pharaoh recognized no such authority in
Moses, hardened his heart in a show of non-compliance. Ten plagues
later, with his nation in mourning and its economy in total ruin, he
relented. But within a handful of days he changed his mind, which
resulted in his army (or what was left of it) perishing in the Red
Sea.
This tale of two men demonstrates the
vital importance of national leadership in spiritual matters. It also
establishes the role of the prophet, God’s spokesman, and the safety or
jeopardy in which national leaders can put themselves and their nations
by compliance or non-compliance to truth. The sad fact is there are
still Pharaohs in the world who would rather subject their nations to
total ruin than comply with a single divine edict.
Questions: (1) “Is the COVID-19 virus
a warning shot over America’s bow?” (2) “Which of these two men does
President Trump most resemble?”
I have no desire to create a false
equivalency. But President Trump has declared a National Day of Prayer
for America over the current COVID-19 pandemic. And I am FAR more
comfortable with a leader who recognizes the need for heavenly help
with an earthly problem than I am with a Pharaoh!
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