“Who is the LORD?”
“And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.”
Exodus 5:1-2 KJV
I can remember, as a child, that there were times when we really tried our mother’s patience. Whenever we would get out of line by saying or doing something that mother deemed as being disrespectful to her, she would say something like: “Y’all must don’t know who I am!” That was mother’s way of warning us that we were about to go too far! Well, in our text for today, Moses and Aaron presented themselves before Pharaoh with a message from the Most-High God. The message was: “Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.” And it would seem that Pharaoh’s sarcastic and prideful response was his way of saying to Moses, Aaron and the LORD: “Y’all must don’t know who I am! And since you don’t know; you’d better ask somebody! I am the great and powerful Pharaoh! I am the ruler of all of Egypt! Who is the LORD that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I know not the LORD and neither will I let Israel go!”
Now, as we look at the response of Pharaoh, we must understand that Pharaoh didn’t ask this question in order to get information. Moses and Aaron had already told him that they had come as representatives of the LORD God of Israel. No! Pharaoh didn’t really want to know who the LORD was in regard to identity; he wanted to know who the LORD was in that the LORD has the right or the power to tell him what to do! And that, my brothers and sisters, has been the main problem with humanity every since Adam and Eve: Mankind has always had a problem with submitting to the authority of God. When the abortionists advocate a woman’s right to choose; they are asking: Who is the LORD to tell a woman she can’t have an abortion if she wants to? After-all, a woman has the right to do what she wants with her own body! It’s all about a woman’s right to choose! But what about an unborn child’s right to live? The Bible plainly states that murder is wrong! But then, who is the LORD that He has the right to dictate what’s right and what’s wrong? Those who are pushing for same-sex marriage are asking the same question! What’s wrong with two people committing their lives to one another and society accepting it? It doesn’t really matter that they are of the same gender! If they love one another and want to be together, that’s all that matters! Why should their lives be governed and dictated by an ancient religious book? Who is the LORD anyway, to say what a marriage is and is not? Well, the main fallacy of that argument is that one of the main reasons for marriage originally was for the purpose of procreation. Happiness was to be just a by-product of that process! But people have made the secondary the primary! And when you make something that was intended to be a by-product the main product, you negate or nullify the original purpose. Now since it was God who instituted marriage in the first place, then He is the only one who has the right to say what is right and what is wrong about what He instituted. But, who is the LORD that we should obey him and live our lives under the oppression of His rule?
It is that last statement, my brothers and sisters, that tells me that the devil doesn’t have any new tricks; he’s just recycling the ones he’s been using all of the time! Sinful humanity does not want to submit to the rule of God because they have bought into the devil’s lie that God’s rule is oppressive and unfair. Men today are falling for the same lie that Eve fell for in the Garden of Eden. You remember what the serpent said to her? The first thing he asked was: Has not God said. . .” You see, the first thing the enemy wants to do is to get you to doubt the integrity of the word of God. The issues that are being hotly debated today: abortion, gay-rights, and same-sex marriage, have clear directives in the Bible! It’s fairly plain what God has said on these issues. But there are those who suggest; “Yes! That may be what God said, but He really didn’t mean it!” Or “That was then, but we live in a modern world that should not be governed by ancient ideas!” All they are saying is: Who is the LORD that we should obey Him? Who does He think He is that He has the right to tell us who we can marry or tell us what we can and can’t do? Who is the LORD that we should obey Him? And then secondly, the devil lied to Eve when he implied that God was trying to keep something good from them by not allowing them to eat of that particular tree! That’s the way the devil is working today! He has convinced those who are in rebellion against the will of God that God is a party-pooper and He just doesn’t want them to have any fun! Who is the LORD that we should allow Him to place restrictions upon our freedom to pursue prosperity and pleasure? Who is the LORD that we should hear His voice and obey Him? Well, since the question is so central, I think we need to take the time to find an answer! In the context of the text, the LORD God answered Pharaoh with the ten plagues of Egypt. Every plague was a direct answer to Pharaoh and a polemic statement against the so-called gods of Egypt.
Now there is somebody who is here today who needs to know who the LORD is! Well, the LORD is: The Alpha and the Omega! He is the Beginning and the end and everything in between. The word says: In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God! When it all started, God already was, and when it ends, God always will be! Who is the LORD? He is the Bread in a starving land and He is the Burden-bearer! Who is the LORD? He is the Creator of the universe! Without Him, there was not anything made that was made! Who is the LORD? He is the Deliverer and the Dayspring! Who is the LORD? He is the Everlasting Father and the Eternal I AM! He always has been and He always will be! Who is the LORD? The LORD is Faithful! You can always depend on Him! The LORD is a mighty Fortress and He is a Friend that sticks closer than a brother! Who is the LORD? The LORD is God and He’s God all by Himself! The LORD is Good and His mercy endures to all generations! Who is the LORD? The LORD is the HOLY OTHER! There is nobody else like Him! He’s in a class all by Himself! Who is the LORD? The LORD is Immutable! He does not change! He is the great I AM! Who is the LORD? The LORD is Jehovah-nissi: The God who is our banner! The LORD is Jehovah-rapha; the God who heals! The LORD is Jehovah-jireh; the God who provides! The LORD is Jehovah-shalom: the God who is our peace! Who is the LORD? The LORD is a Keeper and He is the King of kings! Who is the LORD? The LORD is the Light and He is the LORD of lords! Who is the LORD? The LORD is Merciful; Mighty in battle! The LORD is Israel’s Hope: The Messiah! Who is the LORD? The LORD is the Nurturer of our souls and He’s never far away! Who is the LORD? The LORD is Omniscience, which means He knows all! He is Omnipresent, which means there is no place that God is not! He’s Omnipotent, which means He has all power and all authority! Who is the LORD? He is the Prince of Peace, the Pearl of Great Price and the Promise-Keeper! Who is the LORD? He is the Quieter of our souls and he is quick to hear sincere prayer! Who is the LORD? He is the Resurrection that robs the grave of its victory and death of its sting! He is the Rock of our salvation and the Redeemer of all mankind! Who is the LORD? The LORD is Sovereign! He can do whatever He wants to do! He is the Savior of the world and the Great Shepherd of the sheep! Who is the LORD? The LORD is trustworthy and the LORD is the Truth that sets us free! Who is the LORD? The LORD is Unchangeable in His purpose and Unequaled in His power! Who is the LORD? The LORD is the True Vine! He is the Victory that overcomes the world! Who is the LORD? The LORD is Wonderful and He is a Wonder! The LORD is the WORD and He is the Water in dry places! Who is the LORD? The LORD is the X-rayer of soul: He sees everything we do and hears everything that we say! Not only that, but He know the intents and secrets of our hearts! Who is the LORD? He is Yahweh: The self-existing and self-sustaining God! Who is the LORD? The LORD is Zealous for His Honor and His Glory! He hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and He hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath He chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.” That’s who the LORD is!
Yes! The LORD is the Ancient of Days! The LORD is Adam’s Redeemer! The LORD is Abel’s Vindicator! The LORD is Noah’s Ark! The LORD is Abraham’s Sacrifice! The LORD is Moses’ Burning Bush! The LORD is Joshua’s Battle-Ax! The LORD is Gideon’s Fleece! The LORD is Samson’s Power! The LORD is David’s Music! The LORD is Solomon’s Wisdom! The LORD is Jeremiah’s Balm in Gilead! The LORD is Ezekiel’s Wheel in the middle of the wheel! The LORD is Job’s Horse pawing in the valley! The LORD is Daniel’s Stone rolling down through the mountain! The LORD is Matthew’s King! The LORD is Mark’s Suffering Servant! The LORD is Luke’s Great Physician! The LORD is John’s Word Made Flesh! And the LORD is Acts’ coming of the Holy Ghost!
Yes! The LORD is un-matchless in His Attributes! The LORD is unrivaled in His Beauty! The Lord is unsurpassed in His Care! The LORD is unequaled in His Deity! The LORD is unmatched in His Enduring Love! The LORD will never fail and He will never forsake the righteous! The LORD is GOOD and the LORD is Great! The LORD is our HOPE and our Strong Tower! Yes! That’s who the LORD is!
That’s why we should obey Him! Because, if He moved, we would fall! If He slumbered; we wouldn’t wake up! That’s why we should obey Him! He can speak and men fall down and die! He can speak another word and those same men would live again! Oh! Who is the LORD that we should hear His voice? Who is the LORD that we should obey Him? He’s the Bridge over troubled waters! He’s the Bright and Morning Star! When we fall; He picks us up! When we repent; He forgives! When we get weak; He revives! When we can’t see; He provides light! When we get lost; he finds! When we are hungry; He feeds! When we are fearful; He is encourages! When we stubble; He steadies! When we hurt; He heals! When we are broken; He mends! When we face trials; He is present! That’s who the LORD is! The LORD is our protection! The LORD is our light in darkness! The LORD is our joy in the times of sorrow! The LORD is our hope for tomorrow! The LORD is our all and all!
