The Egyptians had enslaved God’s people and treated them with cruelty. They had murdered untold numbers of Israelite babies – that command had been in place when Moses was born, 80 years before, and Scripture does not tell us that it had been repealed. When Moses confronted Pharaoh, not only did he refuse to listen, but he hardened his heart, attempted compromise, and made promises that he did not keep.

Now, faced with the same devastation that he and his predecessors have inflicted on the Israelites, Pharaoh is not only willing to let God’s people go, he is desperate to be rid of them. He practically begs them to leave, ordering them to take all their flocks and herds with them, and then adds this surprising request: “And also bless me.”

Finally, after everything that has happened, Pharaoh understands, as God knew he would, that the Lord, and the Lord alone is sovereign. God’s actions have demonstrated the ineffectiveness of every one of Egypt’s many gods and idols. Even Pharaoh, considered divine by the Egyptians, could do nothing to prevent the judgment of the Lord on his own family.

His simple request – just four words – is total acknowledgement that the Lord is the only sovereign God, and Pharaoh is subject to him, along with all of creation. Many years before, another Pharaoh had blessed Joseph. Now, this Pharaoh humbly seeks a blessing from the God of Joseph.

The sadness in all of this is that the Lord is only too willing to bless those who come before him with a humble heart. One day, every knee will bow before the Lord, but blessed are those who choose to worship and serve him now.

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NEWBOLD COMMUNITY CHURCH