“The Pharaoh behind the Pharaoh” is a phrase that has captivated my mind for the past week. I heard it used by Dr. Russell Moore in a chapel service at Southern seminary in which he spoke a week ago Thursday (February 1st), in which he was alluding the fact that Pharaoh, the mightiest man in that whole region at that time, nonetheless had a Pharaoh ruling over him. I don’t remember ever hearing Satan referred to in this fashion. When Dr. Moore first used this phrase in the message he quickly moved to the account of Satan entering Judas just prior to his betraying Jesus for thirty pieces of silver (Luke 22:3, Matthew 26:15). Later in the week I was thinking of Jesus’ declaration to the Pharisees that their father was the devil by virtue of the fact that they obeyed him rather than God (John 8:44).
We should remind ourselves often that we are not our own. Whether we be a pauper or a Pharaoh, we still have a Pharaoh over us. The question then that begs to be answered is “Who is your Pharaoh?” Is it the one who would require us to make bricks without straw, or is it the King of kings, and Lord of lords, who bids us come unto Him whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light (Matthew 11:29,30)? Based on who we listen to and follow, whose sheep are we (John 10:27)?
On a different note, another little feature in Dr. Moore’s message caught my attention as well. Just as Alfred Hitchcock made a habit of appearing in a cameo role in all of the movies he made, it appears that Dr. Moore recently has begun leaving a “signature” reference in his sermons and other academic addresses. I have heard similar references in the last couple of addresses I have heard him give. Here is an example from Dr. Moore’s February 2nd 1st chapel message:
“The problem here is that Egypt doesn’t know the difference between a blessing and a curse, but the real issue here is that neither does Israel. When Israel is brought into the wilderness, they start grumbling, they start griping, they start blogging about it.”
Let’s see if this continues, and if it does, in what ways it manifests itself. It should be fun. It’s nice to be noticed, if not individually, at least corporately. I’m sure a whole lot of cyber-complaining goes on, even among Christians, but if you would like to see what else bloggers do go here, here, and here.