Godly Grief or Worldly Grief
Exodus 10:16-17: "Then Pharaoh hastily called Moses and Aaron and said, 'I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you. Now therefore, forgive my sin, please, only this once, and plead with the Lord your God only to remove this death from me.'"
Pharaoh's refusal to let the Israelites go worship the Lord resulted in mass destruction of the land of Egypt. As we have seen, Moses and the Lord triumphed over Pharaoh and the gods of Egypt. At this point in the narrative, locusts had covered the land of Egypt. These locusts had eaten all the plants and all the fruit on the trees. They had decimated the land, the crops, and the hopes of the people. In the pantheistic practice of the people, they worshipped a god who had the head of a locust; how was this god serving them now? What about the god who acted as the guardian of the field or the god of agriculture? All these gods of Egypt remained quiet and powerless to help their people.
Pharaoh, recognizing his inability to stop the plagues, cried out to Moses and actually confessed that he had sinned. The shallowness of his confession was clear – he only sinned this once. Pharaoh was rendered powerless; his stubbornness had led to the destruction of his country. In being exposed, Pharaoh confessed his sin and asked Moses for forgiveness.
There is a confession and repentance that leads to life, and there is a confession that leads to death. In 2 Corinthians 2:10, Paul writes, "For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death." Pharaoh's grief was in being punished for his rebellion. He sought relief but was not willing to amend his ways to obey the Lord or honor the Lord. As we will see, this worldly grief will lead to his demise.
Reflection:
Think through the difference between godly grief and worldly grief. How do you respond when being confronted with your sin and shortcomings? Do you allow the Spirit to lead you to full repentance so that you can align your will with God's will?
Pharaoh's refusal to let the Israelites go worship the Lord resulted in mass destruction of the land of Egypt. As we have seen, Moses and the Lord triumphed over Pharaoh and the gods of Egypt. At this point in the narrative, locusts had covered the land of Egypt. These locusts had eaten all the plants and all the fruit on the trees. They had decimated the land, the crops, and the hopes of the people. In the pantheistic practice of the people, they worshipped a god who had the head of a locust; how was this god serving them now? What about the god who acted as the guardian of the field or the god of agriculture? All these gods of Egypt remained quiet and powerless to help their people.
Pharaoh, recognizing his inability to stop the plagues, cried out to Moses and actually confessed that he had sinned. The shallowness of his confession was clear – he only sinned this once. Pharaoh was rendered powerless; his stubbornness had led to the destruction of his country. In being exposed, Pharaoh confessed his sin and asked Moses for forgiveness.
There is a confession and repentance that leads to life, and there is a confession that leads to death. In 2 Corinthians 2:10, Paul writes, "For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death." Pharaoh's grief was in being punished for his rebellion. He sought relief but was not willing to amend his ways to obey the Lord or honor the Lord. As we will see, this worldly grief will lead to his demise.
Reflection:
Think through the difference between godly grief and worldly grief. How do you respond when being confronted with your sin and shortcomings? Do you allow the Spirit to lead you to full repentance so that you can align your will with God's will?
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