ridiculous sovereignty

 

And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.

Exodus 3:9-10

God is sovereign and powerful. He works miraculously to reveal Himself to Moses. At a burning bush God assures Moses He has seen the suffering of Israel in Egypt and will bring the nation out. And then He announces that Moses will be sent to do the task. In one sense, you have to understand why Moses was wrestling with the ridiculous incongruity of God's plan. God speaks supernaturally from a burning bush, a place so holy that Moses is warned to take off his sandals. From that wild display of power God commands Moses to go lead Israel out of Egypt. But he is going to use Moses, a mere man, to convince Pharoah, the "god-king" of an empire, to do what God, whom Pharaoh has never known, wants. Why did God just not appear in flames to Pharaoh and get the job done so much more efficiently? God's sovereignty isn't as orderly as we'd like it to be from our limited perspective.

God had many purposes in play when delivering Israel from Egypt. He was training a leader, Moses, and building his faith and skill as a man of God. God was calling a nation back to Himself. God was humbling an empire and showing His might. But God's sovereign hand, though mighty and wise, was not efficient. He was however effective at everything.... and that required a much bigger story to unfold all of that truth.

And so it is even today. God still is sovereign in this "inefficient" way, weaving many threads into His redemptive tapestry. He doesn't "cut to the chase" in order to satisfy our spiritual ADD. He often uses just "mere people" who have an obedient vision of a holy God and pushes them to to obey His call and advance His purposes. And from our point of view, limited by time, finite intellects, and fallen wills, it can seem so slow and like so much ridiculous incongruity. It is not. We are mistaken. It will all, like the Exodus narrative, lead to a redemptive deliverance taking His people to the place of His choosing. And we shall see Jesus reign forever and ever. Just wait... and see.... and know it is true.