Day 2 - Higher Than The Highest
- Pastor b.Side
- May 1
- 3 min read
“Now I know that the LORD [is] greater than all the gods; for in the very thing in which they behaved proudly, [He was] above them.” - Exodus 18:11
After God delivered Israel from the bondage they endured in Egypt, Moses met with his father-in-law, Jethro, in the wilderness of Sinai. There, Moses recounted the incredible miracles they all experienced as God freed His people. They witnessed God's power through extraordinary plagues and judgments, including the death of every firstborn male in Egypt on the very first Passover night. The Egyptian priests even called these miracles “the finger of God.” True to His Word, God brought His people out of Egypt with great signs and wonders, culminating at the Red Sea, where God completely destroyed the stronghold that Egypt had over His people.
“Now I know that the LORD [is] greater…”
When Jethro heard about these things, he was filled with joy and praised God! At that time, Egypt was the world’s superpower. Pharaoh was regarded as a god in the eyes of the people. Yet, as Jethro began praising God, he quickly recognized YAHWEH as distinct from the false deities of Egypt. After learning about the work of God, Jethro confessed that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was greater than all other gods. The plagues inflicted by YAHWEH upon the Egyptians were meant to free His people from bondage while dismantling the false religious system in Egypt. The Egyptians believed themselves to be the greatest due to their knowledge and connection to their gods. However, when YAHWEH challenged them, their gods were unresponsive, proving how false they were. God demonstrated His goodness by exposing and completely destroying the false powers of the fake gods that enslaved His people.
“Than all the gods…”
Jethro pointed out that God had destroyed the very things the Egyptians were most proud of. God can strike at the places where His enemies feel strongest and demonstrate His superiority. God didn’t have to struggle to prove Himself. The areas where the Egyptians acted most arrogantly were a façade. They credited their material prosperity to their gods. They assigned their military strength to the gods. They believed the Pharaoh was like a god. The God of Israel was above them. He destroyed their property, military, and Pharaoh in the exact manner He had promised. The Egyptian empire was at the pinnacle of the world at that time. God proved that He is above all by showing that self-reliance through false religious systems is worthless. God’s people were alive and free, while the Egyptians were in disarray or dead.
Prayer for today
Our Heavenly Father, we confess that You are supremely exalted. Forgive us for the times we think more highly of ourselves than we should. We know that You attacked the gods of the Egyptians to expose their pride. Their gods were merely images reflecting their self-confidence and self-righteousness. Even though we don’t worship idols like they did, we still suffer from the bondage of “self.” Thank You for demonstrating Your goodness in setting us free from the issues that enslave us and cause us to suffer. Jesus, we trust that as You delivered Your people from the bondage of Egypt, You have released us from the controlling influences of our flesh to keep us from hell. THAT’s what makes You so good. May our lives be pleasing to You as we strive to serve Your great purposes in gratitude for the salvation You’ve granted us, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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