Faith: Exodus conflict continues to rage

In the book of Exodus, we see the clash between the God of the Hebrews, Yahweh, and all the gods of Egypt. God sends Moses as his reluctant spokesman. Moses is armed with the authority to call for great plagues, while Pharaoh is the king of the mightiest nation on earth.

In his commentary on Exodus, economist Gary North proposes that what we have here is the collision of opposite religions.

Though the original players have long-since passed away, their respective outlooks remain with us. The religions in this epic fight are still around, and they affect us every day, more than you’d imagine.

It’s not merely monotheism versus paganism.

Pharaoh represents the first religion, or what we’ll call the religion of power. In our day, this is frankly the default religion of all people. The startling thing is that this is true of people regardless of the religion they profess. It’s everywhere; and, that is no overstatement. Even most atheists are power religionists.

We could spend a lot of time describing this counterfeit faith, but let’s boil it down to its central dogma. In power religion, important people have the ability, because of their standing in some organization, to coerce conformity to their own will. They have an institutional power to force you to obey.

The clearest example we have of this religion is in civil government, where, if you do not come into compliance with the will of the powerful, we will send men with guns to capture you and confine you in a cage. You may protest that you’re not hurting anyone, but that doesn’t matter if the powerful have spoken.

The fundamental confession of faith in the power religion is this: “Do what I say, or else.” Whether this confession is heard in families, businesses, or schools, it signals the active practice of Pharaoh’s religion of power.

Moses, however, represents the kingdom or “dominion” of God. His is the dominion religion. In this view true authority does not come from human institutions, or the ability to apply human sanctions to enforce a human will. True authority comes from service. It is expressed through boldly speaking the truth of God, and living accordingly.

If a pastor gets his congregation to do what he says because they’re scared not to, because they don’t want to get kicked out, for instance, he is not representing the dominion of God, but the power religion. In dominion religion, the pastor’s only authority comes from his teaching and lifestyle, not from what he can do to you. Moses said what God told him to say, and that was his source of authority.

The instinct of the disciples of Jesus was power religion. They argued about which one of them would hold the top spot in the kingdom (Mark 9:34; Luke 9:46, 22:24). Jesus answered them by putting on the attire of a slave and washing their feet, demonstrating graphically that his kingdom would not work like power religion works (John 13:3-13). He who would be great among you must become the servant of all (Mark 10:44).

To explore these topics further, get the book by Gary North, “Moses and Pharaoh: Dominion Religion vs. Power Religion.”

Gordan Runyan is the pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Tucumcari. Contact him at: [email protected]