February 9, Day 40 – We Know Why You Have Come
- Dr. Eric Stricker
- Feb 9
- 3 min read
Today we come to Exodus 1-3. It is incredible to me that we know about Joseph today, but this new Egyptian king, who lived in much closer proximity in space and time to Joseph than we do, “did not know about Joseph” (verse 8). How is that possible? Joseph not only saved Egypt, but also he rescued the whole region from starvation during Egypt’s seven years of famine! This king’s unfamiliarity with Joseph reveals the ignorance and self-importance of many of our world-leaders – even those of today. Moreover, it points to the contemporary failure among today’s popular (and unpopular) world leaders to know Jesus Christ. Anyone who can see and experience God’s overall creation must surely recognize that the world did not kick itself into existence. As the Scriptures teach, rejecting God is foolishness (cf., 1 Corinthians 1:18). Yet so many world leaders today irrationally maintain their own sovereignty while mocking God and His Word with impunity. From Pharaoh in the Old Testament to Judas in the New Testament, we see strange examples of little men who raise their heads and fists in defiance of our holy, righteous, and sovereign Creator, albeit to their own wasted lives and ultimate perdition.
This new Pharaoh cared nothing for God or His people, even though history was clearly available to him, and God’s compassion was fully evident even in his own royal existence. How could Pharaoh not know that the people whom he oppressed were descendants of the very ones who helped to save his kingdom and his nation? What a contrast between Pharaoh and Moses! It is ironic how easily people forget the past or simply refuse to think for themselves. This is often true of those in leadership roles. However, God knows all about it, because He knows what is in the heart of man (cf., John 2:24-25). For His own purposes, God chooses His leaders carefully and sees in them what others don’t. God knew that Moses had weaknesses, but He saw beyond them and used them to develop his strengths.
Psalm 19 is a grand Psalm that reveals to us how “the heavens declare the glory of God” (verse 1). This illustrates a most practical truth. Everyone has unique fingerprints, and unaware, we often leave them behind. They can be used to identify us, track us, or betray us. Fingerprints are an evidence that we were created in God’s image, for God also has "fingerprints" that He left behind to testify of His creative work. He did not create a trackless universe that testifies of nothing. “The skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge” (verses 1-2). I recall former missionary colleagues who served among illiterate, indigenous tribes in the jungles of Irian Jaya. After living and working there for years – just to learn their language – the missionaries were astounded to hear from the tribal people, “We know why you have come. You have come to tell us about the One Who made all this.” This is the testimony that God has wired into His creation. God has left His fingerprints behind, and they are all over this universe.
In Matthew 26:1-30, we come now to a greater focus of the last week of our Lord’s life before His crucifixion. In Matthew’s gospel, the Lord’s last week began earlier in Matthew 21 with the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, but here in chapter 26, Passover is now approaching, and with it, the plot “to arrest … and kill Jesus” (verses 1-4). At Bethany that week, Jesus was anointed “with expensive perfume to prepare His body for burial” – stirring up indignation among the disciples (verses 6-9), but for Him, it was a “beautiful thing” (verse 10). Unfortunately, we often respond to “beautiful” situations and events with indignation – usually – because we don’t have all the facts. If we knew all the facts, we would respond to truly beautiful situations more beautifully. What should we learn from this? We should learn that it is best to see the beautiful in everything (cf., Ecclesiastes 3:11) and to hold our responses until we know the facts. In the book of Job, we saw that the critic always implies that he or she can do things better. One thing the critic could certainly improve upon is holding his or her tongue. This woman who anointed Jesus understood the eternal investment she was making, and we should follow her example. Jesus said that what she did for Him will be remembered “throughout the world” (verse 13). We don’t remember her name, but we remember what she did.
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