As men there were certainly differences, but as far as the Egyptian religion is concerned, they were a unity. The Egyptians worshiped these men as gods, who they believed descended from the sun god, Re. If you were an Egyptian, Pharaoh was the straight stick. Powerful. Spiritual. High and Lifted Up. What could be greater than a Pharaoh?

But no less than four times a Bible character is placed right next to this crookedness, to expose him for what he was,a mere mortal in need of God’s forgiveness.

Abraham allowed his wife to be sold into Pharaoh’s harem. Not a great example. But Abraham’s God turned it into a learning opportunity for Egypt when the entire royal household came down with an awful and incurable illness. Pharaoh rebuked the weakness of the man of God but he never forgot his power encounter with the author of the true religion.

Jacob and Joseph encountered a later Pharaoh. Here was another king who thought he had it all. His religion knew all things. His religious experts could discern all wisdom. That was before Joseph showed up in the county jail, the dreamer, who was in the process of having his dreams fulfilled but didn’t know it.

You will recall that Pharaoh had a dream, Joseph showed off the wisdom of God, and the rest is world history. The civilized world of that day was actually in danger of collapsing. But if it collapsed, Jesus could not come as its Saviour. Joseph was sent to be the savior of that day. Pharaoh was impressed, made him the ruler, and essentially retired.

Then there was the classic encounter with Jacob. Same Pharaoh as with his son, but a powerful incident is recorded here.

Jacob and his entire family are summoned before the great King, as he has just decreed that this founder of the Hebrew people shall have a home in Egypt during the awful famine. Jacob steps forward and is interviewed by the Pharaoh.

"How old are you?"

"One hundred and thirty." A small number in comparison to his father and grandfather. He says so to the king and adds that his days have been filled with nothing but grief. Yet, after the pleasantries are exchanged, the Scripture indicates that Jacob, the shepherd from Canaan, blessed the mighty King of the world's only great throne.

Jacob blesses Pharaoh. And that's how it should have been. The lesser is always blessed by the greater. Jacob's blessing had the touch of Heaven in it. He represented a Throne far greater than the one before whom he stood. He knew what he was doing. This was God's will for the Egyptians.

To have the favor of God in exchange for caring for the people of God. So has it always been. So must it ever be. Whoever blesses Abraham and his seed will be blessed. Only tragedies will follow men or nations that reverse such a policy.

And of course Moses. The straightest stick of all. The man of God’s true religion faces off with the world’s idea of religion, which is, Power, Wealth, Ceremony.

Pharaoh admitted he did not know the Lord. But he was still very religious. As all the Pharaohs.

Whether in friendship or animosity to God’s people, the kingdoms of this world will always be inferior to the Kingdom being produced by God.

I don’t need to remind you of how miserably Pharaoh and his people fared when coming against the true God.