January 23, 2011
McMinnville, Oregon
Exodus
8:15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and
would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said…8:19 the
magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was
hard and he would not listen, just as the LORD had said…8:32 but
this time also Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not let the people go
In the gray of the early morning dawn my friend Isaac and I
watched hundreds of ducks land all around our blind. Without enough legal
shooting light we were forced to listen tot eh myriad sounds of duck wings and
splashing water. The only identifiable factors were the size, sound and wing
beat. Based on these determining factors we whispered, “Mallards”, “Teal”, and “Widgeons”.
The first ten minutes of legal hunting time are a flurry of excitement, frustration
and conjecture as black missiles buzz all around. Even distance is distorted in
low light as objects are obscured when color fades to black.
This is how I understand my creator. I know He is there. I
can hear Him. I can see His works. I can sense Him. I can learn about Him. The
rest of God is obscured in mystery. For any man to claim to know all about God
is heresy.
The older I become the more the black and white lines of my
youth turn gray. As a young man my theology was legalistic and the hills to die
on were many. As my knowledge of Scripture has matured my theology has moved to
a middle ground. It is a place that understands certain biblical non-essentials
that have historically divided the Church are not worth fighting over.
My theology is challenged when I read that God hardened Pharaoh’s
heart. Over and over the book of Exodus explains this mystery to me. Sometimes
God closes men off to Him. At least with Pharaoh we know this is true. Whether
it is true across the board is like trying to guess the gender of a duck in the
gray of the dawn.
In the gray dawn of faith I find remnants of truth that
guide us such as, “No one can come to
me, unless the Father who sent me draws him” (John 6:44). I refuse to
debate with a person who believes in something other than Jesus unless I
sense the Spirit of God working in him. I refuse to argue with fools (Psalm 14:1) who do not believe in a
Divine source until I see sincerity in understanding the truth. Whether from
God or not I will not engage in a forced gospel presentation if I sense a
calloused heart.
No man can know all about God. No man ever will. The joy in
seeking Christ comes from constantly calling out to the darkness looking,
listening and waiting for God to reveal Himself.
