For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with plague, and you would have been destroyed from the earth. But for this purpose I have caused you to stand: to show you my strength, and so that my name may be declared in all the earth.
Exodus 9:15-16 NET
In Ephesians 1:11, Paul referred to “the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.” In the previous verse, he referred to the mystery of God’s will, which was “to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment.” God has a plan for human history. He is not just reacting to what we do. He is actively moving his plan along. And nothing we do as humans gets in the way of its fulfillment.
When the time was right, God sent his Son into the world to further his plan–becoming the atoning sacrifice for sin and the firstborn of a new creation.
But long before that, God used two other men who would be pivotal in the redemption story. One was Moses, a hero of the faith. But the other was the pharaoh who contended with Moses. This man was an enemy of God’s people and sought to thwart God’s plan.
But despite who and what he was, God caused him to stand–putting him into power in Egypt. He was the pharaoh of Egypt at that point in history because God wanted him to be. And God used him to demonstrate his power and majesty to Israel, Egypt, and the world around them.
God Is in Charge
This pharaoh was not unique in history. Scripture also records God using the rulers of Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Rome to further his redemptive plan. It is comforting to know that God is in charge–that he uses even those who oppose him to accomplish his plan.
I cannot begin to understand God’s involvement in human history and how he uses even the most wicked men to further his plan. But I am thankful that he is “working out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.” No one can thwart his plan for us.
