He caused the Egyptians to hate his people,
Psalm 105:25 NET
and to mistreat his servants.
Most Christians probably accept that God is sovereign, although we often have different understandings of what that means. We celebrate God’s hand at work in raising Joseph from slavery in Egypt to a position of power, allowing him to provide for his family during a time of severe famine. And we remember the plagues that God visited on Egypt to force Pharoah to free Israel from their slavery and allow them to leave Egypt.
Psalm 105 remembers and celebrates those events. But it also includes other sovereign actions of God that we may struggle with. Psalm 105:16 says God called down the famine that resulted in Jacob’s family migrating to Egypt. And Psalm 105:25 tells us that God caused the Egyptians (at least Pharoah) to hate and mistreat his people. This hatred led to the oppression of Israel in Egypt and ultimately to the plagues that devastated Egypt and delivered Israel.
Judging God?
I will be the first to admit that I am uncomfortable with the thought of God causing famines that cause harm to significant numbers of people. And that God would cause one group to hate another and then punish them for it. Actions for which we would rightly condemn another human.
I can acknowledge God’s sovereignty and understand that he had a purpose in having Israel sojourn in Egypt for 400 years. And that he created the conditions that led them into Egypt and back out again. Throughout all of this, God was working to accomplish his purpose for Israel and the redemption of humanity.
I struggle, though, with the vast number of people who suffered because of God’s actions in bringing Israel into and out of Egypt. People who had no direct involvement in either action. People who were just trying to survive and still suffered. And how many more innocent people throughout history have suffered because of God’s actions?
Trusting God
I have no good answer to this. It would be tempting to sit in judgment of God and condemn him for many of his actions in human history. But I choose to acknowledge that God’s ways and thoughts are higher than mine (Isaiah 55:8-9) and that I am not competent to judge God. He is God. And I am not. So, rather than judge God, I will trust him in all he does. Even when, despite my best efforts, I fail to understand.
