July 18, 2026 | Christianity
Humility: Alignment with God
In Exodus 10:3, we see how God gives the Pharaoh of Egypt a choice to be humble. Pharaoh can be humble by freeing the Hebrews from slavery. Scripture reads, "And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me" (Exodus 10:3). God presents Pharaoh with a choice. Keep in mind that God did not have to give Pharaoh this choice. God could have freed the Hebrew slaves by any method he chose. But God gave Pharaoh the opportunity to be a part of the will of God. Also, this passage shows us that God gave Pharaoh time to show his humility. The phrase "How long?" indicates that God gave Pharaoh time to become humble. This phrase also shows God gave Pharaoh an ample amount of time to be humble. So, we can deduce that Pharaoh had a choice and time to make a choice freely. However, this passage also shows how God clearly communicated what he wanted Pharaoh to choose. God communicated to Pharaoh that he wanted Pharaoh to free the Hebrews. And the reason was so that the Hebrews could serve God. Thus, the will of God is clear. God gives Pharaoh the opportunity to be a part of the will of God by Pharaoh freeing the Hebrew slaves. Therefore, the Pharaoh of Egypt had a choice to make: 1. Free the Hebrew slaves so they could serve God and be a part of the will of God or 2. Do not free the Hebrew slaves to impede the Hebrews from serving God and be against the will of God.
It may seem foolish of Pharaoh to act in this manner. But everyone who chooses to disobey God or do anything that is against the will of God makes the same choice as Pharaoh.
Unfortunately, Pharaoh chose option two. The decision of Pharaoh not to humble himself clearly communicated that Pharaoh was not willing to respect God as God—the ultimate ruler. God did not give Pharaoh vague options. God gave Pharaoh an opportunity to participate in the clearly defined will of God. The will of God was to free the Hebrew nation so they could serve God freely. But Pharaoh, through his lack of humility, attempted to stand in the way of the will of God. It may seem foolish of Pharaoh to act in this manner. But everyone who chooses to disobey God or do anything that is against the will of God makes the same choice as Pharaoh. Everyone should live their lives thinking about what God wants to do. When we live our lives trying to align our actions and attitudes with the will of God, we set ourselves up for blessings and prosperity. Just think what could have happened if Pharaoh had done what God wanted him to do. If Pharaoh had humbled himself, God would not have plagued the Egyptians, and they could have participated in the liberation of the Hebrews. So, what about us? How can we participate in what God wants today? God speaks to everyone personally and differently. But one thing is sure: God is clear about what he wants. He will give us time to respond in humility. Still, we must do our best not to squander that opportunity.