Mensa Otabil - Who Is The Lord? (10/07/2025)
Exodus chapter 5, verse 2: And Pharaoh said, «Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go.»
Who is the Lord? The king of Egypt did not know the name of the Lord, and that’s understandable because this is the first time the name of the Lord is being used in a public statement. God revealed Himself to Moses at Mount Horeb and said, «I am that I am,» and that was a new revelation, a new name of God. Even the Israelites didn’t know the name.
So when Pharaoh asked, «Who is the Lord?» it’s because he didn’t know who the Lord was. But who is this Lord? He is the Great I Am. He’s the eternal one, the self-existent one who has always been, who is, was, and will be. He’s the creator of the universe, the uncreated one who created all things. He’s the sustainer of all things; that is who the Lord is. He is your boss, Pharaoh. He is the one who created the earth you live on, and He created you too. Pharaoh didn’t know his creator, but that was the one Moses introduced to him: the Lord, «I am that I am.»
But when Pharaoh asked, «Who is the Lord?» he didn’t ask that question respectfully. He didn’t ask because he wanted to know who the Lord was, but he was asking it in a dismissive way: «Who is this I am that you are talking about? There are better gods we know of in Egypt, not this one.» He was asking disdainfully. Why was he doing that? Because, in Egypt, Pharaoh was considered a god. If he considered this God to be another god, then he would put himself on par with whoever Moses was talking about. If he obeyed what Moses said, then he couldn’t control the people of Israel because this God says the people of Israel are His. God says they are My people; Pharaoh says they are My slaves. So, if he accepts that he knows this God, then the people can no longer be his slaves. So he determines, «I’m not going to give recognition to this God because if I do, that’s the end of my power.»
You know, many times we disrespect the people of God so much that we extend that to God, and that was Pharaoh’s problem. He disrespected the Israelites; they were slaves, low-level people. So, their God must also be low-level or low-lying. Sometimes it happens; people in very high authority and powerful positions may regard someone who worships God as a low-lying officer, thinking that because they are higher than that person, they are also higher than God because this person worships Him. You know, God is bigger than all of us. He’s even bigger than the people who worship Him, and that’s what He is about to show to Pharaoh. If you don’t know who I am, I’m going to show you who I am. Throughout the encounter in Exodus, He shows him day after day, action after action, miracle after miracle: «That’s who I am. If you don’t know who I am, that’s who I am.»
I pray God will do that in your life. For those who say, «Who is your God? Who is this God you worship?» May God show Himself strong in your life, so that every day they will know who He is, and they will come on bended knees to acknowledge Him also as their God. Who is the Lord? He is the King of creation. He is my God; He is your God; He is our Lord, and He is the one in whom we trust.
Whether people acknowledge Him or not, whether people blaspheme Him or not, whether people accept Him or not, God is who He is. He doesn’t need anybody’s opinion to be God. He doesn’t need a scientist to make Him God. He doesn’t need a philosopher to make Him God. He doesn’t need some other practitioner to make Him God. God doesn’t need anybody’s endorsement to be God. He is the God who is God by Himself, without endorsement, without advertisement, without certificate. He is still who He is, and whether you like Him or not, He will be who He is: «I am that I am.»
Let us pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, I know who You are. You are greater than the greatest, higher than the highest.» In Jesus' name, amen and amen. I’ll catch you again tomorrow. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.