Glorification in Judgment

Exodus 14:8,17b: "The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly . . . . (the LORD said) 'The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.'"


As one looks through Scripture, one finds that God is glorified in many things throughout His creation:


God is glorified by the heavens that He has created. They "pour forth praises day after day" for the Lord of Hosts (Psalm 19:1-2).


God is glorified when the righteous exalt His name through their praise and celebration of Him as their Lord and Savior (Psalm 34:3).


God is glorified through the sacrificial death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ, to provide salvation for those who would surrender to Him as Lord (John 13:31-32). This immeasurable act of love, which permits us the privilege of adoption as God's sons and daughters, praises God's glorious grace that He willingly "lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding" (Ephesians 1:8).

God will be glorified by the righteous elect when He returns to receive them into His heavenly abode. They will glorify Him as they marvel at the One in whom they believed as Lord (2 Thessalonians 1:10).


God is glorified through His works . . . they are "pondered by all who delight in them" (Psalm 111:2-3).


Of course the list of things that glorify God could continue for all eternity; however, one noteworthy point is found in the cited passage above, namely that God is glorified through the hardening of the disobedient, so that He might drive them to fulfill certain events that would declare His sovereignty over all things. This demonstration of judgment declares that His Holiness will prevail, no matter what stands in rebellion against Him.


We know from the Exodus account that Pharaoh and the Egyptians had held the Israelites in bondage in Egypt for many years; they dealt with them ruthlessly and enslaved them to forced labor so that the Israelites would not rise up against them. Of course, God had promised Abraham hundreds of years before that His descendants would dwell in the land promised to the patriarch (see Genesis 12); and God had promised that He would punish the nation that would force the Israelites to serve as slaves (Genesis 15:14).


True to His Word, God hardened Pharaoh's heart just after the Egyptian leader had released the Israelites to return to their promised land. Pharaoh quickly changed his mind as to the emancipation of the Israelites, and he summoned his army to pursue them and return them to bondage. God used Pharaoh's wickedness to lead him to an ultimate confrontation with the Lord. Pharaoh, who considered himself the god of the most powerful nation in the world, would engage in battle against the One True God; and God would be glorified through his victory over Pharaoh and the Egyptians army. God did this so that all people, including the Egyptians, would know that He alone was the Lord (Exodus 14:4).

Pharaoh summoned 600 of his chariots along with his soldiers and pursued the Israelites and caught up with them at the Red Sea. The Israelites were sickened by the approaching Egyptian army and complained to Moses for leading them out into the wilderness to die; however, Moses countered their grumbling by reassuring them that the Lord would "fight for them" (14:14). And true to His promises, the Lord moved in between the Egyptian army and the Israelites, and He defeated the Egyptians by using darkness, confusion, and disarray. The Egyptian army had followed the Israelites into the dry sea bed that had been formed when God moved back the waters to permit the Israelites to pass through to the other side. Once all the Israelites had reached the other side of the great sea, Moses stretched his hand over the sea, and the Lord responded by collapsing the walls of water that had been formed. As the Egyptian chariots started to fall apart, the army realized that the Israelite God was protecting His people, and they determined to return to Egypt to get away from this divine wrath. Unfortunately for the Egyptians, it was too late. The great waters engulfed the army, and none of them survived. The Scriptures tell us that when the Israelites saw the great power of God demonstrated through the destruction of the mighty Egyptian army, they "feared the LORD and put their trust in Him and Moses His servant" (14:31).

We see from this account that the Lord is not averse to using the wicked in such a way to demonstrate His Sovereign Reign over all. Even as the Egyptians were being utterly destroyed by God, He was being glorified. Certainly good came from this destruction as His covenant people were strengthened in their faith in the One True Lord of Hosts.

We must remember that the Lord will be glorified both through the praises of the righteous and through the judgment of the wicked. Let us renounce any wickedness in our lives that would bring a punitive response from the Lord; let us instead follow the Lord faithfully and obediently so that God's glory would be demonstrated through our surrender to Him as Lord!