19 Oct 2011
 In Moses’ day, the Egyptian Pharaoh was the most powerful man on the earth. He was the deified ruler of the world’s most glorious kingdom. Believed to be the earthly embodiment of Ra or Re—the Egyptian sun god—the Pharaoh was revered by the Egyptians as a divine despot whose every demand was to be unquestionably obeyed.
As the Bible clearly points out, God’s plagues on Egypt executed judgment against all of the Egyptian gods (Exodus 12:12). Undoubtedly, the plague of darkness, as well as the striking down of the firstborn of Pharaoh, were judgments executed against Egypt’s sun god. In no uncertain terms, the plagues on Egypt were a divine demonstration of the folly of faith in false gods, especially those with feet of clay.
Egypt’s Pharaoh serves as an example of pathological self-centeredness. Believing his own “press reports,” he became guilty not only of the pretense of divinity, but also of persuading himself that he actually was divine. As a result, his sense of self became so stuck to his “sovereignty” that he could not admit any personal error without abdicating his celestial perch and lowering himself to the rank and file of the error-prone terrestrial masses.
This explains why Pharaoh’s response to Egypt’s plagues was to repeatedly harden his heart (Exodus 7:14). Despite the fact that Egypt was being destroyed and that the people were pleading with him to free the Hebrew slaves (Exodus 10:7), Pharaoh refused to change his mind and do the right thing. To do so, would have been an admission of human fallibility, and such an admission on his part would have dispelled the illusion of his own deity and destroyed his sense of self-worth.
To Pharaoh, it all boiled down to a matter of self-preservation. Whether or not Egypt survived was of secondary importance. What mattered most to Pharaoh was keeping his ego intact and emerging with his “halo” untarnished. Tragically, such hubris in the heart of one so powerful resulted in Egypt’s destruction and the deaths of her first born sons.
Unfortunately, this Pharaoh syndrome can be seen today in the occupier of America’s Oval Office. Dubbed “The One” by adoring masses, President Obama is arguably the most powerful man in the world. Being the chief executive of the world’s only remaining superpower tends to swell a man’s head. It also leaves him feeling that he can ill-afford to be seen as in over his head. Thus, President Obama continuously tries to convince us that he is infallible and his policies impeccable.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist, however, to figure out that America, under President Obama’s leadership, is headed in the wrong direction at breakneck speed. Our current path will inevitably lead to our utter destruction, not to mention the forfeiture of our children’s future. Still, in spite of our nation’s undeniable downward spiral and the pleading of most Americans with their president for a political course correction, President Obama admits no personal error. Instead, he assigns all of the blame for our national crisis to those refusing to blindly follow his “inerrant” dictates. For him to do otherwise would dispel his superhuman aura and impale his pathological self-centeredness.
To President Obama, just like to Pharaoh of old, it all boils down to self-preservation. Whether or not the country survives is of secondary importance. What really matters to President Obama, as well as to most modern-day politicians, is that he emerges with his self-worth unscathed and his public persona untarnished.
Perhaps, our country’s present problems, like the plagues of Egypt, are intended by God to clearly demonstrate to us the folly of faith in the arm of flesh, regardless of whether it is the arm of an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh or a modern-day American president. One thing for sure, hubris in the heart of an egotistical president is no less dangerous to us and our children than hubris was in the heart of an ancient Pharaoh to the Egyptian people and their children.
Don Walton
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