阅读经文 

我圣经记载了一个重要的故事，就是神的国度的故事，神是万有的君王。

埃及人称他们的君王为法老，这里记载的法老王毫不尊敬耶和华独一真神，这法老王既残忍又暴虐，他强逼以色列民做他的奴隶。

在创世记较早的记载中，在此之前有一法老王，在饥荒的日子，他委派亚伯拉罕其中一个曾孙约瑟担任仅次于法老的职位。约瑟得到神的帮助，他曾尽力保证人民有安定、公正、和谐的生活。（参创 41:41-57）这是当权的人应有的责任。

可是，在出埃及记的记载中，数百年后的情况却戏剧性地改变了。“有不认识约瑟的新王起来，治理埃及。”（出 1:8）这法老王不仅不保护以色列民的后代，他反而视他们为埃及的威胁，于是他便使他们成为奴隶和辖制他们。

我们听过英国历史学家阿克顿男爵这样说：“权力使人腐化，绝对权力使人绝对腐化。”出埃及记中的埃及王，体现了人类背叛神的王权的心态。法老王拥有大权，他不重视公正和不理人的死活，于是他便去辖制和杀害人了。

神治理这个世界，但祂治理世界的方式，却往往要面对世人的抗拒。

The big story of the Bible is the story of God's kingdom. God is the King over everything.

The human king in Egypt was called Pharaoh, and this particular pharaoh had no respect for the Lord, the one true God. This pharaoh was cruel and oppressive and had made the people of Israel his slaves.

Back in the book of Genesis, an earlier pharaoh had assigned Joseph, a grandson of Abraham, to be second in command during a time of famine. And with God's help, Joseph had worked to ensure life, justice, and harmony (Genesis 41:41-57). That was what a ruler was supposed to do.

But in the book of Exodus, a few hundred years later, the situation changed dramatically. "Then a new king,who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt." (Exodus 1:8). This pharaoh saw the descendants of Israel as a threat rather than as a people to protect. So he enslaved and oppressed them.

Lord Acton, a British historian, is known to have said, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." The king of Egypt in Exodus embodied the human spirit of rebellion against the reign of God. That pharaoh had great power, and he was not interested in the way of justice and life, so he oppressed and killed people instead.

God's rule over the world, and his way of ruling the world, are always facing the resistance of human rebellion.