Exodus 7:1,2

I have made thee a god to Pharaoh.

The moral position in which some men stand to others

God made Moses to be a god to Pharaoh, and Aaron to be a prophet. There are many good and noble men in the world to-day, who are gods, the instructors and rulers, of their fellow-creatures.

I. This exalted moral position is the result of divine allotment. “And the Lord said unto Moses, see, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh.”

II. This exalted moral position involves arduous work and terrible responsibility.

1. The true gods of society have something more to do than to amuse it. The bearing of their efforts has reference to souls, to man’s life in its relation to the Infinite. A man whose highest aim is to excite the merriment of society, is too far removed from divinity to be mistaken for a god.

2. The true gods of society find their employment in communicating to men the messages of God. They come to teach us; to awaken us; to enable us to fulfil the will of God. Hence their work is arduous and responsible.

III. This exalted moral position is most efficiently employed in seeking the freedom of men. But for the slavery of Israel Moses would not have been a god unto Pharaoh. The position is the outcome of a condition of things it ought to remove. It is not for self-aggrandizement. It is to give men the freedom of a Divine salvation. (J. S. Exell, M. A.)