The term, hater, seems to used frequently these days. You know the phrases…”don’t hate, participate.”, “don’t hate the player, hate the game.”, “Pass the hater-ade”. But what is the purpose of haters in your life?
I have mentioned in messages that haters give you an indication that you are at the right place, traveling on the right path. As children of God, we must realize our place in how we relate to the hater. It is not for us to return the hate, but to return love. Let us look at this point as we consider Pharaoh. With him refusing to let the children of Israel depart from slavery, and even chasing them after letting them go, it’s easy on the surface to dislike him or consider him mean. But do you consider that he was only being obedient to God? May not seem that way, but let us remember that before Moses approached him with the message from God, God hardened the heart of Pharaoh.
Romans 9:17-18
“For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.”
Pharaoh’s purpose was to reject Moses’ request so that God’s power and glory would be shown from two perspectives. First, after crying out to God and seeming like God was not hearing their prayers, I am sure there were many who had given up. The signs and wonders that came gave them the hope and understanding that God was in control. The second perspective was that of the Egyptians realizing that the God Israel served was indeed a real and powerful God. So the hail, the frogs, the river turned to blood, was not for Moses to convince Pharaoh to let the people go, but for a chance for all parties involved to see God’s power.
We may say that Pharaoh was a hater, but his purpose was to eventually encourage Israel that God heard their cry and would soon journey towards their promise. This hater marked the beginning of a journey into the land flowing with milk and honey. Pharaoh was only doing what God had instructed his heart to do. So don’t consider it strange to know that it may not be the devil who has the hater in your life, but rather it is God who has the hater in your life. To push you to your destiny. To indicate that God is with you and blessing you. To build character. To strengthen you. To show you that God hears you and is setting you up for success.
