Exodus 5:2 And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.
The Pharaoh’s response to the Lord’s command and Moses’ request was simple unbelief and disobedience, not believing in God and not believing God. The plain result of disbelief is disobedience, resistance, and rebellion. Pharaoh: Who is Yahweh? Why should I obey Him? I do not know Him. He is not my God, for I myself am a god and I have other gods.
Indeed, Pharaoh is right: Why should one obey a god he doesn’t even know? He doesn’t have a relationship with Him. A person may acknowledge He exists, but He is your God, not mine. If one cannot recognize that Yahweh has any claim on his life, why should he do what He says? His response follows from faith, or unfaith.
Today, the unbelieving world responds to God and His Word like Pharaoh. ”The fool says in his heart, ’There is no God’” (over me). The unbeliever may tolerate, or condescend to, your belief, saying, ”Whatever works for you.” Though many unbelievers are militant Atheists, militant Muslims, or other militant religion, many are like Pharaoh: ”You believe what you want, but don’t force your religion on me.” Either way, the unbeliever does not acknowledge his Creator, and so naturally does not have to do what He says. He makes himself a god or makes false gods for himself. So, of course, if he doesn’t know the Lord, why should he obey?
But the Christian says he believes in God. Well, if you really do, then why don’t you obey His commands? We don’t want to recognize this truth: every time we sin we are acting from unbelief. “What is not done from faith is sin.” We believe, but Pharaoh-ic unbelief remains in the forgiven sinner. Therefore, we repent daily since we sin daily, that is, we believe God is my Creator but we still admit we fail to purely and fully believe it. We receive forgiveness and then we respond in faith to the God of love that we know.