A Hardened Heart

Reading: Exodus 9-11, Luke 24

Ex11:10 "Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharoah, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let the Israelites go out of his country."

Pharaoh was one stubborn guy! 10 horrible plagues, all targeted at the Egyptian people, miraculously passed over the Israelites and left them untouched. You would think he would get a clue that he was dealing with a supernatural force and just give in, right? This last verse before we hear the story of the Passover gives a clue as to why Pharaoh acted in the way that he did. It tells us that THE LORD hardened his heart, so that he would not let them go. Wait, what? Why would he do that? Wasn't the whole point of Moses and Aaron speaking with Pharaoh in the first place to get him to allow the Israelites to leave Egypt? It seems pretty counterproductive for God to harden the heart of the guy they're trying to convince to let them go...BUT, if there's anything I've learned, it's that God always has a plan. And even though it may seem counter-intuitive or crazy, He always has a greater reason and purpose regardless if we have the capacity to understand it in the moment or not.

Now, we know that God is all-powerful, and could have wiped out Egypt completely or paralyzed them until the Israelites had escaped, so it would only make sense that God was using this situation to make a point. I'm reading out of "The Student Bible", and there is a note in chapter 10 explaining that many theologians believe that the 10 plagues on Egypt were meant to attack the many false gods that the Egyptians worshiped (and looking ahead to chapter 12:12 God confirms this). When the plagues would hit them, the Egyptians would pray to the false god or seek the shaman associated with the plague and find that it was useless. Only when Moses would pray to the true God of Israel would the plagues be lifted.

Plague Significance:
1. Nile river turned to blood - Attacks the river god Hapi
2. Plague of frogs - Attacks Hekt the fertility god, who was represented as a frog
3. Plague of gnats/lice - Debunked the power of the Egyptian magicians who could not stop them
4. Plague of flies/beetles - Attack on Khepera the sacred scarab
5. Plague on livestock - Attack on Apis the sacred bull god and Hathor the sacred cow
6. Plague of boils - Attack on Im-hotep the god of healing and Sekhmet the goddess of healing
7. Plague of hail - Attack on the sky goddess Nut
8. Plague of locusts - Attack on the locust-headed god Senehem
9. Plague of darkness - Attacks the sun god Ra
10. Plague on the firstborn - Attack against Pharaoh himself, who was considered a god as well as his descendants; God also required all firstborn males (of women and animals) to be dedicated to Him

So, now it's starting to make more sense why God would "harden" Pharaoh's heart over and over again to provide an opportunity to debunk the power of all of Egypt's false gods.

"Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Get up early in the morning, confront Pharaoh and say to him, "This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me, or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth. But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. You still set yourself against my people and will not let them go."'" (Ex 9:13-17)

Ok...we get it. God is powerful. But isn't it kind of overkill for him to just show off over and over again at the expense of the Egyptians? Seems like that really isn't fair, since Pharaoh seemed to be willing to let the Israelites leave on several different occasions between the plagues...I mean, Pharoah probably would have let them go a lot sooner if God didn't step in and force him to refuse, right?

Well, first of all, Pharaoh's problem was pride. Even after many plagues he would still seek his magicians and pray to his gods first before asking Moses to pray for the plague to stop. His "repentance" (eg Ex 9:27-28) was false, and only motivated out of desperation and fear. Because once the current plague would stop he and his officials would change their minds right back and pick up their pride again (eg Ex 9:34-35). In fact, in this example it even says that they hardened their own hearts, proving that God didn't have to do much encouraging to be able to extend the plagues. Even after Pharaoh's own son dies in the plague of the firstborn (which will be read about in chapter 12), Pharaoh sends his army in pursuit of the Israelites trying to bring them back into slavery. So, we really can see that Pharaoh's "fear" of God is a selfish fear, and that once the immediate discomfort has passed he immediately goes back to his own ways. His pride and greed were so prominent that he couldn't stand the idea of losing the entire nation worth of slave labor he used to build things to glorify himself. It didn't matter how many times his heart was hardened...the end result would have ultimately been the same.

Ok...so Pharaoh is a crazy guy, a real piece of work. He doesn't get it. But what about all of the other Egyptian citizens who were suffering of these plagues based on the decisions of Pharaoh? That doesn't really seem fair, either. I mean, why did they get sucked into it, too?

The answer to that question is basically the same as that of Pharaoh. The Egyptian people worshiped the false gods as well. When the plagues would hit they would surely be praying to their gods in the shrines and visiting the shamans instead of calling out to the true God. I'd imagine that there were some Egyptians who realized that the Israelites had divine protection, that there was something different about them, and moved over to Goshen (where the Israelites were staying) to join with them and find relief from the plagues. Evidence of this can be seen in the specific provision for "aliens" (or foreigners) among the Israelite people for the Passover (Ex 12:48-49), and the guidelines set forth in the book of the law that was written immediately after the Exodus from Egypt. Not only that, you can see in the plague of hail (Ex 9:19-21) that Moses warned the people and those who feared the Lord and brought their livestock and slaves inside were spared. It really shows us that God doesn't care about our race or political affiliation, he cares about where our hearts are and whether we respect him as Lord, or not.

But, there is also another key component to this story. God was not only displaying his power to the Egyptians, he was also displaying his power, love, and provision to the Israelites. If you will look back to Exodus 5:22-6:11, the Israelites believed that God had forgotten the covenant he had made with them and that he had forgotten them completely. 400 years of slavery could do that to you, right? The Israelites needed to see how they were set apart from those plagues and the power of God over the false gods of Egypt (that they had been immersed in since birth) just as much as the Egyptians did. They needed an amazing display of power and deliverance to renew their own faith, to know that God could indeed deliver them from the harsh slavery they had been subject to their entire lives.

"...Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may perform these miraculous signs of mine among them that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the Lord." (Ex 10:1-2)

Ok...what does this mean for me?
Are there any plagues in my life?
When these plagues arise, is it God who is trying to show me something?
Do I seek other means for resolution before crying out to God?
Is my heart hardened against the power of God and his plan for me and my life?
Am I rejecting God's plan because it isn't convenient for me?
Have I lost faith in what God has promised me?
Do I need to recognize God's power to deliver me from bondage?
Is God allowing me to experience things so that I may better understand his great love and protection over me?

Thank you, father for your almighty power, protection, deliverance, and love! Please break down the walls and the misconceptions I may have of who you are, and the desire to seek flawed wisdom from other sources before you. Your word is amazing and I learn new things about you and your love for me every day!