Hardening of Man’s Heart

God hardened man’s heart. Have you ever thought of why?

In Exodus 5 – 12, Moses asked Pharaoh to let his people leave so that they could worship God, but the king refused. One plague after another, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart after every relief. The king kept behaving deceitfully and finally, he drove out Israel after the tenth plague – death of the firstborn.

To set Israel free from slavery and leave Egypt for the Promised Land, Moses confronted with Pharaoh whose heart hardened for eleven times after the following events.

1.      The first request, without sign. (After this, Pharaoh ordered no straw to Israel for making bricks, but the quota of bricks remained the same.)

2.      Rod turned to serpent.

3.      Water became blood.

4.      Frogs.

5.      Lice.

6.      Flies.

7.      Livestock diseased.

8.      Boils.

9.      Hail.

10.  Locusts.

11.  Darkness.

God is omnipotent. Why doesn’t HE introduce the tenth plague as a one-time punishment to Pharaoh’s wickedness towards Israel? The successive hardening must carry important significance.

Know the omnipotent God and fear HIM

Everyone should know God. The signs performed by Moses and Aaron are not man’s work but God’s. The uniqueness, degree, distinction and variety went on further and worse. They are incomparable and spell clearly that God never surrenders to man’s ill-will regardless of their bad stubbornness.

God’s power is delicate and distinctive. Starting from the 4^th plague, Children of Israel were not affected because they listened to God and complied with HIS command. The enemy, heavily struck, had to keep begging HIM for relief.

God knows everything – the past, the present and the future. HIS power is infallible, HIS will and plan immovable. No bargaining, deceit and hiding could man adopt to evade or offset God’s blow. The LORD has full control and we ought to fear HIM.

All God’s signs are solid works. Luck doesn’t exist. We can choose to obey God or go against HIM, but we can’t choose the consequence. Nobody can impede how God uses everyone in HIS plan.

Warning to man’s ill will and ungodliness

The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart demonstrated that successive misfortune could befall if man keeps setting his will against God. God cares people. HE offers strict and good principles to guide us, to control our human weaknesses such as easily tempted by the devil, being forgetful to God’s grace and punishment, being unthankful to God’s love and care. Never use our weakness as an excuse to behave ungodly.

Man will corrupt but God won’t. HIS merciful and unbeatable deliverance handed down to generations. The ten plagues to the Egyptians will serve as a remarkable reminder on the great risk of magnifying our own will without complying with God’s. The LORD could crush anyone to death; any man’s will to futility.

Let’s pray to God:

Loving God, please irrigate our heart with Your grace so that it won’t be hardened for whatever reason and we could spread Your compassion to other people especially those who need most of Your mercy. Amen.