From Exodus 7-9
Q. What does it mean to have a hard heart?
Overview
Ex 7.1-13 Story; Moses and Aaron confront Pharaoh
again
Ex 7.14-25 Story; Plague 1, God turns the Mile
river into blood. Pharaoh remains hardened
Ex 8.1-15 Story; Moses confronts, Plague 2, God
brings frogs, Pharaoh relents, but later hardens
Ex 8.16-19 Story; Plague 3, God brings gnats,
Pharaoh remains hardened
Ex 8.20-32 Story; Moses confronts, Plague 4, God
brings flies, except Israel, Pharaoh relents, but later hardens
Ex 9.1-7 Story; Moses confronts, Plague 5, God
brings livestock plague, except Israel, Pharaoh remains hard
Ex 9.8-12 Story; Plague 6, God gives the Egyptians
boils on their skin, Pharaoh remains hardened
Ex 9.13-35 Story; Moses confronts, Plague 7, God
sends hail, except on Israel, Pharaoh relents, later hardens
Passage and Comments
Pharaoh suffers from an acute double hardening. He
hardens his heart, so God hardens his heart.
[28] So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you must not go very far away. Plead for me.” [29] Then Moses said, “Behold, I am going out from you and I will plead with the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow. Only let not Pharaoh cheat again by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.” [30] So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the LORD. [31] And the LORD did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained. [32] But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and did not let the people go. (Exodus 8:28-32)
The story is not intended to make readers
sympathise for Pharaoh. Jewish listeners recalling this story recognise it as
the story of their deliverance from slavery and beginning as a nation (Ex
4.22). Pharaoh is only the means by which God magnifies his glory in the
salvation of his people.
Story of Israel
Through the history of Israel we see a similar
hardening. Time and time again Israel abandons God and refuses to walk
according to his will. In consequence God sends prophets and gives many
warnings. Unfortunately something more is needed. They remain hardened.
Story of Jesus
Interestingly Paul makes a similar point about
hardening.
[17] For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” [18] So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.
[19] You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” [20] But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” [21] Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? [22] What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, [23] in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—[24] even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? [25] As indeed he says in Hosea,
“Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’”[26] “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’” (Romans 9:17-26)
But this time the people Paul sides with are the
new Jew plus Gentile believers in Christ. This is over his own people Israel.
Its his own people, the Jewish enemies of the gospel he sees as the hardened
ones.
What should our attitude be towards the hardening
of people? Do we see them somehow as instrumental in the glory of God and in
the salvation of others? Perhaps in hindsight this is easy, consider the Jews
who crucified Jesus? But in the little battles God is fighting today, it is
more difficult to make this kind of call. Who is God hardening now?
God hardens people against the gospel. So they
cannot believe Jesus died, rose again and will come again to judge. But he also
has mercy on others. Those who do come to believe. Where do you stand regarding
Jesus?