“But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and just as the LORD had predicted to Moses, Pharaoh refused to listen.” (Exodus 9:12, NLT)
For a long time, the Lord sought to influence mighty Pharaoh. Pharaoh would not heed God’s word. Pharaoh did not want to give up his power, free the Israelite slaves, nor execute justice in the land. God’s response is given several times in scripture. God hardened Pharaoh’s heart.
The more God wanted Pharaoh’s heart to soften toward the slaves and injustice in Egypt, the more Pharaoh remained stubborn and defiant and cruel. In response, the Lord continued to let Pharaoh’s heart harden. Each time it hardened, God would send a miracle, a pestilence, a plague. All the while, God hoped that Pharaoh would soften his heart toward the suffering of the Israelites, the suffering in Egypt, even the suffering in his own family. Pharaoh refused to soften his heart toward others and God. In the end, Pharaoh’s heart was so hardened toward the Israelites that he destroyed his country’s economy, wrecked the land, caused illnesses to break out among the people, and lost thousands in plagues and in a war against God and the Israelites. The harder the heart of Pharaoh became, the more Pharaoh “refused to listen” to God, to reason, to suffering, to anything good (Exodus 9:12). The more Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, the more self-destructive he became.
Some people are like that. They have a chip on their shoulder that refuses to be reconciled. They hold on to resentments and pain. They have a heart that is hardened toward the plight of others. They become unreasonable. They become self-destructive.
Even people who know God, read the Bible, and attend worship regularly can develop hardened hearts. In most cases, it is not God who hardens the heart but situations or failures or illnesses or suffering. Some people respond to negatives in life by becoming cruel, vindictive, mean, or demanding. In all cases, these people become self-destructive. They suffer with their hard heart!
A man was known to be finicky, vengeful, and demanding. His actions now and then bordered on not only being unreasonable but being cruel. One day, his best friend said something that made the man angry. He responded, “Now, you are on a list of those people I don’t like, my “enemies” list.” The best friend said, “Don’t be so unreasonable!” The man said he was being reasonable, that his best friend had been in the wrong and now deserves to be on his “enemies” list. Frustrated, the best friend shouted, “Who else is on this stupid list of yours?” The man responded by listing off a dozen other names. The best friend replied, “No wonder you have practically no friends! Why did I ever desire to be your friend in the first place?”
Pharaoh’s hard heart forced him to set aside Moses and the people of Israel as his enemies. Pharaoh’s hard heart caused him to become self-destructive and cruel. Pharaoh didn’t start out that way. But when you have a hard heart, your decisions and views will always turn dark. They will, given enough time, become cruel and indifferent to suffering. Even those closest to you will not escape your wrath or vindictiveness.
I have met many people inside and outside of churches who had an “enemies list”. They may not have the names of the enemies written down, but they surely have them committed to memory. Without exception, these people with their “enemies list” are tortured by past wrongs they cannot forgive, past grievances, past mistakes that haunt their days. Without realizing it, these people with their hardened hearts refuse to offer forgiveness and may even rejoice at the suffering of others.
Jesus did not want His followers to have their hearts hardened against others. He even commented to his followers, ““If a person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.”” (Luke 17:4, NLT). Jesus held out hope that even the worst offender could find forgiveness from a heart softened by the love of God.
I find it especially insightful that Exodus 9:12 makes a connection between Pharaoh’s hardened heart and his unwillingness to “listen” to God. It doesn’t matter how much you know about God, how many worship services you have attended, or what day you gave your life to Christ; if you cannot forgive a person who God wants forgiven, you will be refusing to “listen” to God. I would even argue that a person who refuses to listen to God has sometime in his or her past developed a hard heart toward another person.
People can be arrogant, unreasonable, prideful, and demanding. They can be cruel, defiant, and insufferable. Despite all their shortcomings don’t let their sinfulness fuel a hard heart inside you. In the end, you will become like them. In time, you will inevitably refuse to listen to God. Is that what you want for your future? Once Pharaoh refused to listen to God, Pharaoh not only destroyed the lives of others, he became self-destructive himself. Of that hard heart, he never did recover.
The more God wanted Pharaoh’s heart to soften toward the slaves and injustice in Egypt, the more Pharaoh remained stubborn and defiant and cruel. In response, the Lord continued to let Pharaoh’s heart harden. Each time it hardened, God would send a miracle, a pestilence, a plague. All the while, God hoped that Pharaoh would soften his heart toward the suffering of the Israelites, the suffering in Egypt, even the suffering in his own family. Pharaoh refused to soften his heart toward others and God. In the end, Pharaoh’s heart was so hardened toward the Israelites that he destroyed his country’s economy, wrecked the land, caused illnesses to break out among the people, and lost thousands in plagues and in a war against God and the Israelites. The harder the heart of Pharaoh became, the more Pharaoh “refused to listen” to God, to reason, to suffering, to anything good (Exodus 9:12). The more Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, the more self-destructive he became.
Some people are like that. They have a chip on their shoulder that refuses to be reconciled. They hold on to resentments and pain. They have a heart that is hardened toward the plight of others. They become unreasonable. They become self-destructive.
Even people who know God, read the Bible, and attend worship regularly can develop hardened hearts. In most cases, it is not God who hardens the heart but situations or failures or illnesses or suffering. Some people respond to negatives in life by becoming cruel, vindictive, mean, or demanding. In all cases, these people become self-destructive. They suffer with their hard heart!
A man was known to be finicky, vengeful, and demanding. His actions now and then bordered on not only being unreasonable but being cruel. One day, his best friend said something that made the man angry. He responded, “Now, you are on a list of those people I don’t like, my “enemies” list.” The best friend said, “Don’t be so unreasonable!” The man said he was being reasonable, that his best friend had been in the wrong and now deserves to be on his “enemies” list. Frustrated, the best friend shouted, “Who else is on this stupid list of yours?” The man responded by listing off a dozen other names. The best friend replied, “No wonder you have practically no friends! Why did I ever desire to be your friend in the first place?”
Pharaoh’s hard heart forced him to set aside Moses and the people of Israel as his enemies. Pharaoh’s hard heart caused him to become self-destructive and cruel. Pharaoh didn’t start out that way. But when you have a hard heart, your decisions and views will always turn dark. They will, given enough time, become cruel and indifferent to suffering. Even those closest to you will not escape your wrath or vindictiveness.
I have met many people inside and outside of churches who had an “enemies list”. They may not have the names of the enemies written down, but they surely have them committed to memory. Without exception, these people with their “enemies list” are tortured by past wrongs they cannot forgive, past grievances, past mistakes that haunt their days. Without realizing it, these people with their hardened hearts refuse to offer forgiveness and may even rejoice at the suffering of others.
Jesus did not want His followers to have their hearts hardened against others. He even commented to his followers, ““If a person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.”” (Luke 17:4, NLT). Jesus held out hope that even the worst offender could find forgiveness from a heart softened by the love of God.
I find it especially insightful that Exodus 9:12 makes a connection between Pharaoh’s hardened heart and his unwillingness to “listen” to God. It doesn’t matter how much you know about God, how many worship services you have attended, or what day you gave your life to Christ; if you cannot forgive a person who God wants forgiven, you will be refusing to “listen” to God. I would even argue that a person who refuses to listen to God has sometime in his or her past developed a hard heart toward another person.
People can be arrogant, unreasonable, prideful, and demanding. They can be cruel, defiant, and insufferable. Despite all their shortcomings don’t let their sinfulness fuel a hard heart inside you. In the end, you will become like them. In time, you will inevitably refuse to listen to God. Is that what you want for your future? Once Pharaoh refused to listen to God, Pharaoh not only destroyed the lives of others, he became self-destructive himself. Of that hard heart, he never did recover.