Moses, the reluctant leader goes to Pharaoh with the aid of his brother Aaron. In earlier chapters God has explained to Moses what will take place. God is going to harden Pharaoh's heart so that HE can demonstrate HIS power and that HIS name "might be proclaimed in all the earth."
Exod 4:21--The Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your power; but I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.
Exod 7:3--“But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart that I may multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.
Exod 7:13--Yet Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
Exod 7:22--But the magicians of Egypt did the same with their secret arts; and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
Exod 8:15--But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
Remember, once Adam and Eve fell God set HIS purpose and plan for redemption in motion. The encounters between Moses and pharaoh is what we see in the physical, the true battle was between the LORD and Egypt’s idols (Exodus 12:12). I must confess I have struggled to reconcile how at times God hardens Pharaoh's heart and other times Pharaoh hardens his own heart. It is crucial to remember that divine sovereignty and human responsibility are never at odds. Scripture clearly teaches election by grace and it clearly teaches who so ever will may come! Mark...isn't that a contradiction? It may look like it on the surface, but it is not. I will not pretend to understand it...I simply see both taught in scripture. When I see an apparent conflict in scripture I do not assume that the problem is with God's Word...I KNOW that the problem is with me!
So God raised up Pharaoh to proclaim HIS name in all the earth.
Exod 9:16--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.
Rom 9:17--For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”
Jesus, Paul and the author of Hebrews have something to say about hardness of heart.
Matt 19:8--He *said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way.
Mark 3:5--After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He *said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.
Mark 16:14--Afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table; and He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen.
Eph 4:18--being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;
Brothers and sisters I am warning you and I am warning myself...be afraid, be very afraid.
Heb 3:12-19
12 Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. 13 You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. 14 For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ. 15 Remember what it says:
“Today when you hear his voice,
don’t harden your hearts
as Israel did when they rebelled.”
16 And who was it who rebelled against God, even though they heard his voice? Wasn’t it the people Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And who made God angry for forty years? Wasn’t it the people who sinned, whose corpses lay in the wilderness? 18 And to whom was God speaking when he took an oath that they would never enter his rest? Wasn’t it the people who disobeyed him? 19 So we see that because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest.
This is amazing, amazing...the very ones who witnessed the plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, water from the rock...on and on...it was those that disobeyed God!
I am going to contend that you and I sin against more light and are more accountable that those God delivered out of Egypt. What are you talking about Mark? I'm glad you asked:)
Read the account of the Rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16. Jesus gives a stern warning...‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded if someone rises from the dead. ’ ”
Lk 16:27-31 “ ‘Father,’ he said, ‘then I beg you to send him to my father’s house— 28 because I have five brothers—to warn them, so they won’t also come to this place of torment.’ 29 “But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ 30 “ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said. ‘But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 31 “But he told him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded if someone rises from the dead. ’ ”
If you don't listen to God's Word and obey, you would not have been persuaded with the plagues of Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea...You and I have more light then when Jesus spoke these words. We now have the full counsel of God's Word.
Let's treasure HIS word together, let's warn each other every day...don't be deceived by sin and hardened against God. Let's humble ourselves like little children and go hard after God together!
love,
m