Throughout the plagues visited upon the Egyptians, three primary themes emerge:
(1) The hardness of Pharaoh’s heart.
(2) God’s attempts to soften Pharaoh’s heart.
(3) Most importantly, God revealed His presence, character, and nature to both the Egyptians and the Hebrews.
After the plague of hail, this interaction took place between Pharaoh, Moses, and Aaron.
Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said to them, “This time I have sinned; the Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong.
Pray to the Lord! Enough of God’s thunder and hail! I will let you go; you need stay no longer” (Exodus 9:27-28).
It’s easy to view Pharaoh as a hard-hearted, arrogant, willful man.
However, before judging him too harshly, we should look at ourselves. How many times have we confessed our sins, only to fall back into those same behaviors, just as Pharaoh did here?
After Moses left Pharaoh and prayed, God answered by stopping the hail in Egypt. However, Pharaoh was quick to return to his old ways.
But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned once more and hardened his heart, he and his officials.
So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the Lord had spoken through Moses (Exodus 9:34-35).
Some of my friends call this type of prayer “911 praying.” In desperate circumstances, they make all sorts of deals with God, only to return to their old habits once the pressure is off.
Sadly, I can’t just talk about my friends because, unfortunately, I do the same thing far too often myself.
God’s Presence, Character, and Nature
For centuries, Jewish people have told the story of the Exodus. Christians view this story not only as God’s powerful act of freeing His people, Israel, but also as foreshadowing our freedom from the slavery of sin and the world’s system made possible through Jesus’ gift on the cross.
The Exodus fundamentally revealed God’s presence and character as He accomplished this act of setting people free.
This is what God explained to Moses.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his officials, in order that I may show these signs of mine among them
And that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I have made fools of the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them—so that you may know that I am the Lord” (Exodus 10:1-2).
The struggle in Egypt was not simply about overcoming the will of arrogant human leaders; it was fundamentally a decisive victory over the idols of Egypt.
This event serves as a timeless lesson for both the Israelites and all followers of the Lord: God’s power far exceeds that of any human idols or the authority of even the most exalted human leaders.
Pride Comes Before the Fall
Pharaoh and other arrogant leaders reveal the truth of the proverb about pride and arrogance.
Pride goes before destruction
and a haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18)
The hardness of Pharaoh’s heart stemmed from pride and led to his fall and the fall of the nation he headed.
Once again, Moses and Aaron approached Pharaoh with a word from the Lord.
So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews: How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they may serve me” (Exodus 10:3).
Pharaoh’s lack of humility is demonstrated by his refusal to follow God’s lead. When we act in pride, we believe we know better than God.
We forge our own path, sometimes seeking God’s blessing on it, and stubbornly pursue it even if that blessing is withheld.
This is the path of pride, arrogance, and a hardened heart – a path that leads to destruction.
The opposite of this kind of pride is the fear of the Lord. Stemming from a relationship with God, the fear of the Lord involves humbly seeking His direction and obediently following it when He shows the way.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 