And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.
God declared that Pharaoh would refuse to listen to Moses and Aaron while He increased His signs and wonders in Egypt. The hardening was Pharaoh's own chosen defiance, for as he resisted mercy and clear evidence his refusal itself made him more blind and stubborn. Each rejected warning brought a closer and more severe judgment, rising through the plagues to the death of the firstborn until his proud heart was forced to acknowledge the true living God as Maker of heaven and earth. By these mighty judgments God brought Israel out of bondage and made the Egyptians know that He is the Lord, exposing the weakness of Egypt's gods, rulers and wise men and punishing its idolatry. The signs also gave Israel a higher view of God's character and power above all Egyptian wisdom, to turn them from idolatry to pure worship and to teach all future ages to magnify Him as supreme Ruler.
Hardening and Multiplying Signs
God would harden Pharaoh's heart and multiply His signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, and Pharaoh would not listen to Moses and Aaron. The deliverance of Israel was not to come at the first display of those signs, but through a prolonged unfolding of events. That delay was to fully expose Pharaoh's tyrannical spirit and to display divine power before Egyptians and Israelites, while the work was made harder by the corruption of many Hebrews and their unwillingness to leave.
The hardening itself came from Pharaoh's own chosen defiance and his sowing of unbelief. Warning and mercy were offered to him with strong and convincing evidence, but as he resisted them his refusal turned that evidence into occasion for greater blindness and stubbornness. When pressure lifted he returned to unbelief, and each refusal bred further resistance. No new power was exerted by God to make him obstinate; his chosen course simply ripened into its natural harvest until he pursued Israel and perished with his army in the Red Sea.
Each rejected warning and punishment brought a closer and more severe chastisement. The chastisements rose through successive plagues to the death of the firstborn. In this way his proud heart was at last humbled to acknowledge the Creator as the true, living and all-powerful God, Maker of heaven and earth. The multiplied signs were plagues that scourged and desolated the land before Pharaoh submitted. Nature itself cooperated with God because Pharaoh resisted His command.
Purpose for Egypt and Israel
God would multiply His signs and wonders in Egypt while Pharaoh's heart was hardened and he would not heed Moses and Aaron, and through great judgments He would bring Israel out of Egypt and make the Egyptians know that He is the Lord. Those mighty signs and wonders accompanied His deliverance of Israel from the land, displaying His power to free them from slavery and bondage. Each punishment Pharaoh rejected brought the next chastisement closer and more severe, until his pride was humbled.
The signs were increasing displays of power meant to show that the Lord rules over Egypt's gods, wise men, magicians and rulers, exposing their weakness while punishing Egypt's idolatry. Each rejected warning was followed by a more severe punishment that gave Pharaoh a chance to avoid it and pressed his proud heart toward acknowledging the Creator as the true, living and all-powerful God, Maker of heaven and earth. The evidence was offered with warning and mercy, but his chosen defiance turned it into occasion for greater blindness and stubbornness, bringing further signs in successive plagues even to the death of the firstborn.
God multiplied signs and judgments to reveal His power and give the Egyptians opportunity to repent, so that anyone who submitted to Him could escape them. Through these acts He would make His name known among the nations and show other nations His power. Even Pharaoh's stubborn resistance spread the knowledge of God and led many Egyptians to serve Him.
God did not deliver Israel at the first display of signs and wonders, but allowed events to unfold to expose Pharaoh's tyrannical spirit more fully and to display His power to both the Egyptians and the Israelites. The signs were not for Pharaoh alone, for they gave Israel a clearer, more exalted, greater and higher view of God's character and of a power surpassing Egypt's gods and wisdom. That revelation was meant to make His people eager to leave Egypt, to fear Him, and to choose His service rather than remain, though the corruption of many Hebrews and their unwillingness to leave made the work harder. By the same signs and judgments He would punish idolatry and lead Israel away from idolatry to pure worship.
Lesson for Future Ages
God multiplied His signs and wonders in Egypt, and the plagues scourged and desolated the land before Pharaoh submitted to His will. That display revealed His mighty power and supreme rule. It was given to teach His people in future ages to magnify His power and to look to Him as Ruler.
Pharaoh-like stubbornness is refusing to be admonished by the judgments of heaven and by clear light, pressing on in a wrong course without closely searching the heart and humbling before God. God bears long with the perversity of men, sending decided reproofs and clear light, but those who disregard the lessons taught by His judgments reveal that same stubbornness. Unless they repent, the Lord will surely repeat His judgments upon them as He repeated them to the king of Egypt. If they will not receive His warnings but persist in following their own will and impulses in persistent determination to be like the people of the world, He will send His judgments and will not pardon.
God declared that Pharaoh would refuse to listen to Moses and Aaron while He increased His signs and wonders in Egypt. The hardening was Pharaoh's own chosen defiance, for as he resisted mercy and clear evidence his refusal itself made him more blind and stubborn. Each rejected warning brought a closer and more severe judgment, rising through the plagues to the death of the firstborn until his proud heart was forced to acknowledge the true living God as Maker of heaven and earth. By these mighty judgments God brought Israel out of bondage and made the Egyptians know that He is the Lord, exposing the weakness of Egypt's gods, rulers and wise men and punishing its idolatry. The signs also gave Israel a higher view of God's character and power above all Egyptian wisdom, to turn them from idolatry to pure worship and to teach all future ages to magnify Him as supreme Ruler.
Hardening and Multiplying Signs
God would harden Pharaoh's heart and multiply His signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, and Pharaoh would not listen to Moses and Aaron. The deliverance of Israel was not to come at the first display of those signs, but through a prolonged unfolding of events. That delay was to fully expose Pharaoh's tyrannical spirit and to display divine power before Egyptians and Israelites, while the work was made harder by the corruption of many Hebrews and their unwillingness to leave.
The hardening itself came from Pharaoh's own chosen defiance and his sowing of unbelief. Warning and mercy were offered to him with strong and convincing evidence, but as he resisted them his refusal turned that evidence into occasion for greater blindness and stubbornness. When pressure lifted he returned to unbelief, and each refusal bred further resistance. No new power was exerted by God to make him obstinate; his chosen course simply ripened into its natural harvest until he pursued Israel and perished with his army in the Red Sea.
Each rejected warning and punishment brought a closer and more severe chastisement. The chastisements rose through successive plagues to the death of the firstborn. In this way his proud heart was at last humbled to acknowledge the Creator as the true, living and all-powerful God, Maker of heaven and earth. The multiplied signs were plagues that scourged and desolated the land before Pharaoh submitted. Nature itself cooperated with God because Pharaoh resisted His command.
Purpose for Egypt and Israel
God would multiply His signs and wonders in Egypt while Pharaoh's heart was hardened and he would not heed Moses and Aaron, and through great judgments He would bring Israel out of Egypt and make the Egyptians know that He is the Lord. Those mighty signs and wonders accompanied His deliverance of Israel from the land, displaying His power to free them from slavery and bondage. Each punishment Pharaoh rejected brought the next chastisement closer and more severe, until his pride was humbled.
The signs were increasing displays of power meant to show that the Lord rules over Egypt's gods, wise men, magicians and rulers, exposing their weakness while punishing Egypt's idolatry. Each rejected warning was followed by a more severe punishment that gave Pharaoh a chance to avoid it and pressed his proud heart toward acknowledging the Creator as the true, living and all-powerful God, Maker of heaven and earth. The evidence was offered with warning and mercy, but his chosen defiance turned it into occasion for greater blindness and stubbornness, bringing further signs in successive plagues even to the death of the firstborn.
God multiplied signs and judgments to reveal His power and give the Egyptians opportunity to repent, so that anyone who submitted to Him could escape them. Through these acts He would make His name known among the nations and show other nations His power. Even Pharaoh's stubborn resistance spread the knowledge of God and led many Egyptians to serve Him.
God did not deliver Israel at the first display of signs and wonders, but allowed events to unfold to expose Pharaoh's tyrannical spirit more fully and to display His power to both the Egyptians and the Israelites. The signs were not for Pharaoh alone, for they gave Israel a clearer, more exalted, greater and higher view of God's character and of a power surpassing Egypt's gods and wisdom. That revelation was meant to make His people eager to leave Egypt, to fear Him, and to choose His service rather than remain, though the corruption of many Hebrews and their unwillingness to leave made the work harder. By the same signs and judgments He would punish idolatry and lead Israel away from idolatry to pure worship.
Lesson for Future Ages
God multiplied His signs and wonders in Egypt, and the plagues scourged and desolated the land before Pharaoh submitted to His will. That display revealed His mighty power and supreme rule. It was given to teach His people in future ages to magnify His power and to look to Him as Ruler.
Pharaoh-like stubbornness is refusing to be admonished by the judgments of heaven and by clear light, pressing on in a wrong course without closely searching the heart and humbling before God. God bears long with the perversity of men, sending decided reproofs and clear light, but those who disregard the lessons taught by His judgments reveal that same stubbornness. Unless they repent, the Lord will surely repeat His judgments upon them as He repeated them to the king of Egypt. If they will not receive His warnings but persist in following their own will and impulses in persistent determination to be like the people of the world, He will send His judgments and will not pardon.