And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken unto Moses.
The Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart after Moses sprinkled the furnace ashes and boils broke out on the Egyptians and on the magicians themselves, so that the magicians could not stand before Moses and Pharaoh would not listen as had been foretold. The hardening does not mean God forced Pharaoh to rebel or decreed his ruin, but that Pharaoh by his own repeated refusal of light made himself less able to heed the next appeal until he was utterly unimpressible. With each rejection God gave a more direct message and a more marked display of power, yet Pharaoh answered with increased obstinacy until God left his chosen obstinacy to bear its fruit, withdrew His Spirit, and gave him up to his own unbelief. What Pharaoh did will be done again until the close of probation, for resisting the Spirit today prepares mightier resistance tomorrow until light no longer impresses, and those who persist in their own will instead of repenting will meet repeated judgments as the king of Egypt did.
Setting in the Plagues
The Lord commanded Moses to sprinkle ashes of the furnace toward heaven, and they became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man and upon beast. The boil was upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians, so that the magicians could not stand before Moses and Aaron because of it. This plague came in sequence after the murrain that struck the cattle of Egypt while not one of the cattle of the Hebrews died, and before the plague of hail mingled with fire with lightnings and thunder.
The time of each plague was told beforehand so it could not be said to have happened by chance. This demonstrated that the whole earth is under the command of the God of the Hebrews and that thunder, hail, and storm obey His voice. The magicians with all their magic and supposed power could by no enchantments shield themselves from the plague. Their failure exposed the impotence of Egypt's idols and affirmed Jehovah's supremacy, showing the Egyptians how useless it was to put trust in their boasted power when they could not save even their own bodies.
Satan worked through the magicians to counterfeit God's miracles and harden Pharaoh against recognizing their divine source, but God's power stopped the magicians and left Pharaoh with sufficient evidence to believe. After the plague Pharaoh still did not listen to Moses and Aaron and did not yield, while the demand to release Israel remained in force. This fulfilled what the Lord had told Moses, and his resistance to correction continued until his heart became unimpressible. The proud king who had asked who is the Lord later humbled himself to say he had sinned and the Lord is righteous, and begged Moses to intercede that the thunder and lightning might cease.
How the Hardening Works
The hardening does not mean God forced Pharaoh to rebel, commended or confirmed him in impenitence, or decreed his ruin, but came from Pharaoh's own repeated refusals to hear God's word and reject the light given to him. He rejected the first miracle, and by hardening his heart at the first exhibition of God's power he made himself more capable of rejecting God's power the second time, with pride and stubbornness holding him from changing after he had declared he would not believe. At each rejection of light God gave a more direct, urgent, forcible message and a more marked display of His power and majesty, with light, opportunity and privilege, but Pharaoh met every new evidence with increased obstinacy.
God allowed the obstinacy Pharaoh had chosen to bear fruit and grow rather than stopping it by a miracle, gradually withdrawing His Spirit and restraining power until Pharaoh was barricaded in obstinacy and prejudice where the Holy Spirit could find no access and was given up to his own unbelief and hardness of heart and left to his own inclinations. Pharaoh sowed obstinacy and reaped obstinacy in his character and infidelity produced infidelity, so each refusal left him less responsive to the Spirit, dulled spiritual senses and conscience, and made each later appeal harder to heed until he was utterly hardened, unimpressible, and unwilling to submit. His resistance to correction continued until his heart became unimpressible, and he was left responsible for his own ruin.
By wilfully exalting his own ways and judgment as supreme Pharaoh put himself under Satan's jurisdiction to be led blindfold until his spirit and methods conformed little by little to the arch-deceiver until his whole mind was under the spell, like a man charmed by a serpent fixing its eye upon him until he has no power to go from the snare. When the last arrow of mercy was exhausted the Lord could do nothing more to convince him, for God destroys no man and deserts no soul while hope of salvation remains but follows sinners with appeals, warnings, and compassion until further opportunity would be vain. The sinner destroys himself by persistent impenitence, is left responsible for his own ruin, and persists in his chosen course until overwhelmed, as Pharaoh was at the Red Sea.
Warning to Others Today
Pharaoh's course in this verse is stubbornness in refusing to be admonished by the judgments of heaven, pressing on in a wrong course without searching the heart closely and humbling before God. God bears long with the perversity of men and sends decided reproofs and clear light, but those who disregard such lessons reveal Pharaoh's stubbornness. Unless they repent and receive God's warnings instead of persisting in their own will and impulses, the Lord will surely repeat His judgments as He repeated them to the king of Egypt. He will not pardon their persistent determination to be like the people of the world. Pharaoh persisted in stubborn refusal despite God's warnings, and his course warns that those who reject admonition and continue in their own will may face repeated judgments from God.
The verse applies to slaveholders whose consciences have become seared and hardened like Pharaoh's after repeatedly resisting God's works. Even if forced to release enslaved people, they would remain oppressive and would exercise power over them if they could. What Pharaoh did will be done again and again by men until the close of probation. The measure of light given becomes the measure of guilt when probation is neglected. Resisting the Spirit today prepares resistance with mightier power tomorrow, for the sinner who stifles conviction meets clearer light on truth with increased resistance until light fails to impress and response ceases.
The Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart after Moses sprinkled the furnace ashes and boils broke out on the Egyptians and on the magicians themselves, so that the magicians could not stand before Moses and Pharaoh would not listen as had been foretold. The hardening does not mean God forced Pharaoh to rebel or decreed his ruin, but that Pharaoh by his own repeated refusal of light made himself less able to heed the next appeal until he was utterly unimpressible. With each rejection God gave a more direct message and a more marked display of power, yet Pharaoh answered with increased obstinacy until God left his chosen obstinacy to bear its fruit, withdrew His Spirit, and gave him up to his own unbelief. What Pharaoh did will be done again until the close of probation, for resisting the Spirit today prepares mightier resistance tomorrow until light no longer impresses, and those who persist in their own will instead of repenting will meet repeated judgments as the king of Egypt did.
Setting in the Plagues
The Lord commanded Moses to sprinkle ashes of the furnace toward heaven, and they became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man and upon beast. The boil was upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians, so that the magicians could not stand before Moses and Aaron because of it. This plague came in sequence after the murrain that struck the cattle of Egypt while not one of the cattle of the Hebrews died, and before the plague of hail mingled with fire with lightnings and thunder.
The time of each plague was told beforehand so it could not be said to have happened by chance. This demonstrated that the whole earth is under the command of the God of the Hebrews and that thunder, hail, and storm obey His voice. The magicians with all their magic and supposed power could by no enchantments shield themselves from the plague. Their failure exposed the impotence of Egypt's idols and affirmed Jehovah's supremacy, showing the Egyptians how useless it was to put trust in their boasted power when they could not save even their own bodies.
Satan worked through the magicians to counterfeit God's miracles and harden Pharaoh against recognizing their divine source, but God's power stopped the magicians and left Pharaoh with sufficient evidence to believe. After the plague Pharaoh still did not listen to Moses and Aaron and did not yield, while the demand to release Israel remained in force. This fulfilled what the Lord had told Moses, and his resistance to correction continued until his heart became unimpressible. The proud king who had asked who is the Lord later humbled himself to say he had sinned and the Lord is righteous, and begged Moses to intercede that the thunder and lightning might cease.
How the Hardening Works
The hardening does not mean God forced Pharaoh to rebel, commended or confirmed him in impenitence, or decreed his ruin, but came from Pharaoh's own repeated refusals to hear God's word and reject the light given to him. He rejected the first miracle, and by hardening his heart at the first exhibition of God's power he made himself more capable of rejecting God's power the second time, with pride and stubbornness holding him from changing after he had declared he would not believe. At each rejection of light God gave a more direct, urgent, forcible message and a more marked display of His power and majesty, with light, opportunity and privilege, but Pharaoh met every new evidence with increased obstinacy.
God allowed the obstinacy Pharaoh had chosen to bear fruit and grow rather than stopping it by a miracle, gradually withdrawing His Spirit and restraining power until Pharaoh was barricaded in obstinacy and prejudice where the Holy Spirit could find no access and was given up to his own unbelief and hardness of heart and left to his own inclinations. Pharaoh sowed obstinacy and reaped obstinacy in his character and infidelity produced infidelity, so each refusal left him less responsive to the Spirit, dulled spiritual senses and conscience, and made each later appeal harder to heed until he was utterly hardened, unimpressible, and unwilling to submit. His resistance to correction continued until his heart became unimpressible, and he was left responsible for his own ruin.
By wilfully exalting his own ways and judgment as supreme Pharaoh put himself under Satan's jurisdiction to be led blindfold until his spirit and methods conformed little by little to the arch-deceiver until his whole mind was under the spell, like a man charmed by a serpent fixing its eye upon him until he has no power to go from the snare. When the last arrow of mercy was exhausted the Lord could do nothing more to convince him, for God destroys no man and deserts no soul while hope of salvation remains but follows sinners with appeals, warnings, and compassion until further opportunity would be vain. The sinner destroys himself by persistent impenitence, is left responsible for his own ruin, and persists in his chosen course until overwhelmed, as Pharaoh was at the Red Sea.
Warning to Others Today
Pharaoh's course in this verse is stubbornness in refusing to be admonished by the judgments of heaven, pressing on in a wrong course without searching the heart closely and humbling before God. God bears long with the perversity of men and sends decided reproofs and clear light, but those who disregard such lessons reveal Pharaoh's stubbornness. Unless they repent and receive God's warnings instead of persisting in their own will and impulses, the Lord will surely repeat His judgments as He repeated them to the king of Egypt. He will not pardon their persistent determination to be like the people of the world. Pharaoh persisted in stubborn refusal despite God's warnings, and his course warns that those who reject admonition and continue in their own will may face repeated judgments from God.
The verse applies to slaveholders whose consciences have become seared and hardened like Pharaoh's after repeatedly resisting God's works. Even if forced to release enslaved people, they would remain oppressive and would exercise power over them if they could. What Pharaoh did will be done again and again by men until the close of probation. The measure of light given becomes the measure of guilt when probation is neglected. Resisting the Spirit today prepares resistance with mightier power tomorrow, for the sinner who stifles conviction meets clearer light on truth with increased resistance until light fails to impress and response ceases.