Today's passage: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=exodus%207-9&version=NIV
In Chapters 7-9 we see God’s amazing power as He begins unleashing the plagues across Egypt. Back in chapter 6, God told Moses that he wanted to reveal himself to his people in a way that He had not revealed Himself to the patriarchs. He wanted to reveal Himself as a Mighty, powerful, redeemer who delivers his people from the yoke of slavery. He wanted them to know that they are his people and that He is their God.
As I read about the plagues, there was one phrase that bothered me. The Lord hardened the Pharaohs heart. It just didn’t sit right with me, because the God I know and worship doesn’t harden hearts. He doesn’t use people like puppets to show His mighty power. He desires that we all know Him as our Lord. He desires to have an eternal relationship with us. He desires that we accept his free gift of grace and repent of our sins and confess with our mouth that He is our one and only Savior. So why would he harden someone’s heart?
As I prayed about this, my mind went back to a verse we looked at earlier this week. Ezekiel 36:26 says: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Here’s the thing about a heart of flesh and a new spirit…no where in the Bible does God give it to anyone who does not want it. We, like Pharoah, are all born sinners (Romans 3:23), but Romans 6:23 says “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”. That gift must be accepted and is lost if it is rejected. We just have to believe in Christ Jesus as our Savior to receive our free gift of everlasting life. (John 3:16), then our hearts are softened (Ez 36:26), then we become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), then we begin our transformation into the likeness of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18).
The Lord is a persistent God and He gave Pharaoh many opportunities to repent and change his ways, but after a time, God rejected Pharaoh, hardening his heart permanently. The original Hebrew text during the first 6 plagues say that the Pharaoh’s heart was already hardened. God didn’t harden Pharaohs heart until after the 6th plague.
First Chronicles 28:9 says “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever”. Also take time to read Romans 1:18-32, Paul tells of how God made Himself clearly visible to the people and they still would not glorify Him as God or give thanks to Him. The result was that God gave them over to their sinful nature and darkened their hearts. By the 6th plague, I think we can all agree that Pharaoh had rejected God and it was at this point that God rejected him.
God knew Pharaoh would reject him. He knows the thoughts we will have before we have them. He knows the very number of hairs on our heads at any given time. When he told Moses that He would harden Pharaohs heart, he wasn’t taking away Pharaohs free will. He was foretelling of the choices he would make.
I am so thankful that we are not puppets on a string in a supernatural performance. We have the freedom of choice to accept or reject God. He is a very persistent God who doesn’t just reveal Himself to us in some small way and move on. He revealed Himself in some pretty amazing ways to Pharaoh during the plagues, but he still chose to reject God. If God has been tugging on your heart, don’t ignore it. Ask Him to show Himself to you and watch for it. Romans 10:17 says Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. Because we now have the Word of God, He most likely won’t reveal Himself through miraculous signs or plagues. We have access to Him through the Bible and through the Holy Spirit who he sent to us after the resurrection of Christ. If you don’t know Christ as your Savior, pray that your eyes be opened to His glory through the reading of His Word and your interaction with others and the beauty of His creation. I am praying for you as well.
Today's blog by Kelly Coxe
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"And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: John 16:8
ReplyDeleteThinking back on how I came to believe on the Lord Jesus, I can clearly see the work of the Spirit. In the middle of it, I didn’t realize what was happening to me. I just knew I had this terrible feeling upon me and I couldn’t get it off me no matter how hard I tried. I got water baptized. This bad feeling didn’t go away. I started reading the Bible which I didn’t understand. I started to go to church but the bad feeling still remained upon me. I tried to stop certain bad things but still no use. What was this bad feeling? It was the conviction of Holy Spirit to receive Christ into my life for the forgiveness of my sins something which I had never done. Finally in a Baptist church in Jerusalem, Israel the Lord spoke to me through a gift of tongues. No more running from God. He was speaking directly to me and I knew it. No more resisting His Spirit. I wasn’t going to harden my heart anymore but instead said, “Jesus I want you in my life, come into my life and save me”
Have you noticed miracles don’t really do much for an unbelieving mind? There is always an excuse. In John 12, they heard the audible voice of God. Did they believe? No, they had an excuse. “No it thundered” This is how hard the unbelieving heart is. They can see and hear but they still won’t believe. Miracles aren’t for the benefit of the unbelievers but rather for the believers! 1 Cor 12:28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.