We've noted before in our study of Exodus that when speaking of Pharaoh's hard heart we sometimes find Moses saying, "Pharaoh hardened his heart," and at other times he tells us, "God hardened Pharaoh's heart". We talked about how God isn't forcing Pharaoh to be a wicked man. Pharaoh has been a wicked man for a long time and he has no interest in changing. God is letting Pharaoh be who Pharaoh wants to be and He is using Pharaoh's hard heart for His glory. Because Pharaoh keeps resisting the Lord's command to let the Israelites go, the Lord keeps performing great signs in Egypt such as the plagues. Pharaoh's continued resistance allows the Lord to display His power in a land where everyone but the Israelites worships false gods. The Lord isn't forcing Pharaoh to be evil, but at the same time the Lord doesn't force him to be righteous either. The Lord is powerful enough to force every human being on earth to bow their knees to Him. He could overwhelm everyone with the glory of His presence and power to the extent that all would follow Him---out of fear if for no other reason. But He doesn't operate that way.
On the day I gave my heart and life to Him, I did it of my own free will. Granted, He had been calling to me for some time, but I had the ability to keep saying "no" to Him if I chose. Pharaoh also has the ability to keep saying "no" to God, and he does keep saying "no", so when Moses tells us that the Lord hardens Pharaoh's heart I think we must interpret this correctly. I think he's saying that the Lord allowed Pharaoh to remain hard-hearted and that the Lord used Pharaoh's hard-heartedness to accomplish an important purpose in Egypt, which is to prove that He exists and that He is all-powerful and that there is no God besides Him. We don't know how many Egyptian citizens may have turned to the Lord as a result of this, but the Lord's primary purpose in displaying His power in Egypt is to prove to the Israelites that He is a God they can trust.
In yesterday's study Pharaoh pretended to repent and be sorry for his sins when the plague of hail hit, but as soon as the plague was lifted he went back to being his same old self. This is where the narrative picks up today. "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may perform these signs of Mine among them that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed My signs among them, and that you may know that I am the Lord.'" (Exodus 10:1-2) The Lord tells Moses, "You and your people will share these stories with the generations to come so they will know they can trust in Me. I didn't allow the Egyptians to get away with their cruelty toward the Israelites. I am a God who avenges those who belong to Me. Anyone who mistreats a child of Mine has to answer to Me. I am a God who brings justice. Was any god of Egypt able to stand against Me? No, because there is no God besides me! I alone am God. I created all things. I have power over all things. Tell the generations to come what I did in Egypt so they will know I am a God they can count on."
"So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, 'This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: 'How long will you refuse to humble Yourselves before Me? Let My people go, so that they may worship Me. If you refuse to let them go, I will bring locusts into your country tomorrow. They will devour what little you have left after the hail; including every tree that is growing in your fields. They will fill your houses and those of all your officials and all the Egyptians---something your parents nor your ancestors have ever seen from the day they settled in this land til now.' Then Moses turned and left Pharaoh." (Exodus 10:3-6) There are a number of locust species in the world and they swarm at various intervals. For example, you've probably heard of the 17-year locust and I believe 2020 is a year when this particular type of locust is due to make an appearance. Pharaoh has seen locust swarms before, so lest he assume the coming locust plague will be a typical swarm, Moses warns him that this swarm will be on a scale never before seen in Egypt. Pharaoh might be tempted to think to himself, "Locusts are coming? So what? We've survived locusts many times before. What's the big deal?" The "big deal" is that these locusts will be so numerous that they can eat literally everything in the country: every crop in the field, every leaf and bud off every fruit-bearing tree, and everything leaf and bud off every fruit-bearing shrub. The fields, trees, shrubs, and vineyards will all be bare.
Pharaoh's officials may be hard-hearted, but as we learned when we studied the plague of hail, some of them were concerned enough to put their slaves and livestock under shelter just in case the hail actually came as Moses said it would. When the hail came as predicted, those who wisely sheltered their slaves and livestock didn't suffer the loss of them. Those who unwisely refused to take precautions suffered loss. So in our passage today we find Pharaoh's officials displaying a healthy fear of the Lord's power. They know He will most likely do what He's said He's going to do if Pharaoh doesn't let the people go. They try to persuade the king to give in and tell Moses to take the people and leave the country. "Pharaoh's officials said to him, 'How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that they may worship the Lord their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt is ruined?'" (Exodus 10:7)
These men are beginning to see the light, in a way. They may not be bowing their knees to the God of the Israelites and vowing their allegiance to Him, but they certainly have no doubts that He is real and that He's able to do anything He says He's going to do. He's already done a great deal in Egypt due to Pharaoh's stubbornness and He's going to do a lot more before He's finished if Pharaoh doesn't relent. The officials plead with their leader, "Already it's going to take us years to recover from what's happened as a result of holding onto the Israelite slaves. Why keep refusing to let them go? Why run the nation so far into the ground that it can never rise again? You're so caught up in your pride and rebellion that you can no longer see the forest for the trees. Is it worth holding onto your pride if it means losing your nation? What kind of king will you be then? A king of peasants who are starving to death? A king whose nation has no economy? A king who can't equip his army? We won't be able to defend ourselves and our enemies will swoop in and take over. We will become subjects of some other king from some other land. You may lose your life or be forced to bow at the feet of our conquerors. Wake up, man! Change your mind before it's too late!"
In tomorrow's study Pharaoh will call Moses and Aaron back and try to negotiate with them. He'll attempt to come up with a compromise in which he can hold onto the majority of the Israelites while only some of them go into the desert to worship the Lord with sacrifices. His intention is to ensure the return of the worshipers by holding hostage the remainder of the people. He is still unwilling to set them free. His offer will be unacceptable to the Lord, to Moses and Aaron, and to the Israelites. The choice Pharaoh is being presented with is all or nothing. He must set all the people free. But he won't and the plague will come.
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