#DailyDevotion Don’t Harden Your Heart Like Pharaoh

Palm Sunday

Read Ex 8:1–32

Exo 8:16  Then the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may become gnats in all the land of Egypt.'”…18 The magicians tried by their secret arts to produce gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast.  (19)  Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said…22 But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.  (23)  Thus I will put a division between my people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall happen.”‘”…31 And the LORD did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained.  (32)  But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and did not let the people go.

 

What kind of God smites people with frogs? Apparently the Egyptians didn’t appreciate them. Stranger yet, the magicians also produced frogs (now they did it to show Moses wasn’t anything special). But the Moses produced gnats the Egyptian magicians were stumped and they realized this was the finger of God. Now the reason the Lord put these plagues upon the land so was they would know that the Lord is in the midst of the earth. Like yesterday, they would know the Lord from judgment.

 

Now the Pharaoh every time says he repents. “If you just fix this thing for me Lord, I swear I’ll never do it again!” We’ve said this prayer and many who have reaped the natural consequences of their sinful habits are prone to pray this prayer a lot. Like Pharaoh, the Lord listens but Pharaoh and we harden our hearts and we’re back in the mire.

 

Now when the Lord sends the flies he doesn’t something different here and it will continue for all the following plagues. The rest of the plagues do not fall upon the land of Israelites but only upon the Egyptians. The final plague falls upon everyone who did not have faith. This is also reflected in the plagues of Revelation. Some things happen to everyone and some things only come upon those who aren’t baptized and have faith.

 

Now Pharaoh again did not repent though the opportunity was there. He again hardened his heart against the Lord and the Israelites. Now what are we going to do? Are we too going to harden our hearts after God delivers us from whatever trouble we have gotten ourselves into again? Or are we going to thank the Lord Jesus Christ for the mercy bestowed and live out the gift of grace he has given us? In the book of Revelation, after many of the plagues, the people still did not repent. What are you going to do?

 

Heavenly Father, ever give us your grace that we may repent of our sins, trust in Christ and continue to follow Jesus every day of our lives and do not let us harden our hearts but grant us lives of continual repentance. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.