“But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not heed them, as the Lord had said.”
Exodus 8:15
“But Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also; neither would he let the people go.”
Exodus 8:32
“And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart, he and his servants.”
Exodus 9:34
Excruciating plagues can do one of two things to a person. It can either cause the person to repent and turn to God -or- it can exponentially harden one’s heart. The 10 plagues recorded in the Exodus account acknowledges just this truth. As the plagues were systematically released in Egypt, some in Pharaoh’s kingdom actually soften. However, the one and only one who can make the decision to release the Israelites from slavery is growing more hard-hearted by the minute. I am drawn to this reality today because I am asking myself the question (as well as considering the question on a national level), will this pandemic soften people towards the Lord -or- will they grow all the more hard-hearted?
The concept of “hard heart” is not an easy one to untangle biblically. I suspect many have met such a person in their life. In fact, I suspect numbers of Christian believers have seen friends or family endure adversity and injustice and for some, they turn TO God and for others, they turn AWAY from God. Adversity has a way of clarifying the state one’s heart. It did in Pharaoh’s case.
The point of these pandemic perspectives is not to get into the theological complexities of predestination, but rather ponder some questions which at their root are relatively simple.
What will these weeks spiritually produce in me?
Am I drawing nearer to God?
Am I offended or angry with what God is doing in my life at this moment?
Will I yield to His Will or will I keep exalting my own desires?
The list could go on, but I suspect we all are getting the point.
To what levels must the pain reach before we do what God is asking?
For Pharaoh, it took the loss of life…
And even then, his sorrow only lasted momentarily, and after releasing the Israelites he changed his mind and it cost him even more…
This is my great concern, that as eager as I am to see life get back to some semblance of “normal”, I wonder if we will do what we did after 9/11 and simply default back to our rebellious “normal”? To what levels of pain must I descend before I awaken to what God is saying? To what levels of pain must our nation descend until we purpose to honor God and deal with the evils in our land? These questions are as real as the Exodus account.
Years ago, a man I knew personally found himself in a hospital bed in a serious condition. He would have defined himself as a “Christian”, but he lived a secret life…a very hidden, sinful life. According to his own words (not mine), many were the times he would seek to repent, but flip-flop back into the old patterns quickly, so many times in fact, it became his personal ritual. This happened for so many years that it come to the point that there was no longer any sense of conviction over any sin. One day as he laid in this hospital bed sleeping, he awoke to testify of a dream he received. According to his words, the dream was of a large, black, curtain closing in front of him and the voice saying, “(His name), you have been rebellious and running from Me. If you do not respond to Me today, I will not bother you again.” The man said to me, “Kevin, when I awakened, the thing I feared the most was the fact that there was a point, a line, that God had decided He wasn’t going to convict me anymore or offer me His presence and I had pushed Him to that point. That thought made me tremble.”
At what point would I tremble?
At what point will this nation tremble?
I know some won’t appreciate the story I heard so many years ago. It challenges our antinomian era. But whether it was Pharaoh or my friend in a hospital bed, God is so good to go above and beyond…
Remember folks…
The Lord is longsuffering…
But He is not eternally-suffering…
Let’s be sure we come out of this time period right with Him…
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