1 Samuel 6:6 “Why should you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt severely with them, did they not send the people away, and they departed?”
Have you ever known someone whose heart was hardened? Maybe you’ve experienced a hardened heart yourself and still battle it today?
There is an interesting phenomenon that unfolds throughout scripture that points directly to God. The way people respond to God is twofold, they can either harden their hearts toward Him and turn away, or they can soften their hearts and respond to His call.
The ancient ruler of Egypt was Pharaoh, a ruler that played a pivotal role in not only blessing Israel through Joseph, but eventually subjecting the people to antisemitism and forced slavery. God’s response to the abuse became evident, for those who treated Israel favorably, He blessed, but for those who inflicted misery and pain, the Lord brought judgment.
Pharaoh was a figure that was caught up in the Israeli narrative. When God called Moses to deliver the people from Egypt He told Moses of how He would harden Pharaoh’s heart before delivering them. But as the story unfolds, we don’t see a ruler who had no choice but to respond in hatred, but rather we see a man who initially chose to harden his heart after being given a choice by God.
Exodus 8:15 “But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the LORD had said.”
When Moses arrived on the scene, the first mention of him was when a Hebrew mother attempted to save her son. Pharaoh had become fearful, thinking the Hebrews might one day turn against Egypt, he issued an edict for the midwives to kill all Hebrew males when born. But the midwives feared God and chose to honor the Lord, and consequently the Lord blessed them for their faithfulness. Later, when Pharaoh heard the midwives had disobeyed the edict, He issued a sweeping demand to kill all the Hebrew male babies. It was during this time of persecution Moses’ mother chose to give her child a chance.
I find it interesting how the first mention of antisemitism was found by one of the most powerful figures in history. Why would the ruler of ancient Egypt be threatened by a nation of shepherds? The delusion of threat could have come from none other than satan himself. Today, we are witnessing the rise of antisemitism throughout the world and the source of the hatred is still working today. For those who are pawns to satan’s schemes, the delusion of threat continues a narrative that has lasted for thousands of years. The playbook remains consistent and the people affected show a vulnerability to deceit.
So, getting back to Pharaoh’s hardened heart, it wasn’t uncommon for an Egyptian ruler who thought shepherds would defile their position to look on them with disdain. The respect given to Joseph 430 years earlier had been forgotten, the hardness remained.
When the time had come, one after one the plagues were released and time after time Pharaoh hardened his heart. Initially, we witness a personal act of hardening as mentioned by the prophet Samuel centuries later. During the first five plagues we are told that Pharaoh either “hardened his heart” or “his heart grew hard”. But as Pharaoh rejected God’s counsel, the Lord moved from offering Pharaoh a chance for reconciliation to bringing pure judgement and completing the hardening during the last five plagues.
God knew Pharaoh would resist His will but He still gave him a chance to do the right thing. As Pharaoh continued to resist, even his advisors thought he was out of his mind. As we see the way God dealt with Pharaoh, we witness God moving in much the same way today.
Matthew 13:15 “For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’
The Progression of Hate
There is a process that takes place in people who encounter God’s call. They will hear the Truth and have to decide if they will agree with it. With each encounter they have a choice to soften their heart and receive the message or harden it and reject the counsel of the Lord. As Jesus taught, the heart that continues to grow hard will eventually be unable to hear or see the Truth at all. The ability to discern goodness from deception grows more dim as time goes by.
There comes a point when the hatred against God’s counsel leaves a person isolated and unable to respond, it is at that time that God removes His hand and completes His judgement.
John 12:40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.”
Is there no hope for those who are hardened? Is there a point of no return for the one who rejects God time and again?
There is only one hope…
2 Corinthians 3:14 “But their minds were closed. For to this day the same veil remains at the reading of the old covenant. It has not been lifted, because only in Christ can it be removed.“
A closed mind is akin to a hardened heart. It doesn’t want the truth, it seeks its own way in hopes there might be a recourse. In Pharaoh’s case, he first and foremost thought his position made him a god. He worshipped a pantheon of false gods, but his ultimate worship was of himself.
Could the apathy of western society be linked to the sins of Pharaoh? Secular humanism is just a fancy term for self worship. Many ideologies have been born from the thought that I am my own god. The new age movement made it seem cool, but it was just the same lie disguised as before.
What happens when the hardened heart becomes soft?
The Progression of Love
When a person accepts Christ as their Lord and Savior, the Spirit of God changes the heart of stone into a heart of flesh.
Ezekiel 11:19 “And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,”
The heart of flesh is tender, vulnerable, and not self seeking. It seeks God’s will and strives to love Him. Godly love progresses into a love for others. Humility is found, as well as a heart of repentance. All of these attributes are connected directly to God’s redeeming power.
King David displayed a heart after God, as well as the apostle Paul and many others. The cry of those who recognize who they were has many similarities.
Psalm 51:10 “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”
When the Lord hears the prayer of the faithful, He responds in love.
Isaiah 57:15 “For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and humble in spirit, to restore the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the contrite.”
Will you examine your heart today? Is it tender toward the things of God, and is it responsive to His call?
Draw near to the Lord who loves you and He will draw near to you….then you will know His salvation.
U.T. 