Consequence of A Hard Heart

Ex. 8:15 But when Pharaoh saw that relief had come, he became stubborn. He refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had predicted.

As I read through the story of the ten plagues. I am reminded of what happens to a person whose heart is hard--like Pharoah. Through Moses God challenged Pharoah to submit to him. But he was stubborn, just like many of us. So God sends plagues to make him humble. Just like Pharoah, sometimes God corrects us, but still we don’t listen, until our own folly makes us suffer. Then we pray to God to turn the suffering away. And God does turn it away just like in this story. But God takes away our problems, we return to our old ways. The first nine instances Mses demanded Pharoah to let his people go. The first nine instances God sent plagues to demonstrate His Lordship. All through these times Pharoah’s heart was stubborn and hard. Until the last straw came, when his hard heart caused him his firstborn son. May this be a warning to us. That though God loves us and desires the best for us. Our stubbornness and hardness of heart can hinder us from experiencing the good life. God says He is a jealous God. His desire is for you and knows that the way for you to experience the good life is through Him alone. I am reminded by the passage in Hebrews that says of the stubborn Israelites, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart.” Listen and obey.