Exodus 6: 14-30, Exodus 7 & 8, Matthew 26: 47-68, Psalm 25: 16-22
Exodus 7: 3-5 (ESV)
“But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply my
signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I
will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel,
out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. The Egyptians shall know
that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the
people of Israel from among them.”
In verses 3 through 5 from Exodus 7, God tells Moses and
Aaron that he will harden Pharaoh’s heart. He knew that the Pharaoh would not
agree easily to letting the children of Israel go, so I’ve always wondered why
he decided to harden Pharaoh’s heart. But after reading several Bible commentaries,
I now know that God decided that he wanted to demonstrate his power not only to
Pharaoh, but to all of the people of Egypt. I think God also wanted the people
of Egypt to never forget his power, so they wouldn’t come later and attack the
people of Israel. When the Pharaoh finally let the children of Israel leave,
the Egyptian people were so happy to let the people go because of all the
plagues that they gave them all the silver, gold, jewelry, and clothing that the
Hebrews asked for when they left. God always has a plan, and while it sometimes
doesn’t make sense to our human mind, God’s plans always work out for the best.
No comments:
Post a Comment