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Text: Exodus 7
God determines who His mercy is for (vss 1-7)
- Hardening of Pharaoh
- Pharaoh Thutmoses III, who carried the namesake “Moses” for whom Moses was named after. Remember, Moses was the Egyptian name given by an Egyptian princess. Her name was Hatshepsut. She found this Hebrew baby and called him Moses because her surname was Moses. It meant drawn out of the water and in Egyptian it also meant one who is born. This Pharaoh became known as the Napolean of Pharaohs.
- How does the LORD harden Pharaoh? He applies pressure to Pharaoh.
- What does it mean to harden Pharaoh? It means He’s going to make Pharaoh angry.
- Mercy of the LORD
- It’s the LORD’s discretion, but it’s not individually predetermined.
- Exodus 9:16 is quoted by Paul in Romans 9:17 when dealing with the Gentiles being shown mercy while the Jews thought they should not receive the same mercies.
Pharaoh required a sign (vss 8-9)
- The LORD said Pharaoh would look for a sign, he’ll ask a miracle. So the LORD knew about Pharaoh’s heart and personality and how he’d respond to this situation. So when the LORD said Pharaoh’s heart would be hardened, He knew enough about the man Pharaoh to know how he’d react.
- People who ask for signs generally won’t believe signs. When the Jewish leaders demanded signs from Jesus, they’d already ignored the healings he’d done.
- Matthew 16:1 The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. No sign will be given to you: wicked and adulterous generation seeks a sign.
- 1 Corinthians 1:22-23 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: 23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; Jews don’t require a sign to believe, the Jews that require a sign do so in rejection of Christ as Paul said.
Pharaoh was hardened by magic (vss 10-13)
- Everything Moses did with the rod was done by the magicians which proved to Pharaoh that Moses and Aaron were frauds.
- Enchanting and magic deception and imitation. Enchantments as opposition to the work of God. The level of deception is incredible.
The LORD spoke to Moses (vss 14-18)
- The reason this conversation was recorded is to reinforce that God spoke to Moses and Moses then spoke to Aaron.
Pharaoh further hardened by magic (vss 19-25)
- The water was turned to blood by Aaron and then by the magicians.
- Pharaoh was such a stubborn tyrant that he wouldn’t budge even when his own people were endangered. The bloody water lasted a week.
- The great statement of Pharaoh’s stubbornness said Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he set his heart to this also. This sums up Pharaoh’s attitude toward the Hebrew people.
The process of hardening Pharaoh’s heart happened this and are a danger to anyone:
- His will versus God’s will. He wouldn’t regard the things of God.
- The power of God was mocked with imitation.
- The continual perceived failure of God’s power.
