Pharaoh's Hardened Heart

As I read the account of the plagues on Egypt in Exodus, I noticed a phrase that was repeated with each plague. As each plague came, Pharaoh would say that the Israelites could go, and would plead for the plague to stop. However, when God stopped the plague, each time Pharaoh would change his mind. Three times the account says that, “the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart” (Exodus 9:12; 10:2; 10:27), and four times it says, “Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, just as the Lord had said” (7:13; 7:22; 8:15; 9:35). I began to think about the wording of this passage. If it had read, “Pharaoh’s heart was hardened”, we would not have thought much about it. However, God used this opportunity to show us that He controls the hearts of all men, even the king of Egypt. In Chapter 7 of Exodus, God had told Moses that He would harden Pharaoh’s heart (v. 3). This is another amazing verse that stood out to me as I read this account. In this verse, God tells us why He hardened Pharaoh’s heart. “I will harden Pharaoh’s heart that I may multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.” God could have made Pharaoh let the Israelites go the first time Moses and Aaron made the request. But He didn’t. He chose to harden Pharaoh’s heart to bring glory to Himself, and so Pharaoh, the Egyptians, the Israelites, and all of us, could see the power of God. In this passage, I saw proof that God is completely in control of everything, even the minds, hearts, and responses of men, and that He has a purpose for everything He does, even if it doesn’t make sense to us at the time. We serve an amazing God!