How does Exodus 5:7 illustrate Pharaoh's hardening heart against God's people? Context: Moses Confronts Pharaoh • Exodus 4:21 records the LORD’s forewarning that He would harden Pharaoh’s heart. • Moses and Aaron deliver God’s command, “Let My people go” (Exodus 5:1). • Pharaoh rejects both the command and the character of the LORD (Exodus 5:2). The Key Verse, Exodus 5:7 “You shall no longer supply the people with straw for making bricks; they must go and gather their own straw.” What Changes in Verse 7 • Previous policy: Egyptian taskmasters supplied straw, an essential binder for brickmaking. • New policy: Israelites must find their own straw while still meeting the quota (Exodus 5:8–9). • Immediate result: doubled labor and impossible expectations, producing exhaustion and despair. Marks of Pharaoh’s Hardening Heart • Increasing cruelty instead of repentance (Exodus 5:6–9; cf. Exodus 9:34). • Deliberate sabotage of worship by occupying Israel with heavier toil (Exodus 5:4–5). • Contempt for God’s word, substituting his own decree for the divine command (Exodus 5:2,7). • Manipulation through fear, striving to break the spirit of God’s people (Exodus 5:9). • Confirmation of God’s prophecy: “I will harden his heart” (Exodus 4:21; Romans 9:17-18). Impact on God’s People • Intensified oppression highlights their total inability to save themselves (Exodus 5:22-23). • The burden drives Israel to cry out to the LORD, preparing them to witness His power (Exodus 6:5-6). • Their suffering becomes the stage for God’s covenant faithfulness (Genesis 15:13-14; Exodus 6:7). God’s Sovereign Purpose Displayed • Hardening magnifies divine justice and mercy side by side (Exodus 7:3-5). • Each act of rebellion invites a fresh demonstration of God’s signs and wonders (Exodus 7–12). • The account foreshadows ultimate deliverance through Christ, who frees from a harsher bondage (John 8:36). Timeless Takeaways • Hardening begins with rejecting God’s voice and escalates through active resistance. • Oppression cannot thwart God’s redemptive plan; it often amplifies His glory. • Believers find assurance that no earthly power can outmaneuver the LORD who keeps covenant. |
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