What lessons can we learn from Pharaoh's response to God's mercy in Exodus 8:15? The Setting in Exodus 8:15 “But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.” Key Observation: Temporary Relief, Stubborn Heart • Pharaoh pleaded for mercy while the plague raged, but the moment relief came, he reneged. • God’s kindness, meant to lead to repentance, became an occasion for deeper rebellion (cf. Romans 2:4). Lesson 1: Mercy Exposes Real Motives • Requests for help can mask a heart unwilling to change. • “Worldly sorrow” wants consequences lifted; “godly sorrow” wants sin removed (2 Corinthians 7:10). • God’s deliverance tested Pharaoh and revealed his unchanged nature. Lesson 2: Cheap Promises Displease God • Pharaoh’s vow to let Israel go (Exodus 8:8) was abandoned once life felt normal. • Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 warns, “When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it… Better that you do not vow than that you vow and fail to fulfill it.” • Integrity before God means honoring words even after pressure lifts. Lesson 3: Mercy Calls for Repentance, Not Reprieve • Psalm 130:4—“But with You there is forgiveness, that You may be feared.” Mercy increases reverence, not complacency. • Hebrews 10:26 cautions against receiving grace only to continue willful sin. • Pharaoh treated divine compassion as a pause button on judgment; true believers treat it as a turning point. Lesson 4: Hard Hearts Invite Stronger Judgment • Each refusal intensified the plagues (Exodus 9-11). • Proverbs 29:1—“A man who remains stiff-necked after much reproof will suddenly be shattered without remedy.” • Persistent hardness does not exhaust God’s patience; it stores up His wrath (Romans 2:5). Lesson 5: Sovereign Warning: God Knows the Heart Ahead • “Just as the LORD had said” recalls Exodus 7:3—God foretold Pharaoh’s hardness. • The episode showcases divine foreknowledge and control (Romans 9:17-18). • Knowing this, hearts should bow sooner, not later. Lesson 6: Take Heed Today, Do Not Harden • Hebrews 3:7-8 quotes Psalm 95: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” • Every answered prayer, every reprieve from trouble, carries the same invitation Pharaoh spurned. • Align repentance with deliverance; let mercy melt the heart before judgment forces the issue. |
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