What is the meaning of Exodus 7:14? Then the LORD said to Moses • “Then” links this word directly to the preceding contest with Pharaoh’s sorcerers (Exodus 7:12-13), reminding us that God keeps speaking and guiding in real time (Exodus 3:7-10; Acts 7:34). • The LORD speaks personally to His servant, underscoring a living relationship rather than distant command (Exodus 33:11; John 15:15). • Moses is still the chosen mediator even after earlier objections and failures (Exodus 4:10-14); God’s call is not withdrawn when we feel inadequate. • Divine initiative sets the stage for every plague—God is not reacting, He is orchestrating events for His glory and Israel’s deliverance (Exodus 9:16; Romans 9:17). Pharaoh’s heart is unyielding • “Unyielding” or hardened is a spiritual diagnosis: Pharaoh has willfully resisted repeated warnings (Exodus 4:21; 7:13; 8:15). • Hardness is both self-chosen and judicial; Pharaoh shuts his own heart, and God confirms that choice to display power and justice (Exodus 9:12; 10:20; Romans 1:24-26; 9:18). • The condition is moral, not intellectual—Pharaoh has plenty of evidence but refuses repentance (Exodus 8:19; Luke 16:31). • A hard heart endangers an entire nation; leaders who rebel against God bring consequences on their people (Exodus 7:21; 12:29-30). He refuses to let the people go • The refusal highlights Pharaoh’s defiance of a clear, repeated command: “Let My people go, so that they may worship Me” (Exodus 5:1; 8:1). • God’s people belong to Him, not to earthly powers (Deuteronomy 7:6; 1 Peter 2:9); bondage to Egypt is incompatible with covenant identity. • Each “no” from Pharaoh sets up a greater display of God’s supremacy—plagues will intensify until release is unavoidable (Exodus 9:13-14; 12:31-33). • The contest is ultimately theological: whose word rules, Pharaoh’s or the LORD’s? (Exodus 18:11; Psalm 105:36-45). summary Exodus 7:14 reveals a sovereign God addressing His chosen messenger, exposing the stubborn rebellion of a powerful king, and declaring the inevitable liberation of His people. The verse is a turning point: God speaks, Pharaoh hardens, and the stage is set for escalating judgments that will prove the LORD alone is God and that He keeps His promise to deliver Israel. |
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