What is the meaning of Exodus 8:15? When Pharaoh saw that there was relief • Exodus 8:13-14 records that the LORD answered Moses’ prayer and “the frogs died in the houses, in the courtyards, and in the fields.” The immediate crisis eased; Egypt’s king felt a pause from judgment. • Moments of ease often expose what is truly in the human heart. Compare how Israel “forgot His works” once pressure lifted (Psalm 106:12-13) and how some hearers of the word “endure only for a while” when tribulation passes (Mark 4:16-17). • God’s mercy—granting relief—was intended to lead Pharaoh to repentance, echoing Romans 2:4, yet the opposite occurred. He hardened his heart • Earlier warnings stand: “Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen” (Exodus 7:13). This verse shows the same deliberate choice. • Hardening is progressive; every refusal makes the next refusal easier. See Exodus 8:32; 9:34. • 1 Samuel 6:6 asks the Philistines, “Why harden your hearts as the Egyptians did?” revealing Pharaoh’s attitude as a cautionary pattern. • Hebrews 3:13 warns believers lest they become “hardened by the deceitfulness of sin,” underscoring that the danger did not end with Pharaoh. And would not listen to Moses and Aaron • God’s spokesmen had delivered a clear command: “Let My people go” (Exodus 8:1). Pharaoh’s refusal was not ignorance but rebellion. • Disregarding God-given messengers equates to rejecting God Himself (Luke 10:16). • Each act of disobedience escalated the coming judgments (Exodus 9:2-3), proving that selective hearing toward God always carries consequences. Just as the LORD had said • Long before Moses returned to Egypt, God predicted this resistance: “I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go” (Exodus 4:21). • The phrase underscores divine foreknowledge and sovereignty; the unfolding events were no surprise to the LORD (Isaiah 46:10). • Pharaoh’s stubbornness, though self-chosen, fulfilled God’s larger redemptive plan to “multiply My signs and wonders in the land” (Exodus 7:3-5), ultimately displaying God’s glory to Israel and the nations (Romans 9:17). summary Exodus 8:15 reveals the tragedy of a ruler who, once the pressure lifted, chose self-will over surrender. Relief exposed the true state of Pharaoh’s heart; instead of gratitude, he entrenched himself in rebellion, refusing God’s word through Moses and Aaron. Yet every step of defiance unfolded exactly as God had foretold, demonstrating both human responsibility and divine sovereignty. The verse challenges readers to respond to God’s mercies with soft hearts and obedience, rather than allowing momentary comfort to breed complacency and hardness. |
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