XXXII--PHARAOH'S HEART
And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people
go.--Exodus ix. 17.
What lesson, now, can we draw from this story? One, at least, and a
very important one. What effect did all these signs and wonders of
God's sending, have upon Pharaoh and his servants? Did they make
them better men or worse men? We read that they made them worse men;
that they helped to harden their hearts. We read that the Lord
hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the children of
Israel go. Now, how did the Lord do that? He did not wish and mean
to make Pharaoh more hard-hearted, more wicked. That is impossible.
God, who is all goodness and love, never can wish to make any human
being one atom worse than he is. He who so loved the world that He
came down on earth to die for sinners, and take away the sins of the
world, would never make any human being a greater sinner than he was
before. That is impossible, and horrible to think of. Therefore,
when we read that the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, we must be
certain that that was Pharaoh's own fault; and so, we read, it was
Pharaoh's own fault. The Lord did not bring all these plagues on
Egypt without giving Pharaoh fair warning.
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