A
Good Reminder About a Bad Heart
By
Pastor Jack Hayford
In some recent studies of Exodus, I have again been impressed with
the frightening capacity of the human heart to resist God. Pharaoh,
ruler of Egypt and emperor of the most powerful nation of his time,
is a case study which ought to be a good reminder to
us all.
Don’t make the mistake of supposing yourself incapable of heart-hardness.
Jeremiah reminds us that all hearts are self-deceiving (Jeremiah
17:9). The lessons distilling from Pharaoh’s self-damning mindset
make it unnecessary for anyone to make the same mistake. That’s
why I took care in noting a few observations:
He supposed he knew everything about the Lord.
When Moses first demands Israel’s release in the name of the Lord,
Pharaoh’s “Who is the Lord?”
(Exodus 5:2) is more a smart-aleck remark than a question.
He says in essence, “There’s nothing about that God that
I don’t know or can’t beat.”
My spirit may not be the same as Pharaoh’s, but I need to guard
against the presumption that because I know the Lord, that
I know all about Him that I need to know. Heart-hardness
is the price of presumed knowledge. A humble heart is characterized
by confessed ignorance and teachability.
He was unaffected though surrounded by the miraculous.
If there is anything miracles do not guarantee, it is obedient
faith. The alarming capacity of the human heart to behold the power
of God and still remain unchanged is terrible in its potential.
Pharaoh watched Moses’ rod become a serpent, consume the magicians’
rods, and then become a rod again in Moses’ hand. He saw the Nile
turned to blood. He saw plagues devastate his nation while Israel
was protected through divine intervention, and STILL “he hardened
his heart” (8:15, 32).
What evidences of God’s power do you see as you look around
you? You and I are surrounded by phenomenal displays of God’s power,
grace, and miraculous operations. Yet unbelief and thanklessness
survive too easily. Beware, my heart!
He was finally given over to his own devices.
When the Bible says, “The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh” (9:12),
we are not dealing with a case of predestined destruction. Let no
one misunderstand the Lord’s forecast of this occasion (4:21, 7:3).
To the contrary, God never predestines a person’s failure, even
when His prescience foresees it. Exodus 9:16 makes clear that God
raised Pharaoh up with the possibility of becoming one of the most
remarkable rulers ever. He might to this day be remembered as the
Great Emancipator, had he taken his hour of opportunity responsibly
and obediently before God.
But... the sad fact of history is that Pharaoh repeatedly hardened
his own heart until God finally said, “Then have it your way!”
The Holy Spirit has a gentle yet pointed way of dealing with each
of us. Lessons like this, from the eternal Word of God, serve as
a strong warning as well as a comforting assurance: If I keep my
heart humble before God, I can be certain of His highest purposes
being realized in my life.
That’s the kind of heart I want.
Always. |
Jack
Hayford Ministries
14800 Sherman Way, Van Nuys, CA 91405-2233