Exodus 9:35
“And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children of Israel go; as the LORD had spoken by Moses.”
One of the saddest statements that is said about Pharaoh is found in the verse above when it says, “And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened…” Several times God gave Pharaoh a chance to do right, but every time he had an excuse for hardening his heart. What Pharaoh didn’t realize was that once he hardened his heart the first time, it made it so much easier to do it the next time. The eventual result of hardening his heart was fatal when he pursued Israel through the Red Sea and God closed the waters killing him and his army.
One would think that every Christian would learn from Pharaoh’s life not to make the same fatal mistakes. Though Pharaoh was not a saved man, the mistakes he made are the same mistakes many Christians make in dealing with their sin. When you study Pharaoh’s response to sin, you will learn several mistakes you must avoid.
The first mistake Pharaoh made was in thinking that nothing had happened yet. God delayed His judgment when He killed all the frogs. Pharaoh saw that there was “respite” or a delay in God’s judgment. Just because God delays His judgment doesn’t mean that He is not going to judge. You may think you have gotten away with your sin, but a delay in God’s judgment is simply a space of grace for you to get right. Don’t waste the opportunity God gives you to get right. Don’t take the delay of judgment as weakness on God’s behalf. Nothing may have happened, but that is an opportunity to get right.
The second mistake Pharaoh made was in thinking that God wasn’t fair. God plagued the Egyptians cattle, but He didn’t plague the cattle of the Jews. Pharaoh saw this and thought to himself that God wasn’t fair in His treatment of the Egyptians. Don’t fall for the mistake of judging God’s fairness. Don’t continue in sin just because you think God should have judged someone else. God deals on a personal level, and you must not compare how God treats others with yourself.
The third mistake Pharaoh made was in thinking that he was bigger than God. God destroyed the barley and the flax with hail, but did not destroy the wheat and the rye. Pharaoh’s mentality was that he had taken God’s best shot and was still alive to talk about it. Just because God has not totally destroyed you does not mean that you are bigger than God. You may think you have taken God’s best shot and survived but God still has more power to judge; instead, He has reserved it to give you an opportunity to get right.
The fourth mistake Pharaoh made was in thinking that he could negotiate with God. Pharaoh constantly tried to negotiate his sin throughout this whole process. God doesn’t negotiate right and wrong. God doesn’t say that He will let you do some wrong if your good outweighs the bad. Sin is non-negotiable with God. You may think that you are negotiating with God, but you are only delaying the inevitable because He will not change.
Friend, don’t make these fatal mistakes concerning sin. God does not desire to judge or destroy people. Throughout the Scriptures God gives people ample time to get right before He judges. Don’t become so emboldened that you make the same fatal mistakes Pharaoh made. Throw your excuses out and get right concerning your sin today.