But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet again and hardened his heart, he and his servants. So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people of Israel go, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses. (Exodus 9:34-35, ESV)
The story of the 10 plagues against Egypt spans seven chapters in the book of Exodus. It’s a strange story, especially for our Western-thinking minds. The nuances are plentiful and truly understood best in context of the ancient Egyptian culture: a passionate culture obsessed with power, their deities, and the afterlife.
Pharaoh’s heart was heavier than a feather and he would not pass his final judgment.The central theme of the battle between God and Pharaoh is set up like this: “The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them” (Exodus 7:5). Each plague attacked one or more deities worshipped by the Egyptians. The Lord displayed his authority and power with an outstretched hand—an image the Egyptian people knew of Pharaoh (who was believed to be a god). After the fourth plague, the magicians confessed they were outmatched. Destruction and darkness came to the Egyptians, while the Israelites had light. The land was left in ruins, “not a green thing remained” (Exodus 10:15). And even the death of all the firstborns was not enough for Pharaoh to believe in this God of the Hebrews; his heart was hardened over and over—five times by God and five times by himself.
Why does God want us to know Pharaoh’s heart was hardened? In the Egyptian sacred text, “The Book of the Dead,” the weight of a deceased person’s heart was evaluated against the lightness of a feather in order to determine his or her fate in the afterlife. If a person’s heart was heavy due to misdeeds or bad behavior, he or she was doomed. If the heart remained light by living a life filled with good actions, then it was on to paradise.
The Hebrew word used in today’s scripture for hardened is kaved, meaning “to be heavy” or “to make weighty.” Whether God hardened his heart or Pharaoh did, the message was clear—Pharaoh’s heart was heavier than a feather and he would not pass his final judgment. But every Pharaoh was obsessed with one thing: paradise with the gods. This Pharaoh was left in a crisis of faith. His position as god and his entire understanding of how the universe worked was at risk
On a recent journey through the land of the river Nile (my fifth), I became keenly aware of how thankful I am for Jesus. As I imagined the story of the 10 plagues unfolding under the powerful Egyptian worldview, I felt an ache of sadness at how often I choose to harden my own heart, both towards others and Jesus. If my heart was put on a scale against a feather, it would lose every time.
God was very intentional with the 10 plagues. At the end, the Hebrews had to choose to have faith that God was going to do what he said he would. It is no different for us. By faith… Jesus takes our place on the scale and we are accepted. By faith… we are made righteous in Jesus. By faith… we are forgiven. By faith… we are called sons and daughters of Yahweh. In faith… will you surrender more of your heart to Jesus today? Only he can make our hearts as light as a feather.
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Tracy Hanson
October 12, 2017
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.