Scripture to Read: Exodus 1:22
We ended Exodus 1 in yesterday’s devotion, but we did not get to touch on Exodus 1:22. We read this, “Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, ‘Every son who is born you are to cast into the Nile, and every daughter you are to keep alive.’” We can see from this passage the hardness of Pharaoh's heart and that he wanted the Hebrew baby boys killed. This is important to note because later, we’ll see how God’s Word says that God hardened Pharaoh's heart. Indeed, God did harden Pharaoh's heart, but not as we think. God took a heart that was already hardened toward Him and brought circumstances into Pharaoh's life that allowed Pharaoh to continue down the path that he had already chosen. God even warns us as Christians, in Ephesians 4:17–18, “walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart.” Note that the lost walk a certain way because of “the hardness of their heart.” We are warned to no longer walk that path of having a heart hardened toward God. Pharaoh’s heart was hardened because of his unwillingness to repent and believe in the God of all creation. Pharaoh's heart was so hard that he commanded all the people of Egypt to murder every male child born to the Israelites. God and His Word either harden people or bring them to repentance, but each must choose.
Challenge & Application
· What did God teach you about Pharaoh's heart and how that ties to our heart toward God today?
· How are you guarding your heart against becoming hardened toward God and His Word?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!