Exodus 7:22 “But the magicians of Egypt did the same with their secret arts; and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had said”
Pharaoh was under great pressure. He had the plea to let the jews go, but Egypt was a slave economy. To let them go would be to devastate it. Nonjewish egyptians would have to perform labor. He didn’t want this for himself or his people. Yet, Moses was their claiming to speak for God. Pharaoh didn’t dismiss this immediately. He performed his own test of validity. He had his magicians perform the same thing, turning water into blood. Because of this, he didn’t yield. We need to be careful about what we think is logical. Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.” An idea may pass our test and the ways of our culture, but that doesn’t make it so. Our ultimate standard is the bible. Universities are producing a multitude of philosophies. Some are good, some are neutral, while others are bad. I understand that those are the laboratories for ideas. That’s fine, but we as a people should be careful about what our children are learning. We are the guardians of our culture. Not all thoughts are equal. Some are bad. Hollywood takes these philosophies and weaves them into their movies. Writers put them into their stories. We buy their books and watch their movies. Thus, a culture becomes indoctrinated. Just as pharaoh had his logical test, so does our culture and we do as individuals. However, we need to keep God in the process of discerning truth. That’s why He gave us the bible. So, we will use it as a guide. It’s much more than that, but it’s at least that. This is partially why going to a bible teaching church is important. We learn the Word of God. We learn God’s mind. We also need to be in the bible ourselves. Hebrews 4: 12 says, “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” God puts our thoughts and motives under a spotlight. With the skill of a surgeon (actually more so) He points out our “bad thinking”. Just as pharaoh had the choice to accept or reject, so do we. When God does this, sometimes it’s welcome, other times we wrestle with it over a period of time. He is patient with us. Hopefully, we yield to Him.