Exodus 9;7
Pharaoh sent, and behold, there was not even one of the livestock of Israel dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.
It’s a common phrase in this story about Pharaoh’s heart being hardened. What does this mean? He was stubborn; he wouldn’t change his mind. It reminds me of a poker player who is in a bidding war with another player. He knows he’s got nothing, but he attempts to keep up the bluff. Sanity is gone. He’s caught up in the adrenaline of the moment. He just keep betting more.
We all harden our hearts on occasion. God will turn the spotlight on a particular area. He wants to address it. Initially we act as if we didn’t hear or is this really God? It’s ok to ask that? However, a sincere asking is different from a hard heart asking. If it is God, He will get our attention about the area again later. Sometimes we yeild, sometimes we keep up our resistance (hard heart). We probably have areas where we won’t yeild. If so, growth is stundted. Picture a full healthy tree with a sickly branch. That’s what the hard heart does.
When we come to Christ, two things must occur: we accept His forgivenes and we yeild to His lordship. This doesn’t mean that all the stubbornness is gone forever. However, if we never yeild to God, then we haven’t made Him lord and we aren’t a christian. While salvation is free, we don’t get it unless we join His team. It’s like getting hired for a job. We sign the paper work. We are agreeing to the terms. By signing we tell them we will go by their rules. The probation period ensures that. This doesn’t mean we never get stubborn with particular areas. Fear or another emotion grips us and we won’t give in. God is understanding and will allow us to through circumstances which loosens the hold. This works like presoaking a dish that has food baked on it. The water softens it, making cleaning easy. Circumstances and trials often loosens our grip. This is another evidence of God’s love for us. If we won’t give in, we disable ourselves. After surgery we may have to go through physical therapy. This can be painful. Yet it’s for our good. If we ignore it, our motion will never be 100%. We may limp for the rest of our lives.
Lord, thank You for Your patience and persistance with us. Help our hearts to be soft.