OceanSide church of Christ

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WHO HARDENED PHARAOH’S HEART? (1)

The Two Sides of Man’s Heart

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.     This mini-series of lessons center on the heart of man. 

 

B.      This is man’s spiritual heart, not his physical heart.

 

C.     The heart is man’s command center.

1.       Every aspect of his life springs from the heart.

2.       Two verses:

a.       Proverb 4:23

 

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

 

b.      Proverbs 23:7

 

For as he thinketh in his heart so is he…

 

D.     This spiritual component of man is a blessing and a curse.  Let’s look at this two-sided coin in the remainder of this lesson.

 

I.                    THE POSITIVE SIDE OF MAN’S HEART

 

A.     The heart is able to think.

1.       We learned that from Proverbs 23:7.

2.       Matthew 9:4 teaches this also.

 

And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?

 

3.       The mind gathers information through the five senses:  sight, smell, feelings, hearing, and taste.  It, then, forms ideas and concepts based on the information received.

4.       Example:  Riding my bike through my neighborhood and smelling the aroma coming from someone’s grill.  That smell brings up images of hamburgers, hotdogs, steaks, and brats cooking on that grill.

 

B.      The brain is also able to reason.

1.       In Mark 2:8, Jesus asked His disciples a question.

 

Why reason ye these things in your hearts?

 

2.       Two definitions:

a.       Thayer tells us that the word “reason” means “to revolve in the mind.”

b.      Strong tells us it means “to reckon thoroughly” or “to deliberate.”’

3.       Thus, we can hear arguments presented by many speakers and writers.

a.       We have the ability to roll these around in our minds, to sort them, and to come to our own conclusions about those arguments.

b.      We can agree with those things or disagree over those matters.

 

C.     The heart also involves the will of man.       

1.       Very simply, the will is our “want to.”  It involves the power each of us has to choose his own actions.

2.       In 1 Corinthians 4:21, Paul asks:  “What will ye?”

a.       They had the power to decide how he would come to them.

b.      He gave them two options:  “…shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?”

 

D.     The heart of man has the ability to plan.

1.       According to the wise Solomon, wicked hearts can plan evil things.

2.       These evil plans are one of the things God hates (Prov. 6:16-19).

 

These six things doth the Lord hate:  yea, seven are an abomination unto him:  a proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among the brethren.

 

E.      The heart is also the foundation of all of man’s emotions.

1.       Happiness, anger, sorrow, worry, fear, and every version of these emotions find their starting point in the heart of man.

2.       Two verses:

a.       Proverbs 17:22

 

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine:  but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

 

b.      Matthew 22:37-38

 

Jesus saith unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment.

 

F.      The heart is also the place where faith abides.

1.       “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart…” (Prov. 3:5).

2.       The Ethiopian eunuch desired to be baptized (Acts 8:36).  “And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart thou mayest…” (Acts 8:37).

3.       Paul reveals the essential nature of having faith in one’s heart in Romans 10:9.

 

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God that raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

 

4.       The Hebrew writer warns of an evil heart of unbelief that caused one to depart from the living God in Hebrews 3:12.

 

II.                 THE NEGATIVE SIDE OF THE HEART

 

A.     Two verses:

1.       Jeremiah 17:9

 

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked:  who can know it?

 

2.       Proverbs 28:26

 

He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool…

 

B.      There many things that can cause problems to arise within our heart.

1.       The heart can rely upon corrupt information for its conclusions.

2.       The heart can reason incorrectly about the information is receives.

3.       The heart can reject vital facts it is given.

4.       The heart can become hardened to the point that it cannot be moved regardless of the information it receives.

 

III.              PHARAOH OF THE EXODUS

 

A.     The last statement we made brings us closer to the subject of our lesson:  “Who Hardened Pharaoh’s Heart?”

 

B.      On the website, www.theisraelbible.com, there is an article entitled:  “Who Was the Pharaoh of  the Exodus?”

1.       The answer to this question is determined by the date of the Exodus.

2.       The author presents at least six possibilities regarding “The Pharaoh of the Exodus.

3.       For our purposes, the exact identification is not important.

 

C.     A brief view of the Pharaohs.

1.       The Pharaoh’s began to rule in Egypt in 3100 B.C.

2.       They reigned for almost 3100 years.

3.       These men were kings and emperors.  They were the leaders of the most powerful nation in the world in their time.

a.       They had powerful armies.

b.      They conquered nations.

c.       They amassed great wealth.

4.       These men were also lifted up with pride.

a.       They believed they were all-powerful.

b.      They thought they were all-wise.

c.       They believed themselves to be gods.

d.      Some believed that they were eternal in nature.

e.       They were not to be opposed in any way.

 

D.     It was this type of ruler to whom Moses was to go and demand the release of God’s people (Exo. 3:9-10).

 

Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me:  and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.  Come now therefore, and I will send thee to Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

 

E.      Surely, the results of this demand would be positive.

1.       Pharaoh would bow to the demands of the Creator of the Universe.

2.       The king of Egypt would give heed to the God of the Israelites.

3.       Exodus 5:1-2

 

And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.  And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go?  I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.

 

4.       This answer did not surprise Moses.  God had already told Moses what would happen (Exo. 3:19).

 

And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.

 

F.      The question is:  “Why wouldn’t Pharaoh give heed to Moses?”  The answer lies in a hard heart.

1.       Eighteen times in the book of Exodus, we read about the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart.

2.       The breakdown:

a.       Five times it is noted that his heart was hardened with no explanation given (Exo. 7:14, 22; 8:19; 9:35).

 

And the Lord said unto Moses, Pharaoh’s heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go.

 

b.      Three verses reveal that Pharaoh hardened his own heart (Exo. 8:15, 32; 9:34).

 

But when Pharaoh saw there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them, as the Lord had said.

 

c.       The other ten verses tell us that God hardened the evil ruler’s heart (Exo. 4:21; 7:3, 13; 9:12; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10; 14:4, 8).

 

And the Lord said unto Moses When thou goest to return unto Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in thine hand:  but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.

 

G.     When we think of Pharaoh hardening his own heart, it is fairly easy to grasp.  However, to contemplate God’s hardening Pharaoh’s heart, that is something much more difficult to comprehend.

1.       Why would God do such a thing?

2.       Isn’t God in the business of saving souls?

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.     The heart is one of the most important components of man.

 

B.      The heart is important, but the heart can be detrimental to man’s welfare.

 

C.     One of the problems the heart can develop is hardness. 

1.       This happened to Pharaoh.

2.       In our next lesson, we will examine several factors that brought about the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart.