Power over the gods
Teaching Pastor; Staff Governing Elder; Staff Director
In these chapters, Moses repeatedly goes before Pharaoh to demand the release of the Israelites. Pharaoh refuses, and the ensuing plagues reveal that Pharaoh is not confronting Moses but Yahweh. Through cycles of suffering and relief, Pharaoh’s heart becomes harder, revealing his commitment to reject God’s light for the darkness.
Study Questions
Application
Is there an area of your life where you are “asleep” to the light God is showing you by ignoring godly counsel, the Spirit’s prompting, or God’s Word? How can you take a step of courage and faith toward what God is showing you?
Are you in a season of suffering or prosperity? How has your response to this season exposed what you put your hope in? If you’re unsure, ask a godly friend or mentor for their input.
Key Points
Humans have an almost unyielding commitment to self-rule.
Pharaoh is asleep to what God is doing, and he wants to stay that way. When God hardens his heart, he is giving Pharaoh exactly what he wants.
In the midst of suffering, biblical community helps us remember how God has been gracious to us in the past so we can depend on him for the future.
When we share God’s truth and love with others and they reject him, it doesn’t mean we’ve failed; it means they love the darkness more than the light.
We often stand in judgment of Pharaoh, but we are like him. We need hearts that are tender to confession, repentance, and redirection.