Pharaoh’s Heart is Hardened

James 1:13 tells us. “… God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.”  Pharaoh had already made up his mind we was not going to listen to God.  When Exodus 7:13 tells us, “And he hardened Pharaoh's heart, that he hearkened not unto them…,” it means simply that God gave him the self-will or stubbornness to stick with his decision, so that others would see God’s power.  God did not cause him to be that way.  If Pharaoh gave in too easily the people might not see God’s power. 

Once Pharaoh’s mind was made up, God sent Moses to warn him of the consequences of his stubbornness, in Exodus 7:14- 18,  “And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh's heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go.  Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river's brink against he come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand.  And thou shalt say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear.  Thus saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood.  And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink of the water of the river.”

Egypt was dependent on the Nile River for transportation, for water for irrigation and drinking, for fish to eat, and for the floods that replenished their soil.  God warns that he is going to touch that river, so that it would not supply fish, or be fit for drinking, so that the people will know that it had no real power of its own, but was dependent on God.   God instructed Moses and Aaron what they needed to do to see this all happen, in Exodus 7:19. “And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone.”

The results were exactly what God had warned, in Exodus 7:20-21.  “And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.  And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.”  The river was so polluted with blood that the people could not drink it, and all the fish died and began to rot.  The pollution also affected all their ponds and irrigation system as well. The stench of rotting fish was everywhere. 

When the Magicians were able to further pollute the water with their tricks, Pharaoh blew it off as nothing to worry about, leaving his people to deal with the problems, as Exodus 7:22-25 tells us.  “And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the LORD had said.  And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he set his heart to this also.  And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river.  And seven days were fulfilled, after that the LORD had smitten the river.”  It took and entire week for all the pollution to wash out to ea.  During that time, the people had to dig pits along the river and allow the water to filter through the sane to eliminate the pollution.  Pharaoh had people to do all the work for him so he was not affected very much but it made the people’s lives much harder.  Leaders who do not have to deal with the same problems do not understand the effects their decisions have on their people, which is one of the reasons why God gave the commands in Deuteronomy 17:14-20.  “When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me; Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother.

But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.  Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.  And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them: That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.”

Because it didn’t really affect him, Pharaoh didn’t even ask to have the blood taken away.