Getting More Stubborn

Originally, Pharaoh’s refusal to obey God had been just a way of asserting his independence and power, much like a little child testing his limits.  After the plague of flies, his resolve hardened, much like the child who refuses to give in or acknowledge the pain no matter what happens.   They are determined that they will not change their mind or admit they were wrong for any reason, and continue to rebell, hoping their parents will just give up and let them do what they want, and that became Pharaoh’s attitude. 

God did not just give up.  He was willing to do whatever it took to teach the Egyptians what was right.  He sent Moses back to warn of another plague, in Exodus 9:1-6.  “Then the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me.  For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them still, Behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: there shall be a very grievous murrain.  And the LORD shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt: and there shall nothing die of all that is the children's of Israel.  And the LORD appointed a set time, saying, To morrow the LORD shall do this thing in the land.  And the LORD did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt died: but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one.”

For centuries, Egypt was known for their livestock breeding.  Other nations came to them to obtain the best possible breeding stock, and other nations bought large numbers of horses for military use.   Most diseases affect only certain species of animals, but the disease at this time affected all the different species, killing many of them.  It would take years for their breeding programs to recover.    None of the Israelite’s livestock was affected by the disease,   When he investigated, Pharaoh refused to change anything even though it mwant the collapse of a major part of Egypt’s economy, as we see in Exodus 9:7.  “And Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.”

Instead of giving up God continued to increase the pressure on Pharaoh, as we see in Exodus 9:8-11.  “And the LORD said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh.  And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt.  And they took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven; and it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast.  And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians.” 

The boils afflicted everyone, including Pharaoh.  The magicians were in such pain they didn’t even try to confront Moses, but Pharaoh had made up his mind, so God strengthened his determination, as Exodus 9:12 tells us.  “And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken unto Moses.”  He was feeling the pain along with the people, but he refused to make any changes, just becoming more stubborn as things got worse.     Unfortunately, when people get stubborn they stop thinking about anything but getting their way.   Logic no longer affects them.