But this time also Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not let the people go. The phrase this time also marks the accumulation. Each hardening after each plague is not an isolated event but a link in a chain. The frogs were removed and Pharaoh hardened. The gnats came and Pharaoh refused. The flies were removed and Pharaoh hardened. The chain of refused mercies and refused relief is lengthening. Hebrews 3:8 quotes Psalm 95: do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion. The warning addressed to Israel in the wilderness is the mirror image of Pharaoh's pattern: do not do what Pharaoh did. The hardening at the end of each plague account is not just historical reporting; it is a warning embedded in the narrative for every subsequent generation. The question the hardened heart refuses to ask is the only question that matters: who is the Lord?

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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