The God Over Every Human Heart (Exodus 9:13-16)

Children's Lesson (click here)

I. A Biblical Paradox?

God's word reveals this paradox: every human heart can resist God's will, but at the same time, no human heart can resist his will. How can both of those things be true? Let's find out by looking together at Exodus 9:13-16, a passage from Our Bible Reading Plan for last week.

II. The Passage: “For This Purpose” (9:13-16)

Let me set up the scene here in Exodus 9. The chapter begins by describing the fifth plague that Yahweh was bringing upon the Egyptians. Why is the God of the Hebrews pouring out these judgments on the land of Egypt? Because, as the closing chapters of Genesis and the opening chapters of Exodus reveal, the descendants of Abraham had found refuge in Egypt in the midst of a terrible famine. But as they prospered in that foreign land, successive generations of Egyptians became more suspicious of this large community of foreigners. Sadly, this led to the oppression and enslavement of the descendants of Israel. And so several hundred years after they first arrived in Egypt, God revealed that he was going to liberate them from their bondage and lead them back to Canaan, the land Yahweh had promised to Abraham and his offspring. This liberation was being effected through the man Moses, who not only called for his peoples' release, but also announced God's judgments when Pharaoh stubbornly resisted. As we come to 9:13, we are on the cusp of the seventh judgment. This is what we read beginning in v. 13...

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. [14] For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth. [15] For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. [16] But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.

Given everything that has happened, and everything that will happen, there's a lot that could be said about this passage. But let me try to summarize what God is revealing here in three points:

[First] God is pointing out here his intensifying judgments. Notice the language in v. 14. “For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people...”. What exactly will be different “this time”? Well, if you go on to study this seventh judgment, along with the final three, you will see that things definitely intensify. For example, this is the first judgment that involves (as we see in v. 25) the loss of Egyptian life. This plague is also manifested on a scale and intensity not yet seen, with thunder, hail, lightning, and rain (v. 24) “such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.” Verse 25: “The hail struck down everything that was in the field in all the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And the hail struck down every plant of the field and broke every tree of the field.” And as you move into the eighth, ninth, and tenth judgments, you find the final destruction of Egypt's food supply, the eradication of sunlight, and worst of all, the death of every firstborn Egyptian child. And yet...

[number two] God is [also] pointing out here his preserving mercy. In verse 15, Yahweh puts things into perspective for Pharaoh and for all those listening.

He tells them, 'In light of everything you've seen that I can do, surely you must know that if I wanted to, I could have wiped out every single Egyptian in one fell swoop. But I haven't. So... take the life-line I have been, and even now, continue to throw to you.' And if you continue reading, this mercy continues to be extended in vs. 18-21. Look there...

[Yahweh declares...] “Behold, about this time tomorrow I will cause very heavy hail to fall, such as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. [19] Now therefore send, get your livestock and all that you have in the field into safe shelter, for every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them.”’” [20] Then whoever feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his live-stock into the houses, [21] but whoever did not pay attention to the word of the LORD left his slaves and his livestock in the field. [Preserving mercy. Finally...]

[#3] God is pointing out here his enduring purpose. We might think that God's purpose in bringing these supernatural judgments against Egypt was simply to compel Pharaoh to relent. On one level that is true. But we have to appreciate how, in this passage, God reveals to this human leader his divine purpose... in all things. Verse 14... “I'm sending these plagues 'so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth'”. Verse 16... “For what 'purpose [have I] raised you up'? '...so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.'” Notice that phrase in v. 16: “I have raised you up”. Above and beyond family descent or military victory, ultimately, Pharaoh sat on his throne because God decreed that it should be so. As Daniel would later affirm, “He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings” (Daniel 2:21)

So both the making and breaking of Pharaoh by incomparable, divine power was meant to bring great glory to God; for indeed, how many times has this story of God's victory over Egypt been recounted and celebrated throughout the centuries, in every part of the world, including here this morning? God's enduring purpose is that he might be glorified in all things, at all times.

And so, we might ask (we should ask), what was the result of God's word through Moses to Pharaoh about his intensifying judgments and preserving mercy? How did Pharaoh respond? If we move to the end of the chapter, we read there about his response. Verses 34-35...

But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet again and hardened his heart, he and his servants. [35] So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people of Israel go, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses.

It's important to note that in v. 27, Pharaoh had seemingly relented, acknowledging that he had been in the wrong. But as we just heard, as soon as God's judgment subsided, he “hardened his heart” and returned to his defiant posture. What does it mean that he “hardened his heart”? Well, think of it this way: a soft heart is a malleable, flexible, teachable heart; it's a humbled heart; a heart that yields to God. To harden one's heart is to stubbornly commit to the exact opposite posture and path. “I will not listen. I will not flex. I will not be open or understanding or sensitive in any way. I will be unyielding in terms of doing exactly what I want to do.”

But here's where things get even more interesting. Look back at how Pharaoh responded to the sixth plague or judgment from God (just before our main text). Exodus 9:12... “But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had spoken to Moses.” Now that's the second time we've heard the phrase, “just as Yahweh had spoken through (or to) Moses”. To what is that phrase referring? It's referring to 4:21... “And the LORD said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.”

Someone may ask, “Well how could God judge Pharaoh if, by hardening his heart, he did not let him repent and relent?” But please remember this: Before Moses had ever returned, God had already rendered a judgment against Pharaoh and Egypt for generations of their sin; for their unjust persecution and enslavement of the Hebrews, and for the slaughter of their baby boys. All ten of these judgments would most certainly be poured out. That was settled. You see, Pharaoh was note judged because Yahweh hardened his heart. That hardening was part of the judgment already rendered! Keep in mind, the text also tells us numerous times that Pharaoh hardened his own heart, or that his heart remained hardened at times. But the point here is that, when needed, God would render his heart insensitive to what was reasonable; to what was right. Why? We've already answered that: (v. 14) “...so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth”. Verse 16... “...so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.”

III. Beyond His Influence?

Now when we as disciples of Jesus think about this passage through the lens of the NT, what should stand out? Well, for the Apostle Paul, what stood out from Exodus is the fact that God is the God over every human heart; and as such, no human heart can stand in the way of his will being accomplished. The earlier paradox about resisting his will and not resisting his will was meant to describe how, even though I can sinfully resist God's desires for my life, I cannot ultimately resist the reality that his sovereign will will, nevertheless, be accomplished, even through my resistance. In Romans 9, as he tackles the question of why most Jews in his day had not already turned to Jesus, Paul makes it clear that not every Jewish person truly belongs to the people of God. Why? Because ultimately, that status doesn't depend on genetics or man's will, but on God's choice. This is how Paul argues that using the book of Exodus. Rom. 9:14–18...

What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses [in Ex. 33:19], “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh [Ex. 9:16!], “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.

Brothers and sisters, God, our God, is the God over every human heart. Now for some, this idea is deeply disturbing. But for us, it should be incredibly encouraging. Why? Here are two reasons...

First, it means that no stubborn heart is beyond his conforming influence, and no proud heart is beyond his correcting influence. Think about who is in the cross-hairs here: Pharaoh, the most powerful individual in the world of God's people at that time. Why is that important? Because if God's power and judgments could bring someone as powerful as Pharaoh into line with the fulfilling of his glorious purposes, then how much more every day people like you and me; people with far less influence and far few resources? That should encourage us as we remember that there is no political leader or criminal mastermind or misleading guru or rampaging general or corrupt judge or abusive CEO, there is no person in a position of power and influence, there is no person at any level who is beyond God's influence in carrying out his redemptive purposes. When we're anxious in light of such things, the fact that God is God over every human heart should encourage us!

Second, God's absolute sovereignty also means that, wonderfully, no hard heart is beyond his softening influence, and no broken heart is beyond his mending influence.

Though we, in fact, do have far less influence and far fewer resources, we cannot deceive our-selves: you and I are far more like Pharaoh than we would care to admit. We are just as guilty as the king of Egypt; just as guilty in terms of hardening our hearts toward God, and toward his ever-present call to repentance and confession.

You see, were it not for the fact that God is the God over every human heart, there would be no hope for any of us. Why? Because in our sin, our hearts are beyond self-improvement. Even when good things and good people seem to influence us for the good, in the end, our stubborn-ness will keep us from God and his good. But remember what He said, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” What does such mercy, what does such compassion look like? It looks likes the gift of a new heart.

He is not only the God who hardens hearts, when necessary, to accomplish his purposes. He's also the God who softens hearts in the accomplishing of his purposes. For his ultimate purpose really is His glory and our good. There's a CityAlight song praise song that speaks about this same beautiful truth. In one stanza is says:

There is hope in every trial
For I can trust the Lord
He will turn my heart towards Him
And help me bear the thorn
So in faith, I follow Jesus
On the road not understood
For I know that He is working
For His glory and my good

Wherever your heart is this morning, however far you believe it's lost, however hard or numb you believe it has become, however broken and un-mendable it presently and painfully seems to be, however much it wants to stray, please know that your heart can never be beyond God's reach. Through Jesus Christ, God offers us the gift of a new heart. Think about this: the plagues poured out on Egypt were nothing compared with the wrath that Jesus endured for you and me, to bear the penalty for our sinful hardness and make possible the reality of our eternal softness.

Have you trusted him for that gift? If you have, are you trusting Him each day as the King over your heart? Be encouraged that He is at work. And if you are reassured that he will accomplish His sovereign will in all history, and over all humanity, then please also be reassured that he will accomplish His sovereign will in your heart; in your life. And when you're reassured, come to Him and cooperate with him... with a soft heart. Let's pray together in light of these things.