True Repentance

Author: Joseph

Date: June 24, 2018

God sent Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh to proclaim His words - to let His people be free from Egypt so that they may worship Him. Pharaoh was first presented the miracle of Aaron’s staff becoming a serpent. The magicians of Egypt, however, were able to mimic the miracle by using their dark arts and so Pharaoh was not convinced of God’s power.

"...Pharaoh hardens his heart."

The next sign to Pharaoh was the plague of blood upon the Nile River. Before the plague occurs, God explains to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn; he refuses to let the people go,” reminding him that Pharaoh will not turn away from enslaving the Israelites after the plague that is to come (Exodus 7:14). God is proven true to His word. When Pharaoh sees that the river becomes blood before his own eyes, the magicians again mimic the miracle and Pharaoh hardens his heart.

When frogs come upon the land in the next plague, the magicians again mimic the plague and bring frogs up on the land as well. Pharaoh, for the first time, consults Moses and Aaron, asking them speak to God on his behalf and ask Him to remove the frogs from the land. Moses seems encouraged by this, and says, “the honor is yours to tell me” (Exodus 8:9). Moses asks God to remove the frogs and they are removed. Once the frogs are gone and Pharaoh is relieved from the affliction, he immediately hardens his heart again and refuses to let Israel go.

Pharaoh was stubborn and had magicians to help deceive him that he was right in his own eyes. The magicians of Egypt were consulting their false gods and evil spirits, as well as using deceptive methods in an attempt to show that their false gods had power. Pharaoh, though he asked for the help of Moses and witnessed God’s power over the plagues, continued to deceive himself and harden his heart.

Pharaoh would eventually face the death of his firstborn, along with the deaths of a multitude of Egyptian firstborn children. God remembered Pharaoh’s sin in the affliction of this plague, for his genocide of the Israelite baby boys. Pharaoh’s sins were being recounted and as he further disobeyed the command of God, he and his people suffered.

Pharaoh’s lack of true repentance caused Egypt great suffering. Instead of being blessed by God for releasing His people, he became cursed by the consequences of his own evil-doing. Pharaoh’s false repentance only provided temporary relief for the Egyptians. His false repentance also caused his sin to multiply. Each time he turned away from his repentance, he set himself as an adversary to God’s will.

Repentance is not a temporary feeling of remorse. Repentance is a permanent change that starts in our spirit and shows through our actions. If we are unable to humbly turn to God in complete repentance – confessing and turning away from sin and seeking His will and what is right – then we will fall back into the sin that caused us remorse the first time. False repentance accumulates and makes us less aware of our sin. Pharaoh made a pattern of lying to Moses and Aaron just to have temporary relief, unaware that he was causing himself harm by doing so.

When you cry out to God in repentance, be ready to turn away from sin and make a complete change in your life. God is able to help you and only by His power will you be able to resist sin and seek His will. If you are not willing to give up the sin, ask yourself why and then remove any obstacles to your repentance. Only complete repentance will cause change that will last. Do not be like Pharaoh, who lost everything. Realize now that God’s way is the best way for your life.

Bible Passage: Exodus 7:1 – 14:30

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB). www.lockman.org