Growing up in a Christian home, I had a lot of questions about several of the bible stories I had read or been taught. These questions included what being a Christian really entailed. Unfortunately for me, I couldn't seem to find answers to these questions. When I asked the people around me, they were either dismissive or unable to answer them to my satisfaction.

Years later, after making the personal choice to become a believer, not just as a result of my upbringing, I began to cultivate a personal relationship with God. He has through the Holy Spirit been giving me answers to these questions and teaching me new things.

Pharaoh's Heart

I remember going through the book of Exodus and reading about Moses's adventure with the Israelites and Pharaoh who wouldn't let God's people go.

What struck my heart most was the part where God hardened Pharaoh's heart. I always wondered about that. Did God hate the Egyptians? Was he just looking for an opportunity to punish them? Wasn't that wicked? It certainly didn't seem fair to me that God interfered in that manner. What if God hadn't done that, would Pharaoh had let the Israelites go?  

After studying this scripture again and having discussions about it with my husband, it became clear to me. The Egyptians and their kings had for many years perpetrated evil amongst themselves and against God's people. They had oppressed God's people for so many years and while it seemed as though God was doing nothing about it, he had judged them before Moses even came into play.

Pharaoh was a wicked man who had hardened his heart against God's word and the cries of God's people for a long time. God being just needed to deal with the Egyptians according to their sins. The truth is Pharaoh was just a man and would probably have let the Israelites go after the first 2 or 3 plagues because who likes wahala? But God did not want that because his justice would not have been fulfilled at that point. So he hardened Pharoah's heart so that his signs would be seen in all of Egypt.

How God Deals With the Wicked

Romans 9:22 gives us an idea of this as it explains how God endures the evil ways of the wicked for a while because he is setting them apart for destruction. So the fact that you sometimes look around you and see evil people "thriving" does not mean they are getting away with it. Though still alive, they have already been judged and will be dealt with accordingly in due time. God endures evil to be used as vessels of dishonor when he is ready.

In Psalm 73, The Psalmist talks about how envious he is of wicked and boastful people and how unfair it was that they not only got away with their evil deeds but were thriving. This is until he understood that their end was utter terror and desolation.

If you ever doubt anything, never doubt that God is just. When a whole lot of calamity begins to fall on a certain group of people, it may be because the time for their judgment to be fulfilled has come. God knows everyone's heart and gives each person ample time to repent. The Egyptians had knowingly and intentionally scoffed at God's word and ways and as such, they had to pay. Pharaoh kept changing his mind about letting the Israelites go after each plague because his cup was full and his judgment was not yet complete.

Food For Thought

Hearing God's word every day and being receptive to his teachings is a privilege that should never take for granted. Have you ever tried to have a conversation with a person of hardened heart about God? I have and it always baffled me how unwilling they are to even open their hearts to the possibility of the truth being spoken. People of hardened hearts are those who have deliberately turned away from God and have disobeyed and/or rebelled against him over and over. They seem blind and deaf to everything that has to do with God. Their deliberate rebellion has brought them to the point where it may be too late for them. At this point, God has given them over to their iniquity in order for their sins to keep compiling so that they may be judged accordingly.

The same loving God that sent his son to be killed for our sins slayed Ananias and Sapphira on the spot for lying. I am convinced in my heart that was not the first time they had done something like that. They were believers under the body of Christ and the last sin which they seemingly died for was the point at which their judgment was manifesting. That was their last opportunity to change and they did not. God knew that they would never repent and slayed them for it and set them as an example to the rest of the church.

Conclusion

God is merciful to those who listen and obey him and consistently looks for opportunities to bless them and make known the riches of his glory. He is a loving God, but he is also a consuming fire.  The wages of sin is death and there may come a time when repentance is unattainable, so seek the Lord when he can be found and serve him while he is still near.