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Ten Plagues of Egypt
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power hardened the heart of the king, but the seeds of rebellion that
he sowed when he rejected the first miracle produced their harvest.
As he dared to continue from one degree of stubbornness to another,
his heart became more and more hardened, until he was called to
look upon the cold, dead faces of the firstborn.
How Stubbornness Develops
God speaks to us through His servants, rebuking sin. If a person
refuses to be corrected, divine power does not step in to prevent the
results of one’s own action. Such people are hardening the heart
against the influence of the Holy Spirit.
Anyone who has once yielded to temptation will yield more
easily the second time. Every time this is repeated it lessens the
power to resist, blinds the eyes, and stifles conviction. God does not
work a miracle to prevent the harvest. “Whatever a man sows, that
he will also reap” (
Galatians 6:7
). This is the way that many people
start listening with cold indifference to the truths that once warmed
their hearts. They sowed neglect and resistance to the truth, and this
is the harvest they reap.
Some people quiet a guilty conscience with the thought, “I can
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change my evil course whenever I choose.” They think that after
putting their influence on the side of the great rebel, they will change
leaders when danger surrounds them. But this is not easily done.
A life of sinful indulgence has so molded the character that they
cannot then receive the image of Jesus. If no light had shone on their
pathway, mercy might intervene. But after light has been despised
for a long time, it will finally be taken away.
Next a plague of hail was threatened upon Pharaoh. “Therefore
send now and gather your livestock ... for the hail shall come down
on every man and every animal which is found in the field and is
not brought home, and they shall die.” No one had ever seen such a
storm as this would be. The report spread rapidly, and everyone who
believed the word of the Lord gathered in their cattle, while those
who despised the warning left them in the field. So in the midst of
judgment the mercy of God was displayed, and it was shown how
many had been led to respect God.