Pharaoh’s behaviour represents in a very lively manner the behaviour of impenitent sinners when they are the subjects of reproofs and corrections for their sins – when they are under convictions of conscience and warnings and fears of future wrath with respect to parting with their sins, or letting go the objects of their lusts. Indeed it is an instance of this very conduct. Pharaoh, in refusing to let the people go, refused to let go the objects of his lusts.
In keeping them in bondage, he kept his sins. His pride was gratified in his dominion over that people. He was loath to let them go, because he was loath to part with his pride. His covetousness was also gratified by the profits he had by their slavery; he would not let them go because he would not part with the object of his covetousness. God commanded him to let the people go. He sent His commands from time to time by Moses and Aaron and warned him of the ill consequences if he refused; so God counsels and warns sinners by His word, through His ministers.
God first made known His will to Pharaoh mildly and gently, but that was far from being effectual; he was only the worse for it. Instead of letting the people go, he increased their burdens. So God is wont first to use gentle means with sinners; yet impenitent sinners are not the better, but the worse, for the gracious calls and counsels of the Word of God.
They sin with greater contempt as a result, as Pharaoh disdained God’s command. He said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice?” Then God proceeded to lay greater matter of conviction before Pharaoh and, by turning the rod into a serpent, to warn him of the calamity that his refusal would bring upon him.
And when he still hardened his heart, God began to chastise him by turning the water into blood – which was not only a chastisement, but also a clear and loud warning of the future destruction he would bring upon himself by his obstinacy. So God is wont to give sinners fair warning of the misery and the danger of their sins before He destroys them.
After this, when God’s hand pressed Pharaoh and he was exercised with fears of God’s future wrath, he entertained some thoughts of letting the people go and promised he would do it.
But time after time he broke his promises when he saw there was respite. So sinners are often wont to do under convictions of conscience and fears of wrath; they have many thoughts of parting with their sins, but a divorce between them and their lusts is never actually made. It is common for sinners, when under affliction and threatening dispensations of providence, to make promises of amendment – as in
times of sore sickness and when in danger of death and damnation – but soon to forget them when God’s hand is removed and future damnation more out of sight. In such cases, sinners are wont to beg the prayers of ministers, that God would remove His hand and restore them again, as Pharaoh begged the prayers of Moses and Aaron. “Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, Entreat the Lord that He may take away the frogs from me, and from my people, and I will let the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the Lord” (Ex 8:8).
Pharaoh was brought by God’s judgements and terrors to confess his sin with seeming humility, as when “Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time; the Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked” (Ex 9:27). This was when there were mighty thunderings; and it follows in the next verse, “Entreat the Lord that there may be no more mighty thunderings”. So again: “He said, I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you; now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once” (Ex 10:16,17). So sinners under affliction and danger of future wrath, and when God thunders upon their consciences, oftentimes seem very penitent and humble and are much in confessing their sins, but as yet their lusts are not divorced from them and they have no thorough disposition to forsake them.
Pharaoh, in the struggle between his conscience and his lusts, was contriving that God might be served, and yet that he might enjoy his lusts which were gratified by the slavery of the Children of Israel.
When Moses kept insisting that God should be served and sacrificed to, “Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land” (Ex 8:25). Pharaoh was willing to consent to that, but he would have it done without parting with the Children of Israel.
So it is oftentimes with sinners under fear of divine wrath; they are for contriving to serve God and enjoy their lusts too. They are willing to be very devout in many duties of religion, but without parting with their beloved sins.
How do some wicked men amongst the Papists and elsewhere seem to abound in acts of devotion! How great pains they take, how much trouble and loss they are at! They are like the Samaritans who worshipped the God of Israel and served their own gods too. So did the Jews: “Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal; and come and stand before Me in this house?” (Jer 7:9,10). And: “When they had slain their children to their idols, then they came the same day into My sanctuary to profane it, and lo, thus have they done in the midst of Mine house” (Ezek 23:39).
Moses objected against complying with Pharaoh’s conscience and proposed that serving God and continuing in the land of Egypt in slavery to the
Egyptians were inconsistent one with another. The Egyptian taskmasters would abhor the service that God required and would not tolerate it but would kill God’s worshippers. A separation between Israelites and Egyptians was therefore necessary in order to God being served.
So the service of God and our still continuing in the service of our lusts are inconsistent one with another, as Christ says, “Ye cannot serve God and Mammon”. There is a necessity of forsaking one in order to cleave to the other. If we retain our sins – if we do not part from them – they will kill those duties wherewith God is served.
When Pharaoh saw that it would not be consented to that the people should only sacrifice to their God in the land, he consented to let them go, provided they would not go far away.
He was not willing to part with them finally, and therefore would not let them go clear but would have them within reach so that he might bring them back again. So it often is with sinners; they will refrain a while from their sins but will not wholly part with them – taking an everlasting leave of them, quitting all hopes or expectations of ever having anything more to do with them.
Afterwards, when God’s plagues came still harder upon Pharaoh, he consented to let the men go, if they would leave the women and children (Ex 10: 8-10). Then after that, when God’s hand pressed him still more sorely, he consented that they should go, even women and children, provided they would leave their cattle behind; but he was not willing to let them go and all that they had (Ex 10:24).
So it oftentimes is with sinners; when pressed with God’s judgements or fears of future wrath, they are brought to be willing to part with some of their sins, but not all. They are brought to part with the more gross acts but not with lesser indulging of their lusts; whereas we must part with all our sins, little and great, and all that belongs to them. There must not be a hoof left behind. At last, when it came to an extremity, Pharaoh consented to let all the people go, and all that they had.
But he was not steadfastly of that mind; he soon repented and pursued after them again. And then, when he was guilty of such backsliding, he was destroyed without remedy, which is often the case with sinners. Note that when there is only a forced parting with sin – though it be universal – it is not sincere, nor is it like to be persevering.
God exercised abundance of patience with Pharaoh before He destroyed him; the warnings that were given him became louder and louder, and God’s judgements upon him greater and greater, and God’s hand and design in them became more and more manifest.
First, God only sends a command, directing Moses to deliver it, and let it be accompanied with humble entreaties, paying him the honour due to a king (Ex 3:18,5:3).
After that, Moses spoke with more authority; God made him a god to Pharaoh, and he no more besought him as a subject (Ex 7:1), and his word was confirmed by miracles.
But the first miracles were such as did not hurt them, but only warn them, as turning the rod into a serpent.
Then God proceeded to miracles that were hurtful, which yet were imitated by the magicians. But then God proceeded further, to do things that the magicians could not imitate, but confessed that they manifested the finger of God.
That the evidence might be still clearer and God’s meaning in those plagues plainer – God proceeded to sever between the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel dwelt, and the rest of Egypt.
Then, in the next plague, God severed even between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt; and the next plague, the plague of boils and blains, was not only beyond what the magicians could do, but the magicians themselves were the subjects of the plague and were grievously tormented, so that they could not stand before Moses. And this plague was brought upon them by the ashes of the furnace, wherein they employed the children of Israel in their slavery in burning the brick they made, so that Pharaoh might see wherefore God was angry and did so chastise him.
After this, Pharaoh was more particularly and fully warned of God by His word than ever before, and was forewarned what those plagues would at last come to if he continued still obstinate (Ex 9:13ff).
And then God brought the plague of hail and thunder, which was more terrifying and threatening than any heretofore; and, to complete the destruction caused by the hail, the locusts were sent to eat up what the hail had left.
Then came the plague of darkness, with frightful apparitions of evil angels, which was more terrifying still than any that had gone before, and the distinction made in it, between the children of Israel and the Egyptians, was more remarkable, for they had light in their dwellings where they dwelt mingled with the Egyptians.
And then, before that great destruction by the last plague, Pharaoh was again particularly warned, much more fully and particularly than ever, of what was coming, and when it would come, and in what manner (Ex 11:4ff). And then came the last and greatest plague that preceded Pharaoh’s own destruction, attended with the greatest tokens of God’s wrath, and a remarkable distinction between the Israelites and the Egyptians. And last of all, Pharaoh himself, with all the prime of Egypt, was destroyed in the Red Sea.
Not a dog can move his tongue against God’s people unless God gives permission. Daniel never spent a night more safely than that he spent in the lions’ den.
If Felix trembled when Paul merely reasoned of judgement, how will sinners tremble when Christ shall come to judgement?
W S Plumer