Theological term
Hardening of Pharaoh's Heart
5 sermons · All terms
Exodus 11
Exodus 11 announces and describes the tenth plague — the death of the firstborn throughout Egypt — which God executes directly and immediately, without mediation through natural means. The chapter is structured around three movements: the promise of liberty and prosperity to Israel, the announcement of sweeping judgment upon every household in Egypt, and Pharaoh's continued, God-ordained rebellion. The hardening of Pharaoh's heart is treated not as mere divine permission but as a just act of sovereignty, displaying God's power, holiness, and mercy simultaneously — mercy to Israel being inseparable from judgment upon her oppressors.
Wednesday Night Bible Study (Exodus 11:1-10) - June 23, 2021
Exodus 11 presents the announcement of the tenth and decisive plague upon Egypt, the death of the firstborn, through which God simultaneously crushes Egyptian tyranny and liberates his covenant people Israel. The chapter is examined in three movements: the announcement of the plague with its accompanying promises of liberty and prosperity (vv. 1–3), the description of the plague emphasising God's immediate and sovereign action (vv. 4–8), and the rebellion of Pharaoh as the occasion for the multiplication of God's wonders (vv. 9–10). The sermon presses beyond the historical narrative to show how the destruction of God's enemies is inseparable from the blessing of God's people — a pattern running from Exodus through Joshua to Revelation — and grounds both divine sovereignty and human responsibility in the theological framework of the 1689 Second London Confession chapters 3 and 5.
Exodus 10
Exodus 10 records the eighth plague of locusts and the ninth plague of darkness, both of which expose Pharaoh's hardened pride and vindicate the sovereignty of God over Egypt, its rulers, and its gods. The hardening of Pharaoh's heart is examined not as a capricious act but as a judicial act of divine justice against a man and a dynasty already guilty of enslaving and murdering God's people. The passage carries forward two covenantal purposes: the public declaration of God's supremacy and the transmission of that knowledge to successive generations within the covenant community. Believers are called to pray for God's glory above all earthly concerns, to refuse embarrassment over God's justice, and to trust his sovereignty even in prolonged seasons of affliction.
Bible Study - Exodus 7
Exodus 7 presents the reassurance of Israel's deliverance, the opening sign before Pharaoh, and the first plague — the turning of the Nile to blood. The sermon works through God's sovereign purpose in hardening Pharaoh's heart, arguing that this was an act of righteous judgment upon an already-guilty idolater, not arbitrary cruelty, and that the ten plagues constitute a direct assault upon the gods of Egypt to vindicate God's elect and instruct Egypt in who the Lord truly is. The satanic origin of the magicians' counterfeit signs is examined through Deuteronomy 13, Deuteronomy 18, 1 Samuel 28, Matthew 24, and 2 Thessalonians 2. Romans 9:14–18 frames the theological conclusion: God's sovereignty in hardening and in showing mercy is absolutely righteous, and every act of judgment against God's enemies is simultaneously a mercy toward his people.
Exodus 6:1-13
Exodus 6:1–13 presents God's sevenfold 'I will' promise to Israel as the thesis of the entire book: Yahweh, the covenant Lord who revealed himself to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, will deliver his enslaved people not because of any merit in them but because he remembers his covenant. This study surveys Exodus 1–18 under three heads — the divine promise to Abraham, the divine destruction of Pharaoh, and the divine provision for Israel — showing that grace precedes law throughout. The typological pattern of Israel's redemption finds its fulfillment in Christ, the true firstborn and greater Mediator, who brings his people out of bondage to sin into the slavery of righteousness.