Q: Originally, God told Moses to tell Pharaoh to let His people go so that they might hold a festival to Him. Did this change after Pharaoh`s heart hardened during the plagues?
A: In Exodus 5:1 it says, "Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the desert.' " The heart of Pharaoh was already hardened, in many ways, prior to God sending the plagues to Egypt. If you notice, when Moses and Aaron first approached Pharaoh, his initial response was to say, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD and I will not let Israel go (Exodus 5:2)." You can almost hear the contempt in Pharaoh's voice when he was asked to let the Israelis go. He admits he does not know God, therefore, why should he submit to the request of a God he does not know? A Pharaoh was a religious and political leader of ancient Egypt. Although Egyptians of the time worshiped many gods, Pharaoh's were considered gods themselves. With all this taking place at this time Pharaoh could have thought that the God of Israel was just one more god to add to all the other gods being worshiped. Furthermore, he may have even thought to himself, "What kind of God allows His subjects to be slaves and then needs me to let His people go?" A hardened heart is a heart of pride. Pharaoh's pride was at stake in all this.
Once the plagues began we read where Pharaoh seemed to have a moment of clarity and relent. "Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Pray to the LORD to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to the LORD (Exodus 8:8)."" However, once the frogs died, Pharaoh went right back to his stubborn self and refused to let the Israelis leave. "But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said (Exodus 8:15)."Again, this is a prime example of the pride of Pharaoh. Even though it has been made clear to him that he is not in control of the situation he refuses to be told what to do. Even after plagues of gnats, flies, livestock , boils and hail, Pharaoh still refused to let the Israelis go to worship God. In fact, Pharaoh's heart was so hardened against the Lord that he was no longer promising to let the Israelis go before reversing his decision. Now, he was just refusing to even mention letting them go. The Lord saw this and even addressed Pharaoh. "So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, "This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they may worship me (Exodus 10:3).""
Just when you think Pharaoh is humbling himself before God, and letting the Israelis go, he qualifies his obedience. God commanded all of the Israelis, including men, women, children and property, be allowed to leave Egypt. Pharaoh's response: "No! Have only the men go; and worship the LORD, since that's what you have been asking for." Then Moses and Aaron were driven out of Pharaoh's presence. (Exodus 10:11)." This was not what God commanded Pharaoh to do. His sinful pride was so thick that he could not completely submit himself to God. It was not until after the plague of the firstborn had been unleashed on Egypt did Pharaoh finally agree to let the Israelis leave. "During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the LORD as you have requested. Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me (Exodus 12:31-32)." It took the complete devastation of the land of Egypt in order to humble Pharaoh enough to obey God. But, the point that cannot be missed in all of this is that God, through the hardening of Pharaoh's heart, glorified Himself. The festival that the Lord wanted the Israelis to celebrated was in remembrance of them coming out of Egypt. This was something I don't believe any of them realized God was wanting them to do given they had been enslaved for 430 years.
"Then Moses said to the people, "Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the LORD brought you out of it with a mighty hand (Exodus 13:3)." The Consecration of the Firstborn can be considered the festival God was wanting the Israelis to celebrate. It commemorated the Israelis exodus from Egypt as well as God's grace for sparing the firstborn son of those Israelis during the Passover. The hardening of Pharaoh's heart served to glorify God's name throughout the land of Egypt. Each plague, specifically the one against the firstborn, handed down was a judgment by God against the god's of Egypt. "On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn—both men and animals—and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD (Exodus 12:12)." Therefore, nothing changed as far as God commanding the Israelis to hold a festival to Him. It just appeared that His reasons were hidden while He was going about the process of getting Pharaoh to submit to letting the Israelis go. In all this God was glorified. His promise to set the Israelis free was fulfilled. The fact that He is the One true God was solidified. His long suffering with Pharaoh exhibits His patience. His wrath towards unbelief is seen with the plagues and the drowning of Pharaoh's army. And, ultimately, His faithfulness to His people is exemplified. Be thankful that this is a testimony about our God. Be blessed.
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