Why was Pharaoh so resistant to Moses’ pleas to “let my people go”?

Answer

The first mention of Pharaoh’s resistance in the Bible was a prediction by God Himself when He spoke with Moses in the wilderness: “I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him” “And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.”, (Exodus 3:19). Shortly after that prediction, the Lord said to Moses, “I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go” “And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.”, (Exodus 4:21). From the burning bush, God mentioned two reasons for Pharaoh’s resistance to Moses: the king’s stubbornness and a supernatural hardening of the king’s heart after Pharaoh defied God.

In ancient times, the Pharaoh was seen as a god, and his every word was considered law. No one could oppose Pharaoh, so the Lord used him to display His superior power. The Lord’s plan to free the nation of Israel through plagues and miracles was not a reaction to Pharaoh’s rebellion. God is never reactive; He is always proactive. He had planned the interactions with Pharaoh and the exodus from the beginning (see Isaiah 46:10). Four hundred years before the exodus, Joseph prophesied on his deathbed that God would lead His people out of Egypt to the Promised Land, and he made his relatives promise to take his bones with them when they left (Genesis 50:24-25).

Seen as a symbol of the world’s ungodly system, Egypt represents the en…Enemies of the Lord (cf: Ezekiel 29:1-6). God utilized Pharaoh’s hardheartedness to display His glory and demonstrate His supremacy over all the kings of the earth (Psalm 2:10-11; Ezekiel 20:9; Ezekiel 36:22).

Exodus 5 commences with God’s representatives, Moses and Aaron, addressing Pharaoh, “Let my people go.” Pharaoh’s initial response reveals his heart condition and why it would require tragedy to humble him. In verse 2, he questions, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and release Israel? I do not know the Lord, and furthermore, I will not release Israel.” On that same day, Pharaoh instructed the taskmasters to withhold straw from the Hebrew slaves, compelling the Israelites to gather straw themselves while still meeting the same brick production quota: “You shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.’ Let heavier work be laid on the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words’” (Exodus 5:6-8).

In Exodus chapters 4–14, there are twenty mentions of Pharaoh’s resistance to Moses’ message. The reason behind the king’s hardened heart is evenly divided: ten times, the Bible states that Pharaoh hardened his own heart, and ten times it mentions that God hardened his heart. This balance implies that Pharaoh was accountable for his actions, while God was also using Pharaoh’s rebellion to magnify His glory. Paul references this account to underscore God’s sovereignty in human affairs: “Scripture says to Pharaoh: ‘I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.’ Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy,and He hardens whom He wants to harden” (Romans 9:17-18; quoting Exodus 9:16).

The hardness of Pharaoh’s heart was evident from the beginning, and God used that defiance to demonstrate the Lord’s power over him and over all the gods of Egypt. Due to the ongoing miraculous signs, many Egyptians witnessed the reality of Israel’s God. As a result of the miracles they witnessed, many came to believe and joined Israel in departing from Egypt «And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle. », (Exodus 12:38). The supernatural hardening of Pharaoh’s heart does not diminish Pharaoh’s own responsibility; instead, it illustrates the grace and mercy of the Lord who does not want anyone to perish «The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. », (2 Peter 3:9).