Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was unwilling to let them go.”
NL Daily Devotion for Saturday, September 28, 2024
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
I’ve never liked this idea. I don’t think God has to harden anyone’s heart to make them too stubborn to give up what they want even if they don’t deserve it. I think that’s just people. Pharaoh’s society was based on slave labor. The Israelites provided service for the economy. And it could be justified more easily because they were not Egyptians themselves. The plagues were unpleasant, to be sure. Painful even. People were sick and sometimes dying. Livestock was dying. Bugs and frogs were everywhere (although I have to imagine the frog plague would’ve been invaluable in getting rid of the locust and gnat plagues… Yep, still making light of that one). But clearly Pharaoh himself wasn’t suffering enough to want to give up what he believed was his right to own and use as he saw fit.
Can you think of other examples of people in our modern context who refuse to let go of wealth or power even to the point of threatening the very essence of democracy in this country? Is God hardening their hearts? I think not.
Can you think of examples in your own life of where you might be refusing to let go of something that is causing harm to another person or yourself? Do you think God is hardening your heart?
No. God is calling each of us, always, to let go of everything except trust that God has our back and desires our flourishing. God is calling us to let go of our fear and open our hearts to love and service to God, neighbor, and self in healthy and affirming ways. God does not harden hearts, only softens them.
When has God softened my heart?
