14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is unyielding; he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes out to the river. Confront him on the bank of the Nile, and take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake. ~Exodus 7:14-15
From the beginning of the Exodus story, it’s been clear that Moses alone does not have the power to soften Pharaoh’s mind and heart. There have been moments where Moses has been accused of turning Pharaoh more aggressively against Israel (Exodus 5:21), but persuading Pharaoh to let Israel go does not seem to be in the cards for Moses.
Yet despite our inability to get through to people, we know that God can radically transform the human heart. And we have seen that Pharaoh’s is a particularly hard heart.
But Moses isn’t called to soften Pharaoh’s heart. Moses is called to obey. In this moment, obedience looks like showing up to a particular place (the bank of the Nile), taking up a particular posture (confront Pharaoh), and bringing with him his staff (which the Lord had previously turned into a snake).
Moses alone cannot soften Pharaoh’s heart, but he can show up and obey. Moses alone cannot perform miracles with his staff, but he can come prepared and obey.
- Are you attempting to control anyone, and need to let go?
- Where do you need to show up prepared to obey today?
- What resources do you need to be prepared today?