Exodus 10:1-11 (NKJV)

Now the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, that I may show these signs of Mine before him, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son’s son the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you may know that I am the LORD.”

So Moses and Aaron came in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me. Or else, if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory. And they shall cover the face of the earth, so that no one will be able to see the earth; and they shall eat the residue of what is left, which remains to you from the hail, and they shall eat every tree which grows up for you out of the field. They shall fill your houses, the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians—which neither your fathers nor your fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day.’ ” And he turned and went out from Pharaoh.

Then Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?”

So Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, serve the LORD your God. Who are the ones that are going?”

And Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds we will go, for we must hold a feast to the LORD.”

Then he said to them, “The LORD had better be with you when I let you and your little ones go! Beware, for evil is ahead of you. Not so! Go now, you who are men, and serve the LORD, for that is what you desired.” And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.

This time Pharaoh’s servants convince him to bring Moses and Aaron back with the words, “Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?” But Pharaoh keeps playing games and won’t let the people of Israel worship the LORD the way He requires. Finally, he blurts out, “The LORD had better be with you when I let you and your little ones go!” Then they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.

Pharaoh has, in modern terms, a god complex. This is perfectly understandable, given that the Egyptian religion deifies Pharaohs. When the LORD asks, “How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me?” Pharaoh’s answer is, “Forever!” Humility is out of the question.

This is a perfect portrait of a hard heart.

We are sometimes like Pharaoh in that the more obvious it becomes that we’re wrong, the more we dig in our heels and refuse to admit it. Even though we confess Jesus as Lord, we have a God complex too.

It’s pride. Despite all we’ve been taught, our sinful nature clings to the notion that we deserve blessings.

The weekly study guides, which include discussion questions, are available for download here:

https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies