Get Real
Today’s Bible Reading: EXODUS 7:14-9:35
Exodus 9:34
And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart, he and his servants.
Pharaoh had encountered months of plagues. Up until now he had been able to weather them. His magicians could even duplicate several of them. His heart remained hardened to the constant requests of Moses to let the Israelites go. However, now it was different. This plague seemed to soften his hardened heart. He appeared to comply to the Lord’s command.
He was greatly affected by the disastrous devastation of this plague. As a result, he appeared to repent. He proclaimed the Lord was righteous. He professed his sin and the wickedness of the Egyptians. He pleaded for Moses to pray that the destruction would stop and he promised that he would let the people of God go. His hardened heart seemed to have softened. Finally, they would be free.
But Pharaoh responded like a sinful sailor who cries to the Lord for salvation during a dangerous downpour, then returns to his sin when the storm has stopped. When Pharaoh saw that the “rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased”, he recanted and resumed his sin. His rebellious heart reappeared. His contrition lasted only as long as his crisis. When the storm was silenced, he ‘sinned yet more”.
His fear frightened him into compliance, but when the crisis ceased so did his conviction. His sorrow was superficial. His repentance was shallow. He was sorry for his misfortune, but not his sin. True repentance leads to rejecting sin. His insincere confession led to continuance in his sin.
We too can respond like Pharaoh. We can allow fear to frighten us into a superficial sorrow. We can let disaster lead us to make a disingenuous confession without genuine contrition. Like Pharaoh, our contriteness will last only as long as our crisis. We will resume our sin rather than repent of it. Our heart will become hardened as we seek to harbor sin. We will no longer strive to abolish sin, but seek again to accommodate it.
We must not let this cycle of “repentance” from sin and returning to sin to continue. We cannot grow in godliness if we keep going back to sin. Sin must not find a stronghold when the storm is stilled. Like Pharaoh, we are to confess our sin, call on the Lord to save us and commit to turn from sin. Unlike Pharaoh, our repentance must be real and we must not let sin resume when the commotion ceases. Real repentance results in righteousness. We need to get real.
Today contemplate the “cycle” of repentance and return. Consider how this cycle may have affected your life and your response to sin. Reflect on what you can do to disengage this cycle from dominating your reaction to repentance. Commit to let your repentance be sincere rather than shallow. It’s time to get real.
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