On Boxing Day 1944, a Japanese Imperial Army intelligent officer, Hiro Onado, was dropped off at Laban Island of the Philippines during World War II.
He and three other soldiers were ordered to do all he could to hamper the Allies on the island, including destroying the airstrip and the pier at the harbor.
The order also stated that under no circumstance was he to surrender or to take his own life.
He took the order to heart, so he spent 29 years hiding out in the Philippine jungle after the war was ended in August 1945.
Until his former commander traveled from Japan back to the island to relieve him from his duty by the Emperor's order in 1974.
For 29 years, Onado and his companions carried out guerrilla activities and engaged in several shootouts with the local police.
They had many pieces of evidence that the war has ended.
The first one was in October 1945, when he saw an airdrop leaflet announcing that Japan had surrendered.
But their heart was not convinced and decided to stay hiding.
One of his companions surrendered in 1950, and another one was killed in 1954.
Onado finally lost his last companion in 1972 after another shootout.
In February 1974, a young Japanese university jobber, Norio Tsuzuki, came to the island to look for him,
wanting to listen to Lieutenant Onado, wanting to listen to Lieutenant Onado.
When asked by Suzuki, why would you not come out from the jungle?
Onado said he was waiting for his superior officer to relieve him of his order.
So both government organized for his former commander to travel back to the island to order him to surrender formally.
The stubborn refusal of hero or another to surrender for 29 years caused constant disturbance and trouble for the locals on the Philippines island.
They stole their crops, they killed their livestock, and even some farmers too.
Today's chapter, we will also witness a nation being assaulted by a series of disasters,
and a leader who, despite these disasters, exacerbated the suffering of its people by repeatedly refusing to choose what is good and right.
We will learn about Pharaoh and the plate,
but most of all we will learn about the power and mercy of God,
and what will it take for you to surrender all of your life to God.
Last week in chapter 3 and 4, we saw how God called and equipped Moses for the task he is about to do,
by promising that he will be with him always.
After a couple of chapters of going back and forth,
we finally see Moses go up to Pharaoh in chapter 5 to deliver God's demand.
He approached Pharaoh with his brother Aaron and proclaimed to him in chapter 5 verse 1,
this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, say,
let my people go so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.
Moses.
They did an incredible boat at risking their life to make such a demand upon Pharaoh,
but they did it without compromise.
And there is no mention of Moses in this world.
They were speaking for God.
Moses finally realized that and took to his heart that God's liberation of his people
would be fulfilled through God's power, not his.
Moses was full of fear and self-centeredness before meeting the living God,
but God helped him to repent of his pride.
He is now confident and focused on God's power and began to die to himself.
In the New Testament, we see the disciples of Jesus experience the same kind of changes
before and after the cross and the resurrection.
They were changed because they have met the living Christ
and they were filled with the Holy Spirit.
Disciples of Jesus Christ were transformed because they have met the great I Am.
If you are a Christian, are you living a transformed and transforming life?
Are you growing?
How have you been surrendering your whole life to live a life
that centers on glorifies and honor God?
When Moses approached Pharaoh, he did not come to negotiate.
He came with a simple command that based on the authority of the living God.
He delivered to Pharaoh God's demand,
let my people go so that they may worship me.
Now it was Pharaoh's turn to encounter the power of the living God.
How would he respond?
Would he be transformed like Moses?
Would he have changed of heart and obeyed the demand of God?
Moses' faith has increased through his interaction with God
as God transformed his heart and his willingness to trust and serve him.
When it comes to Pharaoh, his story will witness an exact opposite dynamic.
Pharaoh's heart became like Moses' heart, hardened by self-love and pride.
But unlike Moses, Pharaoh's heart proceeds on a path of further hardening.
Pharaoh's heart never softened.
Instead, it becomes increasingly resistant to God's love and will.
He stubbornly refused to yield his heart towards God.
During his first encounter with Moses and Aaron,
in Pharaoh's response to God's demand to free his people
and allow them to go to worship him,
we can see the starting condition of his heart.
Pharaoh responds with contempt in Exodus 5, verse 2, saying,
Who is the Lord that I should obey him and let Israel go?
I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.
Pharaoh's reply seems blatant disrespect to God's message.
How dare he speak like that to our almighty God?
But the statement of, I do not know the Lord,
is a true statement of where he is at.
Before his encounter with God,
he considered himself a son of God,
and no one tells him what to do.
Pharaoh had not previously encountered God or his message.
In many ways, he was just like the rest of us in this regard.
When many of us first heard God's message through the scripture,
some would have a similar reaction to this claim on our life.
Like Pharaoh, we say in our hearts,
Who is the Lord that I should obey him?
And I do not know the Lord.
Every person who does not know God begins in the same position that Pharaoh occupied,
inclined not to accept God's truth.
But God was not done with Pharaoh or any one of us.
That is just the beginning.
God responded to Pharaoh's confession of ignorance of him
by unleashing a series of events
that were meant to ensure that Pharaoh and Egypt would know the Lord.
I will speak about those events
of how God revealed his power to Pharaoh and his people in detail later.
But let's keep looking at Pharaoh's heart now.
We saw in Exodus 5, verse 2, that Pharaoh is like a lot of us.
When we begin our respective journey to find out more about God,
we begin this journey with an ignorant and resistant heart.
But let's see what happened to his heart
as God revealed himself through the power of the plagues.
As each successive plague comes upon Egypt,
Pharaoh's heart has only one reaction.
It becomes hardened to God.
That is an oversimplification of what is transpiring in Pharaoh's heart.
In his commentary, J.A. Mottia points out that
when it comes to Pharaoh's heart and his progressive hardening,
we encounter at least three ways to describe this process.
First, in Exodus 7,
in verse 13, it tells us that Pharaoh's heart become hard.
And verse 14, the Lord says Pharaoh's heart is unyeweling.
Then in verse 23, Pharaoh did not take the first plague to heart.
He did not allow his heart to be touched.
Then if we go over to chapter 8,
from verse 15 to 32,
it declared that Pharaoh's hardened his own heart.
So verse 19 states that Pharaoh's heart was hard,
just as the Lord has said.
And finally, when we come to chapter 9,
verse 7, it says that Pharaoh investigated the truth of God's word,
yet his heart was unyeweling.
So there's this statement in verse 12 that
the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart.
We can see in chapter 9 and even chapter 10
that Pharaoh even admit and confess that he has sinned.
But all aspects of Pharaoh's heart come to a culmination
in Exodus 9, 34 to 10, verse 1,
where Paul had just read out for us.
But I'll read that again.
Exodus 9, verse 34.
When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hell and thunder had stopped,
he sinned again.
He and his official hardened their hearts.
So Pharaoh's heart was hard,
and he would not let the Israelites go,
just as the Lord has said through Moses.
Then the Lord said to Moses,
Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart
and the heart of his official,
so that I may perform these signs of mine among them.
There are two perspectives to the hardening of Pharaoh's heart,
Pharaoh and God.
By his moral choice,
Pharaoh let his heart become increasingly set in its way,
getting more stubborn and committed more and more irreversibly
to a cause of cultural genocide regarding the Israelites.
Pharaoh is responsible for the hardening of his own heart
through his action and choice.
God has revealed himself to Pharaoh,
and Pharaoh chose to respond with rebellion.
And with each rebellion,
Pharaoh's heart becomes more stubborn in its wickedness.
His heart becomes more brutal and rigid
with each sinful choice he makes.
From God's perspective,
as a moral ruler of this world,
the hardening of Pharaoh's heart
is nothing more than a statement
that the point of no return has been reached.
Pharaoh's own choice
had made his heart so hard
that the only justly,
due consequence
is to judge that his heart is hardened.
And God took the full responsibility
as creator of everything in this world
to say,
I have hardened his heart.
The story of the hardening of Pharaoh's heart
revealed to us that
there is a point at which
God will no longer endure or bear
our rebellions towards him,
but rightfully judge us for what we are.
After repeated rebellions,
whereby Pharaoh hardened himself
against the revelation of God,
God judged him for his disobedience
and sealed his heart of stone.
Don Carson's book,
For the Love of God,
which I was using for my devotional earlier,
it says that
God has not hardened a morally neutral man.
He has pronounced judgment on a wicked man.
Hell itself is a place
where repentance is no longer possible.
God's hardening has the effect
of imposing that sentence
a little earlier than usual.
God's hardening
and Pharaoh's hardening of his own heart
are mutually complementary.
The dynamic at work in Pharaoh's heart
are not unique to him,
but revealing a general truth
about God and his sovereignty
over every human.
God is never complicit
in instigating or causing sin,
but he is not required
to stop us from having what we desire,
even if it is sinful.
The cycle of hardening
that we see in Pharaoh's heart
is not limited to those
who do not believe in God.
Christian can also become
entangled in self-hardening cycle,
whereby the hearts become stubborn
towards God.
We build up a tolerance
to a particular sin in our life.
We try to limit our obedience.
Instead of throwing ourselves
into God's service,
we try to limit what we do.
What's the least I can get away with?
How far do I have to go?
Why should I have to deny my feelings?
Rather than suffering
for doing the right thing
and obeying God,
we all want comfort
and self-gloafification.
And we get entangled
in a temporary,
momentary release
that sin gives us.
When it comes to obedience,
the writer of Hebrew
told us that
in chapter 5, 8 to 9,
that although Jesus
was the son of God,
he learned obedience
from what he suffered.
And once made perfect,
he became the source
of eternal salvation
for all who obey him.
Jesus obeyed God
even to the point of death
on the cross.
God convicted us
of our sin
by Jesus' death
and softening our heart
by sacrificing his own son
to bear the judgment
of our rebellions.
God become,
Jesus become the source
of eternal salvation
for all
who committed
their whole life
to obey him.
What happened
to the heart of Pharaoh
teaches us about
the power and sovereignty
of God's will.
It reminds us that
the significant changes
between the believers
and unbelievers
are not the absence
of sin,
but rather
the presence
of God's grace
in softening,
convicting,
and renewing
the believers' hearts.
Pharaoh's
continuous rebellions
and disregard
towards God's call
to turn to him
to lead
to severe consequences.
A series of disasters
before Egypt
in 10 plates.
Exodus 7-10
covers the first 9,
and the next week
we'll talk about
the last plate.
So what do these plates
teach us about God?
The plate
serves many purposes,
and God refers
to the plates
in chapter 7,
verse 3
as signs and wonders.
The Bible tells us
that signs and wonders
are often performed
by God
for a very explicit
and truthful purpose.
first,
there were
a tool
of judgment
upon Pharaoh
and Egypt
for rebellions
against God
and the abuse
of God's people.
Secondly,
they are tools
of authentication.
They often serve
to validate
an authenticated
message
of God's messages.
The plates
conveyed to Pharaoh
that Moses
was a representative
of the Lord
working with his authority.
In the New Testament,
Jesus also
used signs and wonders
to authenticate
his roles
as a savior
and confirm
his divinity.
The third purpose
of the signs and wonders
is they point
beyond themselves
to a more
significant truth.
The plates
immediately
revealed God's power.
They answered
Pharaoh's declaration
back in 5,
verse 2
that he did not
know the God
of Israel.
Between 5 to
chapter 11,
God declared
numerous times
that the purpose
of his action
are so that
Pharaoh and Egypt
would know the Lord.
Those references
are shown
on the screen.
In all these
chapters
in each of the plates,
God constantly
repeats,
you will know
that I am the Lord.
They also point
beyond this
immediate event
to a greater truth
about God's patience
and not wanting
anyone to perish
but to come
to repentance.
God is powerful
and is a God
of mercy
and salvation.
All these chapters
are God's
revealing himself.
The purpose
of the plate
was to convey
the knowledge
of God
not simply
to Egypt
or Israel
but the world.
Later in chapter
34 of Exodus,
it refers to God
as a compassionate
and merciful,
slow to anger,
lavish unfailing love
to a thousand generations
and forgiving wickedness,
rebellions and sin.
Yet,
he does not leave
the guilty unpunished.
God is patient
in his application
of judgment.
His compassion
and mercy
are demonstrated
because he did not
send down
the full force
of his plate
until the seventh plate
which he said
in chapter 9,
verse 15
will wipe
Pharaoh
and Egypt
off the earth.
But before he does so,
he said in verse 19,
keep an order now
to bring your livestock
and everything
you have in the field
to a place
of shelter
because the hell
will fall
on every person
and the animal
that has not
been brought in
and is still
out in the field
and they will die.
Pharaoh
has shown
no regards
for the suffering
of his people
for six plates,
repeatedly rebelling
against God.
This plate
will take
human life
and the correct
response
means life
and death.
And what was
the response
of the people
at a time?
Let's look at
verse 20
of chapter 9.
Those officials
of Pharaoh
who fear
the word
of the Lord
hurry
to bring
their slave
and livestock
inside,
but those
who ignore
the word of God
left their slave
and livestock
in the field.
God provides
Pharaoh
and the Egyptians
with ten plates
to spark
repentance
in them.
Those that God
have chosen
to show
mercy
respond
accordingly
and were saved
and those
refuse to hear
the repeated
warning
and upset.
God's
patience
and mercy
are sharply
contrasted
and revealed
by the stubbornness
and cruelty
of Pharaoh
and his officials.
The plates
reveal that
God is
patiently
merciful,
but they
also refuse
a point
of no return.
This plate
a comfort
assurance
for those
who trust
in God
and horrific
certainty
of judgment
for those
who do not.
In the gospel
and the rest
of the New Testament,
the signs
and wonders
performed by Jesus
and the gospel's
very proclamation
serve a similar
ultimate purpose
as the plates.
The gospel,
like the plates,
serves simultaneously
to assure those
who feed the word
of the Lord.
Those who trust God
for his saving power
and took the right
action to respond
will have life.
And remind those
who ignore the word
of the Lord
that while
God is patient,
God will ultimately
bring judgment
upon those
who reject
Jesus Christ
and fail to
acknowledge
what God is doing
for and in
their life.
And at that time,
only death
remains.
God said
in chapter 9,
16
and chapter 10,
verse 2,
that one other
purpose for
these signs
is to show
that I may
show you
my power
and that my name
may be proclaimed
in all the earth
and that you
may tell your
children and
your grandchildren
how I dealt
harshly with
the Egyptians
and how I performed
my signs
among them
and that you
may know
that I am
the Lord.
What happened
to Pharaoh
and those
Egyptians
who ignored
God's word
were designed
for the future
proclamation
that the God
we learn
from the Bible
is the only
true God
the world's
creator.
Like many
cultures of
today,
Pharaoh and
the Egyptians
believed in
many gods,
the sun gods,
the river gods,
the harvard gods.
Pharaoh was
seen as a
son of gods
so his
issue was
why should I
listen to
your God
when I have
got my
gods of
my own?
He was
saying,
don't impose
your belief
on me.
People are
not offended
if you tell
them you
are a
Christian,
choosing
Christianity
as a
religion or
spirituality
as long
as you
do not
proclaim
that Jesus
is the
only way
to God
and only
truth and
relevant God.
the place
are God's
ways of
distinguishing
himself as
the only
true God
and only
relevant God
and declaring
that he is
the only God
worth obeying.
God defeated
the gods of
Egypt and
the gods of
our culture
that believe
all religions
are valid.
Everyone has
a right to
live how
they like.
Many people
proclaim by
their life
choices that
they are
their own
God.
they
determine
who they
are and
how they
will live
their life.
A lot
of Christians
also does
the same.
They
choose
when,
where,
and how
they worship
God,
as if being
a Christian
is all
about
themselves.
To them,
the gathering
of believers
is nothing
to do
with mutual
encouragement
of one
and others.
others.
Even
being
physically
among
believers,
they will
click in
and click
off without
making any
effort to
interact or
engage with
one another.
God's
confession.
They may
confess they
have sinned
when the
sufferings and
consequences of
sin come,
but go on
sinning when
the suffering
are taken
away.
but
deciding to
become a
Christian
was only
the beginning.
It matters
how you
are living
and growing
in your
obedience to
God's
words.
And more
importantly,
it's your
motivation
and your
attitude
behind those
obedience.
Jesus
has
come,
has
became
the source
of eternal
salvation for
all who
obey him.
him because
he learned
obedience from
what he
suffered.
He suffered
the rejection
of man,
he suffered
the cross,
and ultimately
the rejection
of God
on the cross.
By his
death and
resurrection,
he bears
the consequences
and the
punishment that
our rebellion's
stubborn
hearts
deserves.
The
resurrection
of Jesus
is the
most
excellent
signs and
wonder
that God
performed.
It means
to point us
to the
powerful and
merciful God,
to acknowledge
his patience
in dealing
with us.
not all
people who
have seen
God's
signs and
wonder
will end
up believing
and fear
God.
Many
will
choose
to stay
stubborn
like
lieutenant
or
another
or
Pharaoh
and his
officials.
But to
you who
are here
in prison
today,
because
Jesus
has fought
for us
and won,
we no
longer need to
hide in the
jungle of
life.
Today,
God's
word has
come to
you to
relieve you
and to
order you
to surrender.
It
proclaim to
us the
name of
God is
Jesus
Christ.
Hurry,
today is
your time
to surrender
and come
inside Jesus
to be
saved.
Don't
stay out
in the
field and
ignore God's
word.
Amen.