Still the heart of Pharaoh grew harder. And now the Lord sent a message to him, declaring, "I will at this time send all My plagues upon thy heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like Me in all the earth. . . . And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to show in thee My power." Not that God had given him an existence for this purpose, but His providence had overruled events to place him upon the throne at the very time appointed for Israel's deliverance. Though this haughty tyrant had by his 268 crimes forfeited the mercy of God, yet his life had been preserved that through his stubbornness the Lord might manifest His wonders in the land of Egypt. The disposing of events is of God's providence. He could have placed upon the throne a more merciful king, who would not have dared to withstand the mighty manifestations of divine power. But in that case the Lord's purposes would not have been accomplished. His people were permitted to experience the grinding cruelty of the Egyptians, that they might not be deceived concerning the debasing influence of idolatry. In His dealing with Pharaoh, the Lord manifested His hatred of idolatry and His determination to punish cruelty and oppression.

Men Faraos hjerte blev stadig hårdere. Og nu sendte Herren ham et budskab, der lød således: "Denne gang vil jeg sende alle mine plager mod dig selv og mod dine tjenere og dit folk, for at du kan kende, at der er ingen som jeg på hele jorden ..... Derfor har jeg ladet dig blive i live for at vise dig min magt." Skønt denne hovmodige tyran ved sine forbrydelser havde forspildt Guds nåde, var hans liv dog blevet bevaret, for at Herren på grund af hans forhærdelse kunne åbenbare sine mirakler i Ægyptens land. Det er Guds forsyn, der styrer begivenhedernes gang. Gud kunne have overladt tronen til en mere barmhjertig konge, som ikke ville have vovet at trodse de mægtige åbenbarelser af hans magt. Men i så fald ville Herrens hensigt ikke være nået. Hans folk fik lov at erfare ægypternes grusomme undertrykkelse, for at de ikke skulle være uvidende om afgudsdyrkelsens nedbrydende indflydelse. I sin handlemåde med Farao viste Herren sit had over for afgudsdyrkelsen og sin beslutning om at straffe grusomhed og undertrykkelse.