God had declared concerning Pharaoh, "I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go." Exodus 4:21. There was no exercise of supernatural power to harden the heart of the king. God gave to Pharaoh the most striking evidence of divine power, but the monarch stubbornly refused to heed the light. Every display of infinite power rejected by him, rendered him the more determined in his rebellion. The seeds of rebellion that he sowed when he rejected the first miracle, produced their harvest. As he continued to venture on in his own course, going from one degree of stubbornness to another, his heart became more and more hardened, until he was called to look upon the cold, dead faces of the first-born.

Gud havde erklæret om Farao: "Jeg vil forhærde hans hjerte, så han ikke lader folket rejse." 2. Mos. 4, 21. Der blev ikke udøvet nogen overnaturlig kraft for at forhærde Faraos hjerte. Gud gav kongen de mest slående beviser på den guddommelige magt, men monarken nægtede hårdnakket at ænse lyset. For hver gang, han forkastede en åbenbaring af den evige kraft, blev han blot endnu mere trodsig i sit oprør. Den oprørssæd, han såede, da han forkastede det første mirakel, bragte sin høst. Idet han fortsatte ad sin egen bane og gradvis blev mere hårdnakket, blev hans hjerte mere og mere forhærdet, indtil han stod og så på de førstefødtes kolde, døde ansigter.