Exodus 11:10 - 12:14 / Matthew 12:1-8
One powerful aspect of being human is that we can make decisions.
Yes, we have the freedom to make a choice and to make decisions.
That freedom is uniquely ours, and no one can take away that freedom because it is a divine gift to humans.
So, we may find it rather astonishing in the 1st reading when it said that the Lord made Pharaoh’s heart stubborn, such that Pharaoh won’t free the Israelites.
But that is the Bible’s way of saying that God already knew that Pharoah was too proud to let the Israelites go free.
And so, Pharoah’s heart was stubborn and hardened, not so much made so by God, but by his own decision.
So even despite the many wonders worked by Moses and Aaron, Pharoah was unmoved.
When our hearts are stubborn and hardened, we too will not see the wonders and miracles that God is showing us.
But when we choose to understand the ways of God and to submit to His will, then we will see how wonderful God’s love is for us.
God’s love is always for our good. In choosing to see that is a great blessing for us.