The Hardening of Pharaoh’s Heart with Pastor Ryan Braley

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A story about plagues, power, and a stubborn king turns out to be a mirror we can’t ignore. We dive into the hard question behind Exodus: what does it mean for Pharaoh’s heart to be hardened—and what does that say about free will, evil, and the kind of people we’re becoming?

We start where Scripture starts: with a God who makes room for life and entrusts humans with real agency. Israel’s growth embodies that gift; Pharaoh sees it as a threat. From there, we trace how the Bible uses “heart” as the center of thought, will, and moral posture, and why hardening is more than hurt feelings—it’s a chosen resistance to wisdom, mercy, and life. Then we map the progression across the ten plagues, noticing when Pharaoh hardens himself and when the text credits God, and we offer three grounded ways to read that tension: God permitting an already chosen path, God’s presence intensifying a trajectory, and God strengthening Pharaoh’s resolve to weave rebellion into a larger redemptive plan.

Along the way, we pull in ancient Near Eastern context, showing why early Israel often spoke of God as the cause behind all causes, and we keep our focus on the practical stakes: resisting the anti-creation impulse that still shapes our politics, our online lives, and our daily reactions. The call is simple and demanding—choose life. Keep a soft heart in a hard age. Let your agency make space for others to flourish, from your closest relationships to the most contested public questions.

If this conversation helps you reimagine a troubling text and your own posture in the world, share it with a friend, subscribe for more, and leave a short review telling us where you see hardening—and hope—right now.


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