Exodus 8:17 And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man, and in beast; all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt. 19 Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had said.
This passage of scripture reveals to us the lengths to which a stubborn person can go in order to avoid the undeniable truths presented to them by God. In the case of pharaoh it led to insanity where he was no longer able to reason rationally from cause to effect, even when warned and reproved by his own magicians. There are people in this world who are entirely averse to God, and others have made a conscious decision to rebel against him by aligning themselves with satanic agencies, via black magic, Santeria and Voo-doo. We are left free to choose which ever master we desire, either Christ or the devil, but if a person chooses the agencies of evil, what else can be done for him if he would not even listen to satan?
Pharaoh set his heart in a mode of thought and decision-making that made it literally impossible for his stubbornness to be penetrated using milder measures, and so plague after plague was brought upon the nation with increasing severity, so that some-way, somehow his intelligence could be appealed to. He did not have to accept Christ as his Lord and Savior, neither did he have to keep the ten commandments if he chose not to, all that God required of him was to let His people go so that they could serve him. Even when the magicians and statesmen became obviously angry with him for his foolishness, he still would not comply with God's request, but persisted in rebellion for no logical reason. Let's read:
Exodus 10:7 And Pharaoh's servants said unto him, How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed? 10 And he said unto them" ..... 11 Not so" .... "And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence".
It is a dangerous thing for us to manifest a stubborn attitude in the face of clearly revealed truths or warnings from God. The Lord deals with nations and individuals in the same manner, in that we are held accountable for the light and scriptural knowledge that has been shed on our pathway, and if after God's will is made known to us, we persist in a wrong course of action, then our mental faculties are adversely affected, and deteriorate to the point of insanity which then becomes incurable, and ends in destruction as the sacred record shows of Pharaoh and his hosts. Let's read:
Exodus 14:23 And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24 And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, 25 And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the Lord fighteth for them against the Egyptians. 26 And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. 28 And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.
In our own experiences let us be certain to always harbor a humble and teachable spirit, so that if The Lord reveals a gray area in our characters, or some pet sin that we cherish, that we would be willing to let go and allow God to cleanse us from the stains of sin, so that both our life and sanity can be preserved. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which cautions us to avoid the sin of stubbornness, and it is the will of God that we accept his correction whenever it becomes necessary. Let's read:
Proverbs 29:1 He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!