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Pharaoh was so hardened that even when the supernatural evidence was directly before him, he refused to acknowledge it. Notice that God not only sends Moses and Aaron to testify to His power, but the natural world as well. With His mighty hand, God commands the animals and insects. It doesn’t stop there. He commands time itself.
When Pharaoh is asked to pick a day when the plague will end, he chooses tomorrow. His pride effectively kept him from immediate satisfaction as he was probably hoping something else would occur that would end the plague.
Even the spiritual forces of evil recognized God’s power. The magicians couldn’t keep up with Him! They too tried to convince Pharaoh, but he would not listen.
It’s also logical to assume that many of these plagues didn’t immediately affect Pharaoh. It’s likely that he spent his time in an elevated and fancy residence with all the bells and whistles. He may have had fine Egyptian mosquito nets! The point is, the frogs, gnats, and flies may not have directly impacted him, therefore, it was much easier for him to harden his heart.
Those of us who have struggled with pride know that the longer we hold on, the harder it becomes to humble ourselves. In hardening his heart, Pharaoh was becoming more calloused to what was going on around him and less likely to submit to God – barring something catastrophic and personal.
It’s the same with human nature. We will refuse to submit until it really hurts – and many times God lets us go that far.