THE PLAGUE OF OUR HEARTS

Ever since the Covid-19 global pandemic surfaced, prayer movements and teachings based on 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 have come to the forefront of social media, and rightfully so.  The Bible terms such pandemics as plagues which may be caused or otherwise allowed and utilized by the Lord to incentivize heart change in His people.  God has allowed the current pandemic.  Now let us observe the counterpart to the verses in Chronicles referenced above which may lead to a more comprehensive understanding of what God is after at this time.

1 Kings 8:37  If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, blasting, mildew, locust, or if there be caterpiller; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there be; 38  What prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house: 39  Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;) 

The worst plague of all is “the plague of our own hearts” which refers to the iniquity which may plague individuals and nations.  Life-altering circumstances are conducive to heart-examination and purification.  It is to this end that our Heavenly Father chastises us for our own good, that we may share in His holiness.  He disciplines us according to His great mercy and prefers to do so with no more severity than required.  It is therefore wise to deal with our hearts before the Lord is left with no option but to escalate matters in consistent fashion with the numerous examples we have in Scripture regarding individuals and nations.  This article will spotlight lessons to be gleaned from Biblical case studies of God’s dealings throughout history.  Special attention will be given to Pharaoh, then to God’s chosen nation of Israel which is explicitly set forth as an example for the Church.

Most Christians are familiar with the fact that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, but relatively few seem to be aware that Pharaoh hardened his own heart on three different occasions (Exodus 8:15, Exodus 8:32, Exodus 9:34).  The Lord additionally asked Pharaoh through Moses, “How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me?” which is a clear indication that Pharaoh failed to take the real opportunities he was given to respond more favorably.  According to Exodus 9:16, God had raised Pharaoh up to show forth His power, that His name may be declared throughout all the earth.  However, the means by which God would accomplish that were dependent upon Pharaoh’s response.  Given the verses stated above, the foretelling of Pharaoh’s refusal was according to God’s foreknowledge of Pharaoh’s choices rather than God’s predetermination of his choices.  Humility or pride would determine if Pharaoh would be a beneficiary in God’s plan or if God would extract glory from Pharaoh’s life in a way that was detrimental to him. These things must be taken into view if we are to appreciate how apropos this case study is.  The “plague of Pharaoh’s heart” was pride.  Inherent in his pride were specific tendencies which serve as telltale signs that should alarm all who are likewise plagued.  We will explore these tendencies and conclude with how God hardened Pharaoh’s heart in response to his pride.

My recent study on this subject was bathed in much prayer and meditation and I sensed that God had revelation in store for me which is relevant to these times. As soon as I awoke one morning, the Holy Spirit brought to remembrance the phrase “I have sinned” which had been spoken by Pharaoh. I immediately had a revelation that the chronology of those words in the story line carried much significance.  Sure enough, as I went back to the Word I noticed that Pharaoh’s confession of sin and wickedness came right on the heels of God saying, “For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth” (Exodus 9:14).  The first 6 plagues spanned approximately 8 months.  Pharaoh’s heart was unaffected by them, so at that time God turned up the heat to break through the resistance.  The last 4 plagues increased in frequency and intensity, taking place over the course of about 2 months and ending on Passover. 

The inherent tendencies of pride displayed in Pharaoh’s life:

1. Pride must learn the hard way if it learns at all. Pharaoh did not humble himself at all in the face of God’s warnings or milder attempts to reach him through the first sixth plagues. “A reproof entereth more into a wise man than an hundred stripes into a fool” (Proverbs 17:10). 
2. Pride may confess sin, but always without repentance. Pharaoh confessed his sin, as King Saul did, but never turned from it.  “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”  (Proverbs 28:13).
3. Pride reneges on good intentions when there is reprieve. Pharaoh changed his mind about letting the people go as soon as the plagues were withdrawn.  He was motivated only by consequences which may be used to prod a person to action, but alone can never sustain the action.  This is worldly sorrow which focuses on self.  Godly sorrow focuses on relationship with God and leads to repentance.  The right motivation brings empowerment – see 2 Corinthians 7:10.  
4. Pride must maintain control. Pharaoh tried to impose restrictions on the Israelites at every turn.  He would not allow the children to go, would not allow the flocks and herds to go, would not allow them to go too far, etc.  This was nothing but pride asserting itself to maintain a degree of control as one who is in charge.
5. Pride incites the opposition of God which eventually may turn someone over to their own stubbornness.

“That which does not subdue the heart hardens it” – Albert Barnes

“There is a crisis in every soul-history up to which God’s methods appear likely to turn the proud to Himself; but if that is passed, those methods seem only to harden. Just as in winter the thaw of the noon makes harder ice during the night; so, if the love of God fails to soften, it hardens. In this sense God seemed to harden Pharaoh’s heart.” – F.B. Meyer 

Let us now look afresh at 2 Chronicles 7:14 and see how it coincides with the plague of our hearts which is iniquity that is rooted in pride.  Our hearts may be plagued with many things, all which stem from this pride that needs to be dealt with viciously.  (1) Humble ourselves.  (2) Pray, which we may often neglect due to pride.  (3) Seek His face.  Whereas prayer may focus on petitions and other forms of prayer, seeking His face means pursuing intimate relationship.  (4) Turn from our wicked ways.  It is remarkably interesting that this is mentioned last.  Certainly, we should immediately turn from any wickedness we are aware of.  However, how much wickedness do we harbor in our hearts which we do not consider to be wicked until we reach the final stage of intimacy and our hearts are pierced with the gaze of His holy eyes as we look into His face?  How often have we lowered our standards to match what a fallen and blind world considers to be noble?  How much urgency have we given to the attitudes of our hearts?  God’s ways never change.  For that reason, the methods He uses to deal with individuals and nations are the same, just on a larger scale. 

Lessons from Israel

1 Kings 8:38  What prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house: 39  Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;) 

I am genuinely concerned that many have spent time in prayer with futile attempts to take authority over God’s means of correction, bypassing the instructions to humble ourselves and discern the plague of our own heart.  We cannot deny God what He is after and still expect to rise above the national calamities we are experiencing. Things will only escalate with such a response, as it happened with Israel.  

Isaiah 9:8  The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel. 9  And all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, that say in the pride and stoutness of heart, 10  The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars. 11  Therefore the LORD shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him, and join his enemies together; 12  The Syrians before, and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. 13  For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the LORD of hosts. 

In this passage, the fallen bricks and the sycomores that were cut down were mild judgments of God against the backslidden Israelites.  Rather than rending their hearts in response, they tried to rise above the correction and rebuild with better materials in their own strength and resolve.  I hope you can see; this is the current state of America.  Amid a global pandemic and various other calamities including the most recent race riots which continue to add blows to our economy, we have a president who is declaring that we will rebuild our economy and make it stronger than ever before.  Don’t get me wrong. I am thankful that he has such resolve and vision.  However, if the Church does not respond biblically to our current situation, it will greatly restrict what the president is able to do and whatever is done will be unsustainable.

The Sovereign Judge of all

We need to wake up and sober up!  We must realize how quickly things can escalate. There is a great deal of resistance among some Christians to the thought that God can raise up adversity against His hypocritical people by employing the wicked. This was the initial reaction of prophets such as Habakkuk when he was told that God would bring the wicked Chaldeans against Judah, but God corrected the prophet and we should incorporate that correction into our theology.  The Lord also sent the wicked Assyrians against Israel, calling them the rod of God’s anger against them – Isaiah 10:5 “O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation. 6  I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.”  In every case, God eventually judges the wicked who are employed by Him who unwittingly fulfill His objectives as tools in His hand – See Isaiah 10:15. I recall the words of a pastor I know, “God doesn’t use the devil to do His dirty work.”  Well, that is true.  God doesn’t do dirty work.  He does righteous work and sometimes utilizes the wicked to do it.  Then He judges them as being wicked instead of righteous because their motives are different than His!  The Lord Reigns!  Once we do as the Word instructs us in 1 Kings 8:37-39 & 2 Chronicles 7:13-14, we will enter a new place of glory and authority as a Church.  In the meantime, the faithful remnant can still exercise authority in their jurisdiction.

Let us not be as those who were called rejected silver as in Jeremiah 6:30; those who refused to be refined despite many exposures to the refiner’s fire.  Let us not be as Israel during the time of Isaiah when they left God no recourse but foretell their captivity, “Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. 6  From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment” (Isaiah 1:4-5).  Let this be the generation that responds favorably to God’s attempts to capture our hearts.  I pray the Body of Christ will rise up with this testimony, “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word” (Psalms 119:67).