Hard Hearts on both sides

Exodus 9
35 Because his heart was hard, Pharaoh refused to let the people leave, just as the Lord had predicted through Moses.

A hard heart is satan’s greatest tool, isn’t it? If we harden our hearts towards God, we will refuse to listen to, or even acknowledge him. Pharaoh had seen the mighty works of God’s hands through several plagues, yet just as God had predicted through Moses, his hard was hardened and he refused to obey God. The evidence for God is all around us today, yet people have hardened their hearts and refuse to believe His Word. It makes me sad. It also reminds me of a statement I recently saw atheist Penn Jillette make: “how much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that.” From the mouth of one whose heart is hardened against God comes and indictment against those of us who claim to follow Christ but condemn people to hell because we won’t share the Gospel with them. How hard do our hearts have to be to refuse to share the Gospel with others? Moses was trying to share God’s Word with Pharaoh, and while Pharaoh refused to listen, that didn’t relieve Moses of the responsibility of telling him that Word. Nor does it relieve us of that same responsibility today.