7 Good Lessons From 7 Bad Bible Characters [Pt. 2: Pharaoh]

Continuing our series on finding good lessons from seven of the Bible’s worst people, we will now delve into part 2 of this series. But before we get into that, in case you’ve missed part 1, you may go and check it out HERE.

Now, let’s explore three lessons from the life of Pharaoh–the main antagonist from the book of Exodus!

Who Was Pharaoh?

According to Bible scholars, the pharaoh of the Exodus was most likely Thutmose III. However, he wasn’t the pharaoh behind the decree to kill all the Hebrew baby boys throughout Egypt when Moses was born. That pharaoh was Amenhotep I.*

Anyway, Amenhotep I ruled Egypt from 1532 BC to 1511 BC, while Thutmose III reigned over Egypt from 1504 BC to 1450 BC. Both pharaohs were also–as we shall see in this post–the types of pharaohs who exhibited traits that will negatively affect our lives as Christians if we were to copy those same traits ourselves.

Let’s now explore three of these traits below!

1. Pharaoh Showed No Appreciation

The first lesson we learn from Pharaoh’s story is found in the very beginning of the book of Exodus:

Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.” Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses.
(Exodus 1:8-11)

Ellen White comments on this verse in her book, Patriarchs and Prophets:

And “there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.” Not that he was ignorant of Joseph’s services to the nation, but he wished to make no recognition of them, and, so far as possible, to bury them in oblivion.

~Patriarchs and Prophets page 241, emphasis added~

So, based on the above statement, the first lesson we can learn from Pharaoh is that he didn’t show recognition nor appreciation toward what Joseph did to save his country from famine.

How does this apply to us?

When we look back on our lives, do you or I recognize and appreciate the wonderful blessings God has given us in the past? Or–as we shall see in the second lesson from Pharaoh–harden our hearts against God in cold indifference against His past blessings and providences in our personal lives? Do you or I care about all that God has done? Or do we act like Pharaoh and simply bury them away “in oblivion?”

2. Pharaoh Showed No Submission

All throughout the scenes in Exodus that portray the whole “showdown” between Pharaoh and Moses, we’d come across verses that say something like:

“The LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart.”

Now, did God ACTUALLY harden Pharaoh’s heart? Listen to what Ellen White stated concerning this question:

God had declared concerning Pharaoh, “I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.” Exodus 4:21. There was no exercise of supernatural power to harden the heart of the king. God gave to Pharaoh the most striking evidence of divine power, but the monarch stubbornly refused to heed the light. Every display of infinite power rejected by him, rendered him the more determined in his rebellion. The seeds of rebellion that he sowed when he rejected the first miracle, produced their harvest. As he continued to venture on in his own course, going from one degree of stubbornness to another, his heart became more and more hardened, until he was called to look upon the cold, dead faces of the first-born.

~Patriarchs and prophets page 268, emphasis added~

It was Pharaoh HIMSELF who hardened his OWN heart against God and the manifestations of His divine power through the ten plagues.

How does this apply to us?

Paul tells us the primary modern application in Hebrews–

“Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
(Hebrews 3:15)

As Christians, when we sense God telling us to let go of some sin, some plan, whatever, we shouldn’t be like Pharaoh and harden our hearts against His still small voice. We should ask God to help us to willingly LET GO of whatever He wants us to let go. Just like how God spoke through Moses to Pharaoh to let His people go. Friend, if God is speaking to you right now to let go of some sin, some addiction, some person, don’t harden your heart like Pharaoh. Instead, just submit to His voice and LET IT GO.

3. Pharaoh Showed No Change of Heart

The third and final lesson we’ll learn from Pharaoh’s story is found in Exodus chapter 14:

Now it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people; and they said, “Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” So he made ready his chariot and took his people with him.
So the Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon.
And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord.
(Exodus 14:5,6,9,10)

Pharaoh had now just let go of the Israelites–for awhile. But then, with his still-hardened heart, he gathered his Egyptian soldiers together to pursue the Israelites and bring them back.

How does this apply to us?

As Christians, we’re also in the same danger of repeating Pharaoh’s cold, hard decision. For maybe a week, a month, or even a year we let of go of sin. We let go of whatever plans Christ asked us to let go. But we must beware to not try to run back after them again–or we’ll suffer deep, dark spiritual destruction. Because that’s what Pharaoh did! He–in a way–SURRENDERED to God. But his actions later on showed that his HEART never REALLY surrendered. His HEART didn’t change.

But dear reader, what about your heart?

A Prayer For A Thankful, Submissive Heart

Dear reader, if you feel convicted by the Holy Spirit that you’ve been acting like Pharaoh in your Christian walk, then I wanna appeal to you to just pray:

I’d like conclude this blog post with two verses you may claim along with the above prayer:

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
(Ezekiel 36:26)

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
(Psalm 51:10)

Amen! Maranatha!

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Stay tuned for part 3 of this series on “7 Good Lessons From 7 Bad Bible Characters,” where we’ll explore several lessons from the story of Goliath!
{***UPDATE: You can now view part 3 by clicking HERE***}

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*If you’re interested in finding out more about Amenhotep I, Thutmose III, and their roles in the book of Exodus, you may click HERE