Exodus 10: “False Surrender and the Darkness of the Hardened Heart”
1. God Sends Moses Again
“Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants.” (Ex 10:1)
God sends Moses again, even though refusal has been constant.
This teaches a central Catholic truth:
God never stops calling, even when He knows the heart will resist.
God allows Pharaoh’s pride to solidify so that the truth may be unmistakable — not only for Egypt, but for Israel and for all generations.
St Gregory of Nyssa explains:
“God permits resistance to ripen so that evil may be exposed, not excused.”
(Life of Moses)
2. Why God Allows This to Continue
“That you may tell in the hearing of your son and of your grandson… how I have dealt harshly with the Egyptians.” (v. 2)
This is about passing on the faith.
God is forming a people who will remember:
What slavery is
What deliverance costs
Who truly saves
Catholic faith is always handed on, not invented.
St Augustine of Hippo writes:
“God acts in history so that faith may be taught, not forgotten.”
(City of God)
3. The Eighth Plague Is Announced: Locusts
“If you refuse… tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country.” (v. 4)
Locusts destroy the future, not just the present:
Crops
Seed
Hope
This plague follows earlier damage and completes the devastation.
Spiritually, locusts represent sins that consume what remains after earlier damage.
St Gregory the Great teaches:
“When sin is not cut off early, it devours what little virtue remains.”
(Moralia on Job)
4. Pharaoh’s Own Servants Beg Him to Stop
“How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go.” (v. 7)
This is a turning point.
Even Pharaoh’s advisers now recognise:
God’s power
Pharaoh’s stubbornness
The cost of pride
But Pharaoh still resists.
This shows:
Pride often survives even when evidence is overwhelming.
5. Pharaoh Summons Moses — With Conditions
“Go, serve the Lord your God; but which ones are to go?” (v. 8)
Pharaoh now accepts worship in principle, but not obedience in full.
This is the key temptation of this chapter.
6. Moses States God’s Terms Clearly
“We will go with our young and our old… our sons and our daughters.” (v. 9)
Worship involves the whole people.
This is deeply Catholic:
Faith is not private
Families worship together
Children belong in the life of faith
St John Chrysostom comments:
“Where children are excluded, worship is already wounded.”
(Homilies on Exodus)
7. Pharaoh’s Counter-Offer: Leave the Children Behind
“Go now, you who are men… but leave your little ones.” (v. 11)
This is one of the most dangerous compromises in Scripture.
Pharaoh allows:
Adult religion
Without children
This is an attack on the future.
The Church has always resisted this lie.
St Augustine warns:
“To separate children from worship is to plan for unbelief.”
(Sermons)
8. Moses Refuses — and Is Driven Out
“They were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.” (v. 11)
Truth rejected becomes inconvenient.
This anticipates:
Prophets rejected
Christ driven out
The Church marginalised
9. The Locusts Come
“The locusts covered the face of the whole land.” (v. 14)
They consume:
What hail spared
What Egypt depended on
Nothing green remains.
This is the total stripping away of false security.
10. Pharaoh Confesses Sin — Again
“I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you.” (v. 16)
This sounds sincere.
But watch closely.
11. Pharaoh Asks for Forgiveness — But Only for Relief
“Forgive my sin only this once… and remove this death from me.” (v. 17)
Pharaoh wants:
Consequences removed
Not his heart changed
This is fear-based repentance, not conversion.
St John Chrysostom explains:
“He confesses not because he loves righteousness, but because he hates suffering.”
(Homilies on Exodus)
12. Moses Prays — and God Removes the Locusts
“The Lord turned a very strong west wind… not a single locust was left.” (v. 19)
God’s mercy is complete.
Again, intercession works.
This shows:
Prayer can remove punishment even when the heart remains unchanged.
13. Pharaoh Hardens His Heart Yet Again
“But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the people go.” (v. 20)
This is now habitual resistance.
Freedom remains, but willingness is shrinking.
14. The Ninth Plague: Darkness
“A darkness to be felt.” (v. 21)
This is not ordinary darkness.
It is:
Heavy
Paralyzing
Total
The Fathers unanimously interpret this as spiritual blindness made visible.
St Gregory of Nyssa writes:
“The darkness is not in the eyes, but in the soul.”
(Life of Moses)
15. Egypt Is Covered in Darkness
“They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place.” (v. 23)
Sin isolates.
Darkness destroys:
Relationship
Movement
Hope
This is what hardened sin does to the soul.
16. Israel Has Light
“But all the people of Israel had light where they lived.” (v. 23)
This is a powerful image of grace.
The Church reads this as:
Life in grace vs life in sin
Faith vs blindness
St Augustine says:
“The same world holds darkness and light; the difference is not place, but heart.”
(Sermons)
17. Pharaoh Makes His Final Compromise
“Go, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and herds remain behind.” (v. 24)
Now Pharaoh allows:
People
Children
But not sacrifice
This means:
Worship without offering.
This is unacceptable.
Catholic worship always involves sacrifice — fulfilled in the Eucharist.
18. Moses Refuses Again
“Not a hoof shall be left behind.” (v. 26)
This is one of the strongest lines in Exodus.
It teaches:
God demands complete obedience, not negotiated faith.
St Gregory the Great comments:
“What is half-offered is already withheld.”
(Moralia on Job)
19. Pharaoh Explodes in Anger
“Get away from me… on the day you see my face you shall die.” (v. 28)
When pride is cornered, it becomes violent.
Truth rejected turns into hatred.
This foreshadows:
The rejection of Christ
The threat of death against the prophets
20. Moses’ Calm Final Word
“As you say! I will not see your face again.” (v. 29)
Moses speaks without fear.
The final confrontation is coming.
God’s mercy has been exhausted — not because God is cruel, but because Pharaoh has closed himself completely.
Key Catholic Themes in Exodus 10
| Theme | Catholic Meaning |
| Partial repentance | Fear without surrender |
| Compromise | Faith without obedience |
| Darkness | Spiritual blindness |
| Children | Faith must be handed on |
| Sacrifice | Essential to true worship |
| Final refusal | Pride hardening into hostility |
Christ at the Centre of Exodus 10
Moses → Christ proclaiming truth
Pharaoh → the hardened heart
Darkness → rejection of the Light of the World
Compromise → temptation rejected by Christ
Light for Israel → life in grace
St Augustine summarises:
“Those who refuse the Light must dwell in darkness, not by force, but by choice.”
(City of God)
Spiritual Application
Do not offer God partial obedience.
Do not separate children from worship.
Do not delay full surrender.
Recognise the danger of repeated refusal.
Choose the light while it is offered.
Closing Prayer
Lord God, Light of the world,
deliver us from partial faith
and from hearts that resist Your truth.
Give us courage to obey You fully,
to worship without compromise,
and to walk always in the light of Christ,
who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Amen.
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