Exodus 9:22-28

²² Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, so that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, on man and animal and every plant of the field, in the land of Egypt.” ²³ Then Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt. ²⁴ There was hail and lightning flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. ²⁵ The hail destroyed everything that was in the field in all the land of Egypt, both man and animal. And the hail struck down every plant of the field and stripped every tree of the field. ²⁶ Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail. ²⁷ Then Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them, “This time I have gone too far; the LORD is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. ²⁸ Plead with the LORD, because there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will send you away, and you will stay no longer.”

gone too far

This could have been the end of the story, but it was not. Pharaoh’s repentance was not based on a true assessment of who God was, so it did not last. Pharaoh was genuinely sorry that all the plagues had descended upon him and his nation. Perhaps you are there. Maybe you look at your life and deeply regret some of the choices that you have made, and are willing to accept the blame for those choices. That is a good start, but it is not biblical repentance. It is “worldly sorrow” which “lacks repentance” and “results in spiritual death.”[1] Worldly sorrow accepts the fact that you have gone too far, but godly sorrow admits that you have not gone far enough. Worldly sorrow is sad over God’s judgment, but godly sorrow agrees with God’s judgment. Worldly sorrow pleads for God to relent, but godly sorrow begs for God to renovate.

If you are a sinner today and you know it, don’t ask for God to quickly take care of your problems. Ask him to change you. Be willing to continue suffering for as long as it takes for his image to be restored in you. Accept God’s forgiveness, and live in a renewed relationship with God on the basis of Christ’s finished work on the cross. His forgiveness is free, and his acceptance is immediate. But don’t assume that a lifetime of rebellion against God can be undone by a simple confession and prayer. Be willing to allow the Holy Spirit to move you from your present position to the place where God wants you.

LORD, show us how to be unsatisfied with our sin, but to move beyond that to being unsatisfied with our holiness. Create in us a hunger for more of you, not just less of sin and sorrow.

[1] 2 Corinthians 7:10 NLT.