When the locusts came to Egypt and ate all they could, Pharaoh's soul weakened. He called Moshe and Aharon and acknowledged his sin against the Eternal and against them and asked for forgiveness to, then, ask them to free him from the locust plague. Then the Torah says that the Eternal strengthened his heart and so he could do what he really wanted: not sending away the sons and daughters of Israel. The Hebrew text doesn't say that the Eternal hardened his heart but that He strengthened it – vayechazekויחזק   – from the root chazak –חזק  – strong.

This teaches us that Pharaoh's repentance was fake, false. He only repented superficially to receive a benefit and be delivered from the plague. But when the plague was gone, his heart went back to be the same. His repentance didn't come out from his heart but from his mind. It wasn't deep enough. He didn't change his innermost attitude.

There are many people who come to the Eternal when things go wrong just to ask for His help. They know that their Creator doesn't agree with their lifestyle and that's why they feel the need to confess and ask forgiveness for their sins. But that is only conditional. They do it just to make a good impression to get momentary help, but not to change their lives and stop doing just what they want. Their heart hasn't surrendered to the Eternal; they just seek Him out of interest. After the Eternal helps them, they just leave His ways because their heart didn't actually change. There was no true repentance, it was all fictitious.

The Eternal is not the plumber whom we call when we have a leaky faucet at home. He is a Father and a Boss whom we have to obey in everything and not only when things go badly.

Stop living for yourself. Stop deciding when you are going to take heed to His words. Humble yourself and reason together with Him, when things are going badly and also when they are going well. Repent for real!

May the Eternal give you revelation to understand this message. 

In Messiah Yeshua,

Ketriel