What is Repentance?..

Read: Exodus 7-9
Marked: Exodus 9:27, And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time. The LORD [is] righteous, and my people and I [are] wicked.

Genuine repentance is marked by a change of heart and a change in direction. Sinners oppose God and walk counter to His Word. Pharaoh had opportunity to repent, but this time, even though the words he spoke made it seems like he’d learned his lesson, he hadn’t. He said, “I have sinned this time.”

Genuine repentance is a recognition that we have lived a life apart from God in which every moment has been lived in rejection of what God desires. Moses recognized that Pharaoh wasn’t genuinely repentant (V30). And V35 confirms this. True and genuine repentance causes a complete change in thought, in attitude, and in heart toward God and the things of God.

Consider James 4:8-10, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up.”