How do you know if someone is sincere? How do you know if they meant what they said?

Moreover, how do we know if they are sincere in what they say about God? Or even to God? How do we know if someone means what they said in regards to God and faith?

As I have been reading again in Exodus, I have been taking some time to look more deeply at Pharaoh’s responses to God’s message to him through Moses.

In the story of the 10 plagues (Exodus 7-12), Moses is asking Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go free. If he doesn’t, there will be consequences. This sequence continues on for several back-and-forths. By the time we get to the 7th plague (hail) the story has intensified.

As the worst hail storm ever falls on the Egyptians, in Exodus 9:27 we finally hear Pharaoh say this: “This time I have sinned; the Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong.”

This is outstanding. This is what Moses and Israel had been longing to hear Pharaoh say for 7 straight plagues now. This confession from Pharaoh is a good confession. This confession is what every human being should be saying before God. We have sinned. God is right. I am wrong.

Sounds great, right? But is it? Thats just it. He said the right thing, but did he mean the right thing? Was he sincere in what he said?

Just a few verses later, Moses says to Pharoah in 9:30 “But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the Lord God.”

Moses somehow knew Pharaoh didn’t mean what he had said. He wasn’t sincerely turning to God.

So then a few verses later we read “But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet again and hardened his heart, he and his servants.” (9:34)

What Pharaoh is doing in 9:34 does not go along with what he said in 9:27. His actions of 9:34 do not go along with his words of 9:27. Which means that Moses’ observation in 9:30 is correct.

If Pharaoh had really been sorry for his sins in 9:27 then he would have been sorry to sin in 9:34. Even more, he would have been more reluctant to sin in 9:34.

He didn’t mean what he said. It sounded awesome and life-giving and freeing to hear him say that in 9:27. I imagine that Moses and the Israelites would have initially been so thrilled and excited to hear this after all the suffering they endured. But it wasn’t sincere, and so in time they saw that nothing had changed.

What about us? Do we mean what we say? Are we sincere with our words and our confessions and our repentance and our apologies? When we say we are wrong, do we really feel that? When we say we repent, do we really repent?

Let us be reminded of the very words of Jesus when he says “Not everyone who says to me “Lord, Lord’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 7:21)

Saying that Jesus is Lord is nice. But it doesn’t tell us if you really mean it. Do you believe it?