Exodus 6:28-7:7

On the day when the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, he said to him, ‘I am the Lord; tell Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I am speaking to you.’

But Moses said in the Lord’s presence, ‘Since I am a poor speaker, why would Pharaoh listen to me?’¹
The Lord said to Moses, ‘See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet.² You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his land. But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart,³ and I will multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. When Pharaoh does not listen to you, I will lay my hand upon Egypt and bring my people the Israelites, company by company, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgement.⁴ The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out from among them.’⁵ Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as the Lord commanded them.⁶ Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.⁷

1 Moses's consistent self-doubt have become either aggravating or comical by this point.

2 That very interesting phrase is repeated again.

3 Also repeated is the reference to Pharaoh's heart being hardened. Why not just let him let them go? Would there not be far less suffering that way? Does God harden Pharaoh's heart because he understands something about the situation that we do not, or do I just misunderstand what “hardened his heart” actually is meant to mean?

4 Why judge them for something that God caused to happen? How does that show God's glory?

5 Is just stating a truth here, or explaining the motivation behind his actions?

6 Though Moses often doubts and complains, at the end of each interaction he has always been obedient.

7 Such an advanced age to start their ministry before God. Late starts are okay!

Take-home: God repeats and emphasizes the peculiar action of “hardening Pharaoh's heart”, and will judge the Egyptian people for it. Yet again Moses is doubtful of himself, but yet again he obeys in the end.