How did God first deal with Pharaoh?
God first dealt with Pharaoh by sending Moses and Aaron to confront him with the demand to let the Israelites go. This placed Pharaoh on the spot and gave him a choice. When he refused, God sent the first plague, which made Pharaoh think but did not move him to obey.
Les explains that as soon as God began dealing with Pharaoh through Moses and Aaron, they confronted him and said, "let our people go." God was putting Pharaoh on the spot and giving him a choice to either let Israel go or not. Pharaoh chose not to let them go. God then sent the first plague, which made Pharaoh think, but that was as far as it got with him. The next time Moses and Aaron came and said, "let my people go," he said, "no, I'll not let them go." Because the first plague had passed, he hoped there would not be any more. But he was also now in a more hardened position than before. It was not that God zoomed in on his heart like a laser beam and fried it.