The nature of man's heart, Pharaoh's or anyone else for that matter, would seem to bear greatly on this whole issue. The New Testament has much to say about man's nature and sin:
Rom. 1:18 says people - "suppress the truth through unrighteousness", Rom. 3:11 asserts -"no one understands", "no one seeks after God", Rom. 8:7 affirms - "Carnal mind is enmity against God for it is not subject to the law of God nor indeed can be", 1 Cor. 2:14 likewise says - "natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit they are foolishness to Him nor can he know them because they are spiritually discerned".
Perhaps mankind’s heart and relationship toward God is well summed up here:
Eph. 2:3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. (NKJV)
We must understand the nature of man's heart with the best information possible, the direct teaching of scripture, which we see confirms that all people are naturally hard hearted. So it follows that Pharaoh’s heart was hard and that he was inclined by nature and his own desire to choose sin. Even if Pharaoh was not as bad as he could have been in every instance, his choices were not out of a love for or obedience to God.
Now with that said can God justly and for His own purpose intervene in the life of Pharaoh even to the point of hardening his heart so he doesn't let Israel go when otherwise out of fear/pain/logic, but not righteousness, he might have?
Scripture says -
Exod. 4:21 And the LORD said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. 22 Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Israel is My son, My firstborn. (NKJV)
Exod. 10:1 Now the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, that I may show these signs of Mine before him, 2 and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son’s son the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you may know that I am the LORD.” (NKJV)
Exod. 11:9 But the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not heed you, so that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.” 10 So Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh; and the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go out of his land. (NKJV)
Exod. 14:3 For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, ‘They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in.’ 4 Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD.” And they did so. (NKJV)
I realize that between the first mention of God’s plan to harden Pharaoh’s heart (4:21) and the final hardening which God claims credit for as well (14:3) there are several mentions of Pharaoh hardening his own heart. However, it is very clear that God wants to be recognized as the source of the hardening and even tells us several reasons why: To show - “Israel is My son, My firstborn”, that Israel may tell their sons “of the great things I have done in Egypt”, “My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt”, “I may gain honor over Pharaoh”, “the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord”.
Pharaoh comes close to letting Israel go several times in response to the painful plagues, but since God’s purpose is not yet fulfilled He hardens Pharaoh’s heart. (Example: Exod. 10:24-28).
It is clear that Pharaoh was hard hearted by nature and choice, like all people and that God caused him to keep Israel longer than he otherwise might have (to avoid the plagues/pain) so that God’s purpose in the deliverance of Israel would be fully carried out.
One more question to consider - Is Israel any better?
God tells Pharaoh “let my people go” and He tells Israel “I will deliver you out”. Israel sees the signs/plagues brought on Egypt affirming their deliverance, but do they respond with great faith or do they seem a bit hard hearted as well?
Exod. 14:10 And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD. 11 Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? 12 Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.” (NKJV)
God’s opinion of Israel’s heart/faithfulness is summed up well here:
Deut. 9:4 “Do not think in your heart, after the LORD your God has cast them out before you, saying, ‘Because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land’; but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is driving them out from before you. 5 It is not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you go in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD your God drives them out from before you, and that He may fulfill the word which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 6 Therefore understand that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people. (NKJV)
The amazing thing about God’s workings among Israel and Egypt during the Exodus is not the audacity of God to harden the rebellious/hell deserving Pharaoh, but the audacity of His choice to show grace toward Israel who is also rebellious and hell deserving!
Lord – please intervene in our lives according to your mercy and grace - for your purpose and glory!
Eph. 2:3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. (NKJV)
We must understand the nature of man's heart with the best information possible, the direct teaching of scripture, which we see confirms that all people are naturally hard hearted. So it follows that Pharaoh’s heart was hard and that he was inclined by nature and his own desire to choose sin. Even if Pharaoh was not as bad as he could have been in every instance, his choices were not out of a love for or obedience to God.
Now with that said can God justly and for His own purpose intervene in the life of Pharaoh even to the point of hardening his heart so he doesn't let Israel go when otherwise out of fear/pain/logic, but not righteousness, he might have?
Scripture says -
Exod. 4:21 And the LORD said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. 22 Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Israel is My son, My firstborn. (NKJV)
Exod. 10:1 Now the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, that I may show these signs of Mine before him, 2 and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son’s son the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you may know that I am the LORD.” (NKJV)
Exod. 11:9 But the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not heed you, so that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.” 10 So Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh; and the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go out of his land. (NKJV)
Exod. 14:3 For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, ‘They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in.’ 4 Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD.” And they did so. (NKJV)
I realize that between the first mention of God’s plan to harden Pharaoh’s heart (4:21) and the final hardening which God claims credit for as well (14:3) there are several mentions of Pharaoh hardening his own heart. However, it is very clear that God wants to be recognized as the source of the hardening and even tells us several reasons why: To show - “Israel is My son, My firstborn”, that Israel may tell their sons “of the great things I have done in Egypt”, “My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt”, “I may gain honor over Pharaoh”, “the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord”.
Pharaoh comes close to letting Israel go several times in response to the painful plagues, but since God’s purpose is not yet fulfilled He hardens Pharaoh’s heart. (Example: Exod. 10:24-28).
It is clear that Pharaoh was hard hearted by nature and choice, like all people and that God caused him to keep Israel longer than he otherwise might have (to avoid the plagues/pain) so that God’s purpose in the deliverance of Israel would be fully carried out.
One more question to consider - Is Israel any better?
God tells Pharaoh “let my people go” and He tells Israel “I will deliver you out”. Israel sees the signs/plagues brought on Egypt affirming their deliverance, but do they respond with great faith or do they seem a bit hard hearted as well?
Exod. 14:10 And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD. 11 Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? 12 Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.” (NKJV)
God’s opinion of Israel’s heart/faithfulness is summed up well here:
Deut. 9:4 “Do not think in your heart, after the LORD your God has cast them out before you, saying, ‘Because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land’; but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is driving them out from before you. 5 It is not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you go in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD your God drives them out from before you, and that He may fulfill the word which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 6 Therefore understand that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people. (NKJV)
The amazing thing about God’s workings among Israel and Egypt during the Exodus is not the audacity of God to harden the rebellious/hell deserving Pharaoh, but the audacity of His choice to show grace toward Israel who is also rebellious and hell deserving!
Lord – please intervene in our lives according to your mercy and grace - for your purpose and glory!
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