Removing Stumbling Blocks: How Can God Be Good If He Hardened Pharaoh's Heart?

In this paper I want to look at the Old Testament references to God 'hardening' Pharaoh's heart. We will look at assumptions we read into this. Secondly we will look at this statement in the context of God's Character and try to get further meaning on this text.

There are 3 - 4 verses in Exodus that talk about God 'hardening' Pharaoh's heart. Such example are Exodus 9:12, 10:20 & 27, 11:10. The first of these occurs in Exodus 9 where Moses once again confronts Pharaoh telling him that God is calling for the release of the Israelites slaves from Egypt. Pharaoh doesn't want to let his slave work force go. God begins to demonstrate supernatural power against Egypt. These demonstrations are the well know 12 plagues of Egypt. I can see two reasons for doing this. The first is the deliverance of the Israelite slaves. The second, less considered reason, is that God is revealing His power to make His name know above the demon-gods of the ancient world. One of the reasons He wants to do this is to direct people's attention to Him so that they might know Him, have relationship with Him and thereby be brought home to Heaven in eternity. All over the Old Testament the God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob is doing spectacular things to broadcast His Name and Character so people would be saved. It is just the same as what Jesus did in the New Testament. Look at the paper "Evangelism in the Old Testament" for more information.

Regardless of the reasons God released Signs and Wonders against the land of Egypt until the Israelites are given their freedom. At one point Moses throws dust into the air and it becomes boils on the skin of the Egyptians. The magicians have duplicated 2 of Moses' signs, but they can't duplicate this one. (Click here for a quick thought on magic and Harry Potter) Boils appear even on the Magicians. However Pharaoh won't budge. He will not let the Israelites go. Now here comes the verse that makes a lot of us (including me at one time) very angry and resentful towards God:

"The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them and on all the Egyptians. But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said to Moses." Exodus 9:12

Assumptions: First I want to consider our assumptions with a text like this. And this may be the main point of a lot of scripture. What is in our hearts about God? What are we assuming about Him? For myself and many of my friends we are realizing that one of the hidden things in our hearts is accusation against God's goodness. It goes something like this: "Aha! I knew it! See He is really evil... He is mean... He hates us... look what He did to Pharaoh! He hardened Pharaoh's heart. Pharaoh didn't even have a chance!" Honestly - I have wrestled with those feelings, thoughts and voices in my own heart for years! I realized that one of the assumptions that I came to the table with is that I am afraid of God. I am on the look out for anything that God might do that is wrong because in my heart I think He is mean or downright evil. A second assumption I had coming to this text is that God did this to Pharaoh instantly. The third assumption I had was that Pharaoh was not hard-hearted before. 

Now let me give you my impression of the situation after wrestling with these verses for 15 years. I am going to start with what I know to be true of God's Character. Exodus 34:6 says that God is "slow to anger and abounding in love." Secondly I have discovered that God is not like us. He is not moody, flippant or irritable. You can't do one wrong thing and send Him in to a temper tantrum. He is not like us. And He is not like Satan either. All of these things are true about Satan. However God is Good. He is patient, kind and generous. Our experiences in life teach us the opposite about people and the culture modeled after Satan's values. But God is Good.

Let me bring up a quick example showing that nothing we can do one time will turn God against us instantly. The Apostle Peter denied believing in Jesus - denied even knowing Jesus. This happened right before Jesus was tortured and killed. While Peter was telling everyone that he didn't even know Jesus he also called down curses on himself if what he said wasn't true! Do you get that? Peter totally denied Jesus Publicly! He swore it!

"He [Peter] began to call down curses on himself, and he swore to them, "I don't know this man you're talking about." Mark 14:71

But let's consider the Character of Jesus here (which by the way is the same as God's Character). Jesus doesn't reject Peter and abandon him to hell because he 'denied Jesus.' Some people think that Jesus / God is so moody, so tense, so angry that one major failing and you are out! God is not like this. That is a lie of Satan. When Jesus comes back to life after being crucified Peter is the first one that He visits (Luke 24:34 & I Corinthians 15:5). Isn't that wonderful? Jesus doesn't abandon Peter but visits him first. And John 21 shows how Jesus affirms Peter and calls Peter to continue to follow Him. That is His great and wonderful Character!

Therefore understanding this about God's Character we know that Pharaoh didn't do one thing and God turned against him. God is slow to anger and great in love! (Ex 34:6) In fact I began to understand that God bears with us a long time in all of our sins - willful ones and sins of ignorance. In fact I Corinthian 13:5 says:

"...[Love] is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs."

And since "God is love" (I John 4:8) I know this is how God deals with us. Therefore I came to the conclusion that Pharaoh must have made his choices for or against God for years and years. One choice after another put him in a position of being "hard" hearted long before Moses arrived on the scene. Thousands and thousands of daily choices for years had brought Pharaoh to the place he was. It didn't happen overnight. And it didn't happen without God talking to Pharaoh time and time again - trying to draw him. The Spirit of God talks to all people whether we are conscious of it or not. He calls us to know him and love what is good and to reject what is evil. That is God's Character and His way. He doesn't leave anyone alone but calls all to know Him and to come home to heaven. This is one of the things the Holy Spirit does on the earth.

At this point, as Pharaoh has made his own choices over his lifetime, God takes his daily choices and uses them. He strengthens the choices Pharaoh has already made. And this is where God "hardens Pharaoh's heart." God did not 'control' Pharaoh and take away his free will to choose God or reject God. God only took Pharaoh's personal choice and intensified it. And He does this for one reason. As Pharaoh resists God, God demonstrates great signs, wonders and power against Egypt! This makes the name of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob known. As His name becomes known people can call upon Him and be saved. People can pray to Him and begin to know God and be delivered from sin and death and come home to Heaven.

If Pharaoh won't turn to God himself then God will at least use Pharaoh's choices to bring other people to Himself to save them. That is what I think this is all about.

Conclusion

When the scripture talks about God 'hardening' Pharaoh's heart it is referring to God activity after Pharaoh had already spend the majority of his life choosing for or against God; choosing for or against goodness. Once that choice was consistently made God used that choice. He strengthened it. Then He demonstrated His divine power against all of Egypt to make His name know so that anyone could call upon Him in prayer and know Him. Knowing Him and His goodness would infuse them with immortal life.