My Thoughts on Pharaoh's Hardened Heart
As the start of Passover 2018 hits on a Good Friday this March 30, 2018 - I just want to think about one important event called the Exodus. As I was reading Exodus, I wanted to think about one topic that always nagged me namely the Pharaoh of the Exodus having a hardened heart. Surely, there was more than what may be a young Pharaoh facing two old men in their 80s.I think about what God said in Exodus 4:21 saying:
When thou goest into Egypt, seest hat thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go."
That always made me think why would a holy and righteous God harden the heart of an evil king or allow it to happen? God already told Moses that He will harden the Pharaoh's heart - but told him to go anyway. That seemed absurd but we can read these reasons from the Bible.
Exodus 7:3-5
And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. [4] But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay My hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and My people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. [9] And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the childrne of Israel from among them.
Exodus 9:16
And in this deed for this cause I have raised thee up, for to shew thee My power, and that My name may be declared throughout all the Earth.
The more I read through it - the more I realize that this is not directly hardening Pharaoh's heart. Exodus 8:19 and 32 tells us that the Pharaoh of the Exodus hardened his heart. This would be the case. God is in control and He allows evil for a certain reason. He could have softened the Pharaoh of the Exodus' already hardened heart but He chose to let it happen. He stated his reasons that He wanted to let the Egyptians know that He is God and not their idols and that by that very deed, to show His power and that His Name be declared.
It's unbelievable how Pharaoh willfully hardened his heart in many cases. He always changed his mind every time a plague subsided. What was amazing was that Exodus 8:19 - his own magician told him that it's God's finger but he refused to believe. All the facts and figures were right before his eyes that the gods of Egypt were fictional compared to the God of the Universe. Yet, we can see that this is the very sinful condition of man. Today, we've got people who see the truth is as clear as day but they refuse to believe.
This would be the reflection that God Himself will often use people's own sins towards their destruction. When God said He would harden the Pharaoh's heart - He was simply allowing a wicked man to do wickedness for His glory. One can think that the plagues were meant to show God's power and show the Egyptians the folly of their ways. This was also meant to show that God was planning to use the foolishness of the Pharaoh of the Exodus against himself. This showed that God is in control and He knows what He's doing when He allows wickedness to prosper or persevere for the time being.
It was all about God's glory. If Moses was able to convince Pharaoh to let the Israelites go then who gets the glory? God or Moses? People would be singing of Moses instead of God. I don't know if Moses must have wished he could change Pharaoh's mind before God told him that there's a reason behind Pharaoh's hardened heart. It was God that was glorified and not Moses. This reminds me the next time I face a person like the Pharaoh of the Exodus - God may have a reason for hardening that person's heart so I don't get the glory.
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