#hardenedhearts

[four4soaring]

If I can change, and you can change, everybody can #change . #Rocky Balboa watches as he and other people who had #hardenedhearts change right before his eyes and he makes this pronouncement. I agree, I’ve seen a lot of change and I believe #He’lldoitagain and again! (at Charleston, South Carolina) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxsvN4JnEHV/?igshid=186ggmbd4mvn3

[m-kd]

Hardened Heart: Part 2

So we’re going to go back in time a little bit to Exodus, the Ten Plagues story. If you didn’t read my Part 1, then you can go read it here! 

I asked two main questions: Who hardened Pharaoh's heart first? And if God really hardened his heart, didn't he forced Pharaoh to do wrong? And I didn’t really find super solid answers but let me share with you my thoughts! 

So... who hardened Pharaoh's heart first? God or Pharaoh himself? Someone once said that asking this question is like asking which came first: the chicken or the egg (lol). But in this case, I personally think that Pharaoh hardened his heart from the very start. When God was telling Moses about his mission, he warned him about Pharaoh's heart:

“But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.” - Exodus 3:19-20

It seems to me that God knew from day one that Pharaoh will harden his own heart. I know you're asking me: "But what if God’s saying that because he planned to harden Pharaoh's heart from day one?" To be honest, I don't think God did harden his heart from the very beginning. I may be completely wrong or I'm missing something but stay with me, okay? Lets go through a brief timeline.  

First, God revealed himself to Moses about his mission to save the Israelites. Then He warned Moses of Pharaoh's heart. Moses goes up to Pharaoh and what happens? Exactly as God said. Pharaoh refused to let the Israelites go himself. I mean, who's gonna do the dirty work if there are no Israelites? Moses became discouraged but God reassured him and THEN he told Moses that he will harden Pharaoh's heart and reveal to him signs & wonders. And if you read the plagues in order, you notice that it doesn’t specifically say that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart until the 6th plague of boils (and then the 8th to 10th: locusts, darkness, firstborn). I don’t know if I’m taking this out of context or not but what I'm saying is that Pharaoh himself hardened his heart throughout most of the plagues. Perhaps God did not choose to harden his heart until much later?

Now you're probably asking: "During those moments when God hardened Pharaoh's heart, isn't it a bit unfair? Why should Pharaoh be punish if he was 'forced' to harden his heart?" 

To be honest, throughout the whole plagues, I don't think Pharaoh would have turned to God even if God didn't do anything. Even after the plagues, Pharaoh changed his mind and chased the Israelites down. Doesn't exactly sound like a man of faith or a man of his word. But I think what God did was merciful. Pharaoh was a sinful man. An abuser. An oppressor. And what is the wages of sin? Death. So what God did to Pharaoh is merciful in my opinion. Not to mention, also so damn powerful. Pharaoh already chose the wrong path from the very beginning. God hardening his heart was a way to show his sovereignty and glory to the world. It was a way to show Pharaoh who God is. A good question that I ran across as I was researching is: "Is it possible for God, in his gracious sovereignty, to harden Pharaoh's heart without affecting whatsoever Pharaoh's ability to believe in God's promise and become a part of God's redeemed people?" Who are we to question his power? Does God even have limits? I mean, he created the universe and wiped out Earth for goodness' sakes. My answer to this question is: If God wasn't able to harden Pharaoh’s heart without affecting his ability to believe, then aren’t we saying that those who have strong hardened hearts (whether from self or from God) are forever lost with no hope? That they are bound to death? Are we saying that God doesn't have the power to change hearts? I think we all know that no hardened heart is forever lost. I believe in hope and redemption for every lost sheep... no matter how immovable or hardened a heart is. So the end answer to that question: Yes, I think God can. Of course, I can be completely wrong in all this. But regardless of who hardened whose heart and how it was done, I think the overall bottom line here is that the Ten Plagues reveals God’s sovereignty. It opens my eyes to see how much more God is than what I know, and how powerless, small, and weak I am... especially during this time. 

The ability to change hearts. The ability to destroy Egypt's gods one by one. The ability to save the oppressed. The ability to use such a scared wimp (sorry Moses). The ability to evoke such fear and obedience. The ability to do what magicians can't do. That's our Sovereign God.

- MK