Exodus 4:21

Introduction:

1. This question has shaken and even upended the faith of some.

2. If God forced Pharaoh to rebel and then punished him for rebelling against his own will, God is unjust.

3. What follows is proof that God is innocent of these charges.

Discussion:

I. The Objection Presented

A. “God begins the process of ‘hardening Pharaoh’s heart’ (see also Exodus 7:3,13, 9:12, 10:1, 20,27, 11:10, 14:4,8), thus making it impossible for any of the plagues that God sends to have any beneficial effect. But according to 1 Samuel 6:6, God didn’t harden the Pharaoh’s heart; the Pharaoh did it himself” (Steve Wells- Skeptics Annotated Bible)

B. “There are plenty of other atrocities committed by God or at his command…such as the Exodus story when the Egyptian Pharaoh was repeatedly ready and willing to let Moses and his people go, until God hardened his heart, and then God punished him for his hardened heart by sending plagues or killing children throughout all of Egypt.” (Kendall Hobbs- Why I Am No Longer A Christian)

II. Three Different Hardenings

A. God hardened his heart (Exodus 4:21; 7:3; 9:12; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10; 14:4).

B. Pharaoh hardened his own heart (Exodus 8:15, 32; 9:34; 10:3; 13:15).

C. His heart was hardened (Exodus 7:13, 14, 22; 8:19; 9:7, 35).

III. Plausible Argument #1

A. E.W. Bullinger argued that the Bible uses action verbs which “…were used by the Hebrews to express, not the doing of the thing, but the permission of the thing which the agent is said to do.”

B. This idea is supported by various other references.

1. Did God deceive the people of Judah? (Jeremiah 4:10)

2. Did He deceive the prophets? (Ezekiel 14:9)

3. Can we make God an actual liar? (1 John 1:10)

4. God did not actively harden Pharaoh’s heart; He allowed it.

IV. Plausible Argument #2

A. Metonymy of the subject is a figure of speech where one word/name stands for another.

B. We may say, “I am reading Shakespeare” while reading his writings.

C. The Bible is filled with such figures of speech.

1. Did Jesus baptize, or did His influence cause them to be baptized? (John 4:1-2)

2. Did Judas buy the potter’s field, or did his actions occasion its purchase? (Acts 1:18; Matthew 27:5-7)

3. Did Jeroboam make Israel sin, or did his influence prompt them to sin? (1 Kings 16:19, 26; 22:52)

4. Did David kill Uriah or cause it circumstantially? (2 Samuel 12:9)

5. Did Roosevelt build the Golden Gate Bridge or Eisenhower the interstate?

6. God hardened Pharaoh’s heart by making an occasion where he had to choose to obey or disobey; Pharaoh did the rest.

V. Why Would God Harden Pharaoh’s Heart?

A. He could have delivered them without incident.

B. He led Israel out as He did in order to:

1. Reveal Himself to the Egyptians (Exodus 7:3-5; 14:4)

2. Instill faith in the Israelites (Exodus 10:1-2)

3. Declare His power to the world (9:13-16).

4. Ultimately extend mercy to all nations through the coming Messiah (Romans 9:17, 22-26).

Conclusion:

1. The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart is a difficult concept to reconcile with the rest of the declarations of God’s nature.

2. We may be sure from our investigation that God did not harden an innocent heart and then punish a man for His actions.