Why Would God Harden A Heart? By Randall Price
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I dig Randall Price. He's one smart cookie. 
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“21 And the LORD said unto Moses, When you go to return into Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in your hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the People go. (The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart doesn’t mean that God tampered with Pharaoh’s will, but rather, by foreknowledge, looked at the heart of the Monarch, and thereby knew what Pharaoh would do. God would simply supply the opportunity.)
22 And you shall say unto Pharaoh, Thus says the LORD, Israel is My son, even My firstborn (Pharaoh would understand this terminology fully, for he, himself, was called “Son of Ra”):”
“23 And I say unto you, Let My son go, that he may serve Me: and if you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your son, even your firstborn. (So, at the outset, Moses was to tell Pharaoh that if he didn’t let the Children of Israel go, his firstborn would die. So, the Monarch was not without warning. At any point he could have repented, and his firstborn would have been spared, as well as the destruction of Egypt.)
24 And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him (met Moses), and sought to kill him (threatened to kill the child; this was Eliezer, the infant; concerning this, Williams says: “Moses was commanded to announce to Pharaoh that Jehovah, the God of Israel, was about to slay his [Pharaoh’s] son; but Moses had to learn that disobedience and rebellion in him was just as hateful as in Pharaoh; and that God, because of His nature, must judge with death sin wherever found”).”
“25 Then Zipporah (the wife of Moses) took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband are you to me. (We find here that the wife of Moses was not too very much in sympathy with the things of God. So, Moses, not desiring to create a family problem, had evidently acquiesced to his wife, and had neglected to circumcise the baby boy.)
26 So He (God) let him (the child) go: then she said, A bloody husband you are, because of the circumcision. (Even though Zipporah circumcised the child, she, with anger and passion, declared that her husband’s religion was a religion of blood, i.e., “of blood-stained rites.” Thus, Moses had to learn that God would judge him before He judged Pharaoh, and that rebellion in the one was the same as rebellion in the other; and this lesson must have enabled Moses to proclaim this dreadful truth with the force of a personal experience — Williams.)”
Exodus 4
Excerpt From
The Expositor's Study Bible
Jimmy Swaggart
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-expositors-study-bible/id399697870?mt=11
This material may be protected by copyright.
22 And you shall say unto Pharaoh, Thus says the LORD, Israel is My son, even My firstborn (Pharaoh would understand this terminology fully, for he, himself, was called “Son of Ra”):”
“23 And I say unto you, Let My son go, that he may serve Me: and if you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your son, even your firstborn. (So, at the outset, Moses was to tell Pharaoh that if he didn’t let the Children of Israel go, his firstborn would die. So, the Monarch was not without warning. At any point he could have repented, and his firstborn would have been spared, as well as the destruction of Egypt.)
24 And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him (met Moses), and sought to kill him (threatened to kill the child; this was Eliezer, the infant; concerning this, Williams says: “Moses was commanded to announce to Pharaoh that Jehovah, the God of Israel, was about to slay his [Pharaoh’s] son; but Moses had to learn that disobedience and rebellion in him was just as hateful as in Pharaoh; and that God, because of His nature, must judge with death sin wherever found”).”
“25 Then Zipporah (the wife of Moses) took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband are you to me. (We find here that the wife of Moses was not too very much in sympathy with the things of God. So, Moses, not desiring to create a family problem, had evidently acquiesced to his wife, and had neglected to circumcise the baby boy.)
26 So He (God) let him (the child) go: then she said, A bloody husband you are, because of the circumcision. (Even though Zipporah circumcised the child, she, with anger and passion, declared that her husband’s religion was a religion of blood, i.e., “of blood-stained rites.” Thus, Moses had to learn that God would judge him before He judged Pharaoh, and that rebellion in the one was the same as rebellion in the other; and this lesson must have enabled Moses to proclaim this dreadful truth with the force of a personal experience — Williams.)”
Exodus 4
Excerpt From
The Expositor's Study Bible
Jimmy Swaggart
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-expositors-study-bible/id399697870?mt=11
This material may be protected by copyright.
I'd jump in on a 'Sovereignty' thread but they quickly build up to 20-25 pages by the time I get to them. I like the compatabilist view...i.e. God is 100% sovereign but in a way that keeps our choices !00% intact. Sort of like Jesus being 100% God and 100% man. Boggles our human reason but keeps in accord with Scripture.
Sort of a foot in both camps?
Like the double minded man?
Nice try and one that has been tried many times.
But.........there is no sovereign God if man has a free will. Logically it cannot exist side by side.
Our God is not like human "sovereigns" who have SOME authority over the limited regions they control - limited sovereignty is not true sovereignty Our God is the Creator of all and all are under His authority. The UNIVERSE is His "region" and He rules it all totally.
Like the double minded man?
Nice try and one that has been tried many times.
But.........there is no sovereign God if man has a free will. Logically it cannot exist side by side.
Our God is not like human "sovereigns" who have SOME authority over the limited regions they control - limited sovereignty is not true sovereignty Our God is the Creator of all and all are under His authority. The UNIVERSE is His "region" and He rules it all totally.
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God is fair to all people, but he knew Pharaoh would not change, and knew his heart of the type of person that he was, so God used him to show his power on earth to not only free the Jews, but to show the earth that He is the one true God.
God is not going to toss someone aside that is well meaning, and has a decent care for people to show his power, but He will use someone whose heart He knows will not change to show His power.
The Bible says many are called, but few are chosen, and no one can come to the Son unless the Father draws them, and no person says Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost, so no one can come to the truth unless God calls them and intervenes in their life to make this happen.
The Bible says not many wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called, for they are in positions of power, and like to rule, and exert authority over other people lacking love to a big degree.
So if they have been called they can never be chosen to be saved, but that was because of their heart condition.
Which Pharaoh was that type of person, especially with the belief concerning Pharaoh's position on earth as someone great, which caused him to afflict the Jews, so God used him to show his power on earth.
God is not going to toss someone aside that is well meaning, and has a decent care for people to show his power, but He will use someone whose heart He knows will not change to show His power.
The Bible says many are called, but few are chosen, and no one can come to the Son unless the Father draws them, and no person says Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost, so no one can come to the truth unless God calls them and intervenes in their life to make this happen.
The Bible says not many wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called, for they are in positions of power, and like to rule, and exert authority over other people lacking love to a big degree.
So if they have been called they can never be chosen to be saved, but that was because of their heart condition.
Which Pharaoh was that type of person, especially with the belief concerning Pharaoh's position on earth as someone great, which caused him to afflict the Jews, so God used him to show his power on earth.
That is not the PRIMARY REASON for why God hardened Pharaoh's heart.
The ultimate plan was for God to display His power and glory worldwide, through the deliverance of the Israelites and the destruction of the Egyptians.
For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. (Rom 9:17; Exod 9:16)
At the same time a careful study of the Bible shows us that:
1. God has no pleasure in the death and damnation of the wicked, therefore He allowed Abraham to plead for Sodom multiple times.
2. God gives the wicked many opportunities to repent, therefore He gave wicked Pharaoh multiple opportunities to repent, just as He did for the whole earth through Noah.
3. The Holy Spirit pleads with sinners to NOT harden their hearts, but to respond to the voice of the Spirit, as we see in Hebrews.
4. God even makes special provision for the wicked to be saved, as in the case of Jonah at Nineveh, and the many pleadings with the kingdoms of Israel and Judah before their destruction.
5. God and Christ pleaded with Israel over and over again to repent and return to God, as Jesus said to Jerusalem before it was wiped out in 70 AD.
6. It is only when all means have been exhausted that God hardens the hearts of the wicked.
We could go into the details of Pharaoh's life to see that this is true. However, some will always deceive themselves into thinking that God decrees eternal damnation for some before they are even born (which is TOTAL RUBBISH).
The ultimate plan was for God to display His power and glory worldwide, through the deliverance of the Israelites and the destruction of the Egyptians.
For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. (Rom 9:17; Exod 9:16)
At the same time a careful study of the Bible shows us that:
1. God has no pleasure in the death and damnation of the wicked, therefore He allowed Abraham to plead for Sodom multiple times.
2. God gives the wicked many opportunities to repent, therefore He gave wicked Pharaoh multiple opportunities to repent, just as He did for the whole earth through Noah.
3. The Holy Spirit pleads with sinners to NOT harden their hearts, but to respond to the voice of the Spirit, as we see in Hebrews.
4. God even makes special provision for the wicked to be saved, as in the case of Jonah at Nineveh, and the many pleadings with the kingdoms of Israel and Judah before their destruction.
5. God and Christ pleaded with Israel over and over again to repent and return to God, as Jesus said to Jerusalem before it was wiped out in 70 AD.
6. It is only when all means have been exhausted that God hardens the hearts of the wicked.
We could go into the details of Pharaoh's life to see that this is true. However, some will always deceive themselves into thinking that God decrees eternal damnation for some before they are even born (which is TOTAL RUBBISH).
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It's often over looked that long before (about 80 years previously) God told Moses that He would harden Pharaoh's heart (Exodus 7:3), Pharoah had already hardened his own heart...
Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.”
(Exo 1:8-10)
Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.”
(Exo 1:8-10)
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