Hi Merlinda. Many have wondered why Pharaoh & the Egyptians were treated so harshly by God, when prior to sending out the various plagues we often read that God had hardened Pharaoh's heart.
We first see that Pharaoh was an evil man, a brutal dictator who also enslaved the Israelites with terrible abuse & oppression. As well, he believed that he was a god or at least, an intermediary to the pantheon of gods (even as the people considered the pharaohs) & there was none their equal. So Pharaoh could say, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go." ( Exodus 5:2). So Pharaoh's heart was already opposed & hardened towards the God Whom Moses & Aaron represented as we also see in some references: Exodus 7:22; 8:15,19,32; 9:7,34,35.
So when we read that it was God Who hardened the Pharaoh's heart ( Exodus 4:21; 7:3; etc.), we have to conclude that indeed God did affect Pharaoh's heart against Him, but his heart was already hard & stubborn & God simply ensured that his heart would remain so during the time of affliction & punishment. God could well have done this to remind Pharaoh who this God of Moses was, the mightier works that He can do than what Pharaoh's magicians could do & how grossly wicked Pharaoh's acts were against the Israelites that warranted such stern punishment. Yet, God was still merciful in sparing the Egyptians lives, in spite of their suffering & loss of human life.
What should have been a repentance & softening of Pharaoh's heart, remained hard & this hardness was then made harder by God proving His Power over the Egyptians & His Love for His people, Israel, to free them from tyranny. Romans 9:17: "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." cf Exodus 9:16.
The hardening of Pharaoh's heart I believe was to show God meant what He said....and said what He meant...God does things in a certain order...ALWAYS...one of the reasonings behind this....is because if it went the way mankind expects it to go....would anyone ever see God? How does one show the power of God unless they see and testify to what God has done...in His own plan...in His own timing...His own PERFECT way!!
We first see that Pharaoh was an evil man, a brutal dictator who also enslaved the Israelites with terrible abuse & oppression. As well, he believed that he was a god or at least, an intermediary to the pantheon of gods (even as the people considered the pharaohs) & there was none their equal. So Pharaoh could say, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go." ( Exodus 5:2). So Pharaoh's heart was already opposed & hardened towards the God Whom Moses & Aaron represented as we also see in some references: Exodus 7:22; 8:15,19,32; 9:7,34,35.
So when we read that it was God Who hardened the Pharaoh's heart ( Exodus 4:21; 7:3; etc.), we have to conclude that indeed God did affect Pharaoh's heart against Him, but his heart was already hard & stubborn & God simply ensured that his heart would remain so during the time of affliction & punishment. God could well have done this to remind Pharaoh who this God of Moses was, the mightier works that He can do than what Pharaoh's magicians could do & how grossly wicked Pharaoh's acts were against the Israelites that warranted such stern punishment. Yet, God was still merciful in sparing the Egyptians lives, in spite of their suffering & loss of human life.
What should have been a repentance & softening of Pharaoh's heart, remained hard & this hardness was then made harder by God proving His Power over the Egyptians & His Love for His people, Israel, to free them from tyranny. Romans 9:17: "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." cf Exodus 9:16.
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