Exodus 5-10 - God and Pharaoh

Who's ready for some serious theological wrestling today? Me neither, but I couldn't really get past the following verse and not do some study on it:

"The Lord said to Moses, 'When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go'" (Exodus 4:21).

Anyone else have a problem with that verse? This verse (and a tough passage in Romans 9 that very much corresponds to this idea) raises so many theological red flags that I'm not sure where to start. If God has given us free will, can he just toy with a man's emotions like that? And then if God does indeed tinker with emotions does that make him a mastermind behind every act that results from this tinkering? And if this tinkering results in the downfall of this man, would that not make God evil? Or even alternatively, if God's tinkering with this one man results in the glorification of God among a million others, is that justified? Wouldn't God be playing favorites?

The first view as to why God hardened Pharaoh's heart is that God used Pharaoh so that plagues could be brought which would display to everyone, without a shadow of the doubt, who is in control. I could indeed see some validity to this view. After all, remember that the Israelites have now been in Egypt and their foreign gods for 400 years now. They have also become slaves in Pharaoh's eyes, just plain laborers for his pet building projects. There is clearly no evidence of God's work around them and so they would need some.

I'm a Trekkie, and so I get the idea of the "needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." But this only seems to hold water when the few or the one have a say in the matter, especially if it means their destruction as it did for Spock, who was and ever shall be Kirk's friend. *sigh and sniff :)* In our Biblical story, this "glorification" comes clearly at the expense of others and even creation itself (plagues on livestock, hail smashing crops...) who have no say in the matter.

God has instilled in us a need for relationship and also a value of human life such that even if we saw someone in danger, our God-given instincts would kick in and many of us likely would try to rescue them and save them from harm. So for God to harden Pharaoh's heart for the glorification among his people just seems to really fly in the face of what we know God to be like (since he did give us our conscience and instincts after all), does it not?

The second problem with this view, in my opinion, is that God is sending this man to his ruination just for the glorification of "his chosen people." From our human experience, we know and see favoritism from a very young age (he got more frosting than I did!!), and we have a sense of what's fair and just, again due to our God-given consciences. Destroying one man for a whole people does not seem right, fair or just.

Both of these views lead to my immediate conclusion that this, my friends, is double predestination. God saves those who he wants, and condemns who he wants, and it's set in stone. Eek!

Which brings me to the second view, which brings an element of human choice into it. This would state that we indeed got a preview of what would happen as God said he would harden Pharaoh's heart (Exodus 4:21, 7:14, 7:22). However, as you read further into the story, one would find that it is actually Pharaoh who hardens his heart first (Exodus 8:15, 8:32, 9:34) and it eventually got to a breaking point beyond saving; and thus into the category of receiving consequences in further hardening from God (Exodus 9:12, 10:20, 10:27).

Does this view not conform to more of our human understanding and experience? Most of us can think of an example of someone who has gone done a dark path. Throughout this path, there seems to be at least a glimmer of hope and redemption. We try to step in to save this person for God wants no person to be lost (1 Timothy 2:4). We also intervene because we love this person and rightfully fear what will happen if they continue down this journey. Yet, they have a choice to continue down this path, and unfortunately, many do. And once they do, there is no choice but to let natural law and natural consequences take their toll: their hearts become harder, they become more isolated, and they are beyond redemption as sad as that is to say.

In this view, God is not some cosmic captain of a heavenly team where if you're not picked to be on the team, you're a loser damned to hell. Instead, God has indeed chosen all of us to be on his team and we can certainly play whole-heartedly for him... or we choose to reject to be under his care and protection. Once we choose that way, God can still care for us and love us like any coach would; but our consequences are beyond his control for we have chosen our way and not God's way.

Now don't get me wrong; God can and still will use these dire circumstances (natural and fallen as they are) to bring good. God used Joseph's brothers' misdeeds to save Egypt. God used Pharaoh's hardened heart to bring glory to the Israelites. The Story Spoiler Alert: God used the conquest aspirations of the Assyrians and Babylonians to discipline the Israelites and bring them to repentance; and God used the avarice and greed of the Pharisees to achieve his ultimate plan of salvation for us.

This view then is unconditional election. God chooses us all, but we can choose to reject him; but even in that rejection, God will use that rejection and bring good out of it.

And that, my friends, is pure gospel! :)