God told Moses on three occasions that he would harden the hearts of Pharaoh and his army. Once after enlisting him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, a second time after their release from captivity, and a third time after they encamped at the Red Sea.
Consequently, Pharaoh refused to free the Israelites until after the tenth plague, which entailed the deaths of all firstborn Egyptian males. He then mobilized a rapid-response strike force to pursue the fleeing captives. These soldiers drowned in the Red Sea after God collapsed the parted waters.
God’s comments about hardening hearts raise some interesting questions about his role in these outcomes.
Did God provoke Pharaoh into defying him so he could craft a dramatic Israelite exodus narrative that would endure forever? No. God always acts righteously. He never urges anyone to defy him and commit evil acts.
Did God coax Pharaoh into pursuing the fleeing Israelites? No. Pharaoh acted in accordance with his perceived self-interest. The Israelites were slaves, a source of cheap labor. Pharaoh realized their absence would devastate the Egyptian economy.
Did God’s will for the Israelites require the firstborn Egyptian males and the soldiers to die? No. He could have easily resettled the Israelites in the Promised Land without these deaths. He would have been pleased if Pharaoh had released them from captivity before the tenth plague, or if the Egyptian soldiers had returned home after seeing the parted waters of the Red Sea.
God gave Pharaoh and his army ample time to avoid these adverse outcomes.
Pharaoh could have reflected on the first nine plagues, which likely occurred over a period of weeks, if not months; recognized God’s obvious interest in the Israelites; and determined it would be best to release them.
After witnessing the traumatic results of the tenth plague, Pharaoh could have decided it would be unwise to pursue the Israelites into the desert. He had plenty of time to reconsider his intercept plan while waiting for his army to mobilize.
After watching God part the Red Sea, the Egyptian army could have retreated in awe instead of following the Israelites onto the dry seabed. They had hours to ponder this alternative while God’s angel and the pillar of fire blocked their pursuit.
God’s comments about hardening hearts reflected his understanding of the Pharaoh’s mindset, not his malevolent manipulation of it.
Pharaoh was the richest, most powerful person in Egypt. His subjects considered him the earthly embodiment of a divine being. They worshipped him in temples and at festivals, performing rituals to celebrate his legitimacy. He was used to being sovereign over everyone.
So when Moses petitioned Pharaoh to release the Israelites from captivity, God knew that selfish pride and fear of economic loss would prompt this monarch to repeatedly refuse his request. He knew that Pharaoh would try to recapture the Israelites after releasing them to save face with his subjects and ensure their continued subservience.
God performed three miracles while enlisting Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.
He spoke to him through a burning bush that did not extinguish; transformed his shepherd’s staff into a serpent, then back into a staff; made his hand leprous, then healed it. Moses ultimately responded to these wonders with a humble willingness to obey God.
God performed twelve miracles before convincing Pharaoh to release the Israelites from captivity: He turned Moses’ staff into a serpent, then back into a staff a second time. He then sent the ten plagues and parted the Red Sea.
Pharaoh initially responded to these wonders with prideful dismissiveness, stubborn obstinacy, conditional bargaining, and deceitful confessions before finally capitulating.
Both Moses and Pharaoh witnessed God’s miraculous power and authority firsthand, but only one softened his heart in response. The other hardened his.
This dichotomy has played out ever since Adam and Eve exited the Garden of Eden.
When presented with the same message about God’s existence, excellence, and salvation plan, some people freely accept his offer of eternal life, while others freely reject it.
Why does the same message produce such divergent outcomes? Simply put, the same sun that softens butter hardens cement. Unlike butter and cement, however, we have agency in our softening or hardening.
The key ingredients in butter and cement determine their different responses to heat. The key ingredients that determine people’s different responses to God’s salvation plan are humility and pride.
