Courtney Gilmore God said: I know the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand. So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it. After that he will let you go. Exodus 3:19-20
See that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. Exodus 4:21
At first glance it appears that Pharaoh initially refused because God hardened his heart. That makes us wonder why God would harden his heart, seemingly MAKING him not let the people go, & then punish him for it. But as we continue to read, the story unfolds a little differently. God does harden Pharaoh’s heart, but not initially. He just knows the end result & is expressing that to Moses in the beginning, so he is prepared for a progressive battle. Pharaoh’s heart was hard towards them in the beginning since he was oppressing them. He continued to harden his own heart throughout the miraculous signs & the first 5 plagues. It was not until the 6th plague that the Lord, Himself, hardened Pharaoh’s heart for the first time. By this point, Pharaoh had already placed himself as an enemy of the Lord & His people. He was never going to worship or serve Him. So, God did not cause Pharaoh to sin. God does not cause people to sin. Sin is evil & God is good. It is only through Pharaoh’s own selfish & evil desire that God used His enemy to reveal a Mightier Power than the miracles & first plagues alone would have revealed. He wanted all to see the vast & unmatched power that could only come from the Almighty God. The Lord’s hardening came after his own, only to put His glory on full display. This would make all other nations fear Israel & their God.
Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son, and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son.’” Exodus 4:22-23
So God is for His people. He is against those that are against Him. But God never makes us sin. That is something we all do out of our own selfish desires. Notice the difference between God’s chosen people, those He calls His children, & those that aren’t. God was for His people & against Pharaoh. If Pharaoh refused His firstborn, then God would kill his. Similarly we know that Jesus is His only begotten Son & God will kill the soul & body of all that refuse Him.
This passage should not confuse or discourage us. Instead it should inspire us in a couple of ways.
First, we want to be God’s children. We must believe in His Son Jesus as our Savior & confess Him as our Lord. Being a Christian means to be a Christ-follower. If He is Lord of our lives, then we follower Him. So, we want God to be for us, but we also do not want Him to be against anyone else. We need to be like God, wishing that no man will perish but that all will come to repentance. How does a man know unless he’s told because faith comes by hearing. So that should inspire us to tell the gospel to those that don’t know it. The word gospel means good news. So, witness to others the good news of God the Father, Jesus the Son, & the Holy Spirit. Live your life as a witness to Him. Pray for those that don’t know Him. Believing & telling others, grows our faith as well as theirs. God wants a relationship with each & every one of us. Israel was His firstborn, but now all believers can be called children of God. That is what it means to be born again. We are first born of the flesh having an earthly father, but if we trust in Him as our Lord & Savior, then we have been born again, making us children of the Heavenly Father! Become a Child of God & then gather for yourself brothers & sisters!
Excerpt from episode 50, “The Children of God” Exodus 4, on Podcast & YouTube
