Who Hardened Pharaoh's Heart?
by Jody L Apple

    Without a doubt, the major focus of the book of Exodus is the actual departure (hence "exodus") of the children of Israel from the land of Egypt. How and why this departure actually takes place is the central thrust of the first twelve chapters.

    Within this setting we see God's servants, Moses and Aaron, repeatedly request that Pharaoh allow the children of Israel go into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord. With each request Moses informed Pharaoh that if he refused to let Israel go, he would know just who the Lord God was by witnessing a plague (Ex 5:2; 7:17 et al). These plagues, in addition to demonstrating the singular reality of Jehovah God, were specifically aimed as judgments against the "gods" of Egypt (cf. Ex 12:12; Num 33:4).

    Problematic, in the minds of some anyway, is that even before Moses went to Pharaoh, the Lord told him (Moses) just what Pharaoh's response would be. Pharaoh's heart would be hardened (Ex 7:3), and he would not heed Moses' message (Ex 7:4). Further complications ensue when we note God said He would harden the heart of Pharaoh (vs 3). Why the ten plagues if God knew what Pharaoh would do? Why the continual requests of Moses and Aaron if Pharaoh had no choice in the matter? After all, didn't God make Pharaoh respond as he did? Wasn't God's hardening of Pharaoh's heart tantamount to saying that God controlled Pharaoh, that Pharaoh had no choice?

    In order to resolve what appears to be a substantial problem, consider the following. The overall context of Exodus presents three different perspectives concerning the hardening of Pharaoh's heart:

    (1) some passages simply say that Pharaoh's heart was hard (cf Ex 7:13-14, 22, 23; 8:19);

    (2) some passages say that the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart (cf. Ex 7:3; 9:12; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10; 14:4, 8);

    and (3) some verses tell us that Pharaoh hardened his own heart (cf. Ex 8:15, 32; 9:34). How can all three of these perspectives be accurate? Isn't there a contradiction here, or is it possible that all three positions reflect some aspect/s of the truth? The answers to these questions involve three fundamental Bible doctrines: the foreknowledge of God, the free will of man, and the principle of instrumentality.


The Foreknowledge of God

    First, what does it mean to say that God has foreknowledge? It means, quite simply, that God has the ability to know something before it occurs. This truth is found throughout scripture and is, in fact, one of the distinctive hallmarks of scripture as well as of the essential character of God. Consider these passages: "Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure,' " (Is 46:9-10); "But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head upon your bed, were these:" (Dan 2:28); and "Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him." (Matt 6:8)

    God, unlike the idols Isaiah so strongly denounced (cf. Is 40-50), not only has the ability to see, hear and respond; he is actually able to know. Moreover, he knows all, and he knows all in advance. Who, therefore, should Israel trust in? Idols which they carved and shaped with their own hands? Idols, which if they are to move at all, must be moved by those that made them - don't even consider that they could ever do anything for those who "worship" them. The futility of idol worship is so frequently denounced, and ridiculed, that Israel was without excuse for engaging in this sin (Is 40:19ff; 41:7ff; 44:12ff; 45:20ff; 46:5ff; cf. Judge 17:3ff; Jer 10:3ff; Hos 8:4; et. al.).

    It is interesting to note that whenever Isaiah goes to such great lengths to denounce the folly of idolatry, he goes to equally great lengths to contend that: (1) there is no one else like God (certainly no "god" fashioned with man's hands); (2) there is no one that knows what God knows; and (3) there is no one who can do what God does. Key to each defense of the uniqueness of deity is God's foreknowledge.*


The Free-Will of Man

    Second, what does it mean to say that man has free will? To say that man has free will means that man has the ability to make moral and ethical decisions of his own accord. Does the Bible teach this principle? Absolutely. Freedom of the will is taught in scripture in numerous ways: (1) freedom of choice demands it (Deut 11:26; 30:15, 19 Josh 24:15; Mt 11:28-30; Rev 22;17) (2) eternal judgment according to one's works demands that man has freedom of choice, and thus freedom of will (Pr 24:12; Jer 25:14; Mt 16:27; 2 Cor 5:10-11; Rev 2:23; 20:12-13); (3) God's offering of blessings contingent upon obedience demands man's free will (Ex 15:26; 19:5; Lev 26:3-43; Deut 28:1-20; Mt 10:22; Col 1:22-23; Rev 2:10**); and (4) "invitation" passages - those verses in which an "offer" of redemption/salvation is made to an audience (specific or universal) - demand that those "invited" have the freedom of will to choose/respond (Josh 24:15; Is 55:3; Matt 11:28-30; Jn 7:37; Rev 22:18ff; et. al.


The Principle of Instrumentality

    Third, what is involved in the principle of instrumentality? An instrument is a tool, and a tool is morally neutral. A knife, for example, can be used by a surgeon to save a life, but it can also be used by a criminal to take a life. The knife itself is not at issue, but what is done with it by whomever possesses the knife is. Scriptures teach that God can act through the instrumentality of others, and that actions directed toward one goal may have varying effects. For example: (1) the gospel preached on Pentecost by Peter produced obedience in the lives of thousands (Acts 2:11-47), while the same gospel preached by Stephen resulted in his death (Acts 7); (2) Paul persecuted the church (Acts 8:1ff), but the Lord accused Paul of persecuting Himself (Acts 9:4-5); and (3) Paul and others preached the gospel in Cyprus, Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe (Acts 13-14), but upon returning to Antioch of Syria "they reported all that God had done with them..." The principle of instrumentality is seen repeatedly in the Old Testament. God, for example, frequently used one nation to bring judgment against another nation (cf. Habakkuk).


Conclusion

    All three of these principles (God's foreknowledge, man's free will, and the principle of instrumentality) come into play when we address the issue of who hardened Pharaoh's heart.

    First, in that Pharaoh was a being created in the image of God (Gen 1:26ff) with the same characteristics of all men, Pharaoh had free will and was thus responsible for hardening his own heart. He was the one who decided how he was going to respond to the message and miracles of God through Moses. Several passages in the context indicate that a central issue in Pharaoh's heart-hardening was his own pride (Ex 5:2; 10:3), a character element that was within the purview of Pharaoh to change.

    Second, because of God's ability to know in advance what Pharaoh, or anyone else, would do, God was able to say that Pharaoh's heart would be hardened even before it happened. To say what God knew what would happen, however, does not preclude the free will of man. God knew in advance what Pharaoh would freely choose to do. He did not, however, force him against his will to do it.

    And third, because God was the ultimate source of the message proclaimed by Moses and Aaron (He sent them after all), and because that message was in large measure what provoked Pharaoh (Ex 8:19; 9:34;11:10 re the miracles; and Ex 7:22; 8:15 re the message), God hardened Pharaoh's heart. Moses and Aaron were the instruments of God. They did what God told them to do, and in some way Pharaoh's reactions might be thought to be directed against them, but the text itself shows that, at some points anyway, Pharaoh recognized God was behind the plagues (cf. Ex 8:8, 19; 9:7, 20, 27).

    Thus, all three perspectives as to who hardened Pharaoh's heart can be seen as accurate representations of the truth. God knew it. God did it through the instrumentality of Moses, Aaron and the message and miracles. And Pharaoh allowed these things, of his own free will, to harden his own heart.

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For Further Study

    *For further study about the foreknowledge of God, consider the following passages: 1 Sa 23:10-12; Isa 42:9; 44:7; 45:11; 46:9, 10; 48:3, 5, 6; Jer 1:5; Da 2:28, 29; Mt 6:8; 24:36; Ac 15:18; Ro 8:29; 11:2; 1 Pe 1:2.

    **Promised blessings contingent on obedience are so prevalent in scripture that it is virtually impossible not to see them. Each such blessing assumes the free well of those petitioned to obey. Note these examples: Ex 15:26; 19:5; 20:6; 23:22; Le 26:3-43; De 4:1,40; 5:10,29; 7:9,12-15; 11:26-28; 12:28; 15:4,5; 28:1-14; 29:9; 30:1-10,15-20; Jos 1:8; 1 Ki 2:3,4; 3:14; 8:23; 9:3-9; 1 Ch 22:13; 28:7,8; 2 Ch 7:17-22; 26:5; 27:6; 30:9; 31:10; Job 36:11; Pr 3:1; 16:7; Isa 1:19; Jer 7:3-7,23; 11:1-5; 12:16; 15:19-21; 17:24-27; 22:4,5,15,16; Zec 3:7; Mal 3:10-12; Mt 10:22; 24:13; Mr 13:13; Col 1:22,23; Heb 3:6,14; 6:11,12; 10:36; Re 2:10