Exodus 11:10

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wina

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Yesterday I read Ex 11: 10:
“Thus, although Moses and Aaron performed these various wonders in Pharaoh’s presence, the Lord made Pharaoh obstinate, and he would not let the Israelities leave his land.”

When I meditated/thought it, it made me confused as the Lord is merciful, why He made Pharaoh obstinate, so He could punish him?

Any advise?
Thanks
 
Not a theologian and I don’t play one on TV, but…

A few thoughts come to mind.

I believe God explained it to Moses in Ex 7:5. The reason was so that God could display his power and show the world and specifically his people Israel that He is the One True God.

God is the author of life. He can choose how much of that gift he gives to each of us.

Did pharaoh or his subjects suffer more than Jesus during His Passion?

The text doesn’t say pharaoh was made unrepentant until death. It is speaking about a specific situation in pharaoh’s life. He may have repented before death.

Which of us isn’t obstinate against God’s will at some point in our lives? God provides each of us with sufficient Grace to be saved.

Just some points for meditation.
 
I’m not a professional theologian, either.

I think your best bet would be to consult an early Jewish commentary on this.

For quite some time, Jews have made exegetical commentary (appropriately, I believe) about who hardens Pharaoh’s heart. Some verses say that The Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, other verses say that Pharaoh hardened his own heart, and still others don’t say who hardened Pharaoh’s heart.

(It’s late, and I’m tired after a long week, so I won’t go through which verses are attached to which plagues tonight, though I probably will tomorrow.)

At any rate, you can say that the author took poetic license and simply chose who hardened Pharaoh’s heart each time at random because it sounded good.

On the other hand, if you believe that the Holy Spirit inspired the text (and I hope you do, it’s pretty central for the faith), there’s probably a reason why some times the Lord hardens Pharaoh’s heart and others Pharaoh hardens his own heart.
 
Douay-Rheims Bible commentary on a similar passage in Exodus 7:3, where God says He shall harden Pharaoh’s heart, might be helpful:
3 “I shall harden”… not by being the efficient cause of his hardness of heart, but by permitting it; and by withdrawing grace from him, in punishment of his malice; which alone was the proper cause of his being hardened.
 
Reading the text of the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (be aware that I cannot read Hebrew, and am going from an interlinear), here’s how it appears:

It’s unclear who hardens Pharaoh’s heart in 7:13, 7:22, 8:15 and 9:35.

In 8:11*, 8:28*, and 9:34* Pharaoh hardens his own heart.

In 9:7*, it seems to imply that Pharaoh hardened his own heart.

In 9:12, 10:1*, 10:20, 10:27 and 11:10, it is unequivocally the Lord who hardens Pharaoh’s heart.

7:13 was after Aaron’ staff turned into a snake. 7:22, 8:11, 8:15, 8:28, 9:7 and 9:12 are after the first through sixth plagues, respectively. 9:34, 9:35 and 10:1 are after the seventh plague. This is interesting, as it shows a sort of change from Pharaoh hardening his own heart to the Lord hardening it in the span of three verses. 10:20 and 10:27 were after the eighth and ninth plagues, respectively. 11:10 was right before the tenth plague.

Another interesting thing to note is that for some of these verses, Pharaoh’s heart is steadfast, while other verses (the ones with asterisks) describe it as being heavy. These latter verses are usually (though not always–see verse 10:1) ones where Pharaoh hardens his own heart.
 
Todd_Easton said:
Douay-Rheims Bible commentary on a similar passage in Exodus 7:3, where God says He shall harden Pharaoh’s heart, might be helpful:
3 “I shall harden”… not by being the efficient cause of his hardness of heart, but by permitting it; and by withdrawing grace from him, in punishment of his malice; which alone was the proper cause of his being hardened.
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Hi Thanks Todd, yes I could understand if the Lord some time permit some thing to be happened. To show that He is there for us in time of difficulties.
 
andrewagill said:
Reading the text of the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (be aware that I cannot read Hebrew, and am going from an interlinear), here’s how it appears:

It’s unclear who hardens Pharaoh’s heart in 7:13, 7:22, 8:15 and 9:35.

In 8:11*, 8:28*, and 9:34* Pharaoh hardens his own heart.

In 9:7*, it seems to imply that Pharaoh hardened his own heart.

In 9:12, 10:1*, 10:20, 10:27 and 11:10, it is unequivocally the Lord who hardens Pharaoh’s heart.

7:13 was after Aaron’ staff turned into a snake. 7:22, 8:11, 8:15, 8:28, 9:7 and 9:12 are after the first through sixth plagues, respectively. 9:34, 9:35 and 10:1 are after the seventh plague. This is interesting, as it shows a sort of change from Pharaoh hardening his own heart to the Lord hardening it in the span of three verses. 10:20 and 10:27 were after the eighth and ninth plagues, respectively. 11:10 was right before the tenth plague.

Another interesting thing to note is that for some of these verses, Pharaoh’s heart is steadfast, while other verses (the ones with asterisks) describe it as being heavy. These latter verses are usually (though not always–see verse 10:1) ones where Pharaoh hardens his own heart.
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Thanks Andrew, to be honest when I read old testament, it’s quite difficult for me as I read some things happened which are against the Lord’s mercy etc (in my own thought, because I’m not good in it, just hopefully that my faith can grow through God’s grace) that’s why I prefer to read the New Testament. But of course I would read and learnt old testament too.
 
I see a similarity here. Luke 7- 30 But the Pharisees and the lawyers despised the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized by him. (Baptized by John the Baptist)
 
Benadam said:
I see a similarity here. Luke 7- 30 But the Pharisees and the lawyers despised the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized by him. (Baptized by John the Baptist)
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Hmm…sorry Benadam, I’m not able to see a similiraty which I see that they hardened their heart by themselves…
 
wina said:
Hmm…sorry Benadam, I’m not able to see a similiraty which I see that they hardened their heart by themselves…
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The prevalent Catholic thought is that the heart of Pharaoh lacked the grace to be humbled by the miracles he was witnessing and submit to the human authority being pointed out to him, that this phenomenon is described in the OT as God hardening Pharaoh’s heart.

Pharaoh and Pharisees alike witnessed unmistakeable proof of the power of God. Both recognized yet rejected that proof for fear of losing power and authority.

These are very unique experiences. In the case of the Pharisees it is an experience subjected to a higher degree of scrutiny by the Gospel writers. Luke offers a reason why their hearts became hardened. The grace that was missing.

.
Luke 7- 30 But the Pharisees and the lawyers despised the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized by him. (Baptized by John the Baptist)
 
This is from the Jewish Press Torah commentary on Exodus"The motif of stiffening or hardening Pharaoh’s heart runs through the entire Exodus story; it appears exactly 20 times.Half of the references are to an essential attribute of the man’s character, half are attributed to divine causality.In the biblical conception, the pyschological faculties are considered to be concentrated in the heart.Regarded as the seat of the intellectual, moral and spiritual life of an individual, this organ is the determinant of behavior.The “hardening of the heart” thus expresses a state of arrogant moral degeneracy, unresponsive to reason and incapable of compassion.Pharaoh’s culpabality is beyond question
It is to be noted that in the first five plagues Pharaoh’s obduracy is self-willed.It is only hereafter that it is attributed to divine causality. This is the biblical way of asserting that the king’s intransigence has by then become habitual and irreversible; his character has become his destiny. He is deprived of the possibility of relenying and is irrestibly impelled to his self wrought doom."****
 
Even we say, sometimes, that a speech was “spoken from the heart”.
The voice was thought at one time to have formed the wind by the heart – and since intelligence was in the words – reasonably people identified the innermost thoughts with the heart.

When scripture says God hardened pharaoh’s heart – it does not tell how he does so; Here’s my interpretation – God chose miracles which the magicians of pharaoh were able to replicate. So, he allowed pharaoh to believe he was able to compete – as pharaoh is styled a God to the Egyptians,

The point is that God does not have to harden a man’s heart directly in order to have mastery over history; by being gentle and patient, God allowed pharaoh to show his true inner thoughts.

A hard heart is one which will not change, will not listen. Notice that in the tenth plague, which is a sacred number to the Egyptians – Pharaoh does change his heart by letting the Hebrews go.

He then hardens it again, and the logic is arrogance. I don’t recall – but does God indicate that at the final moment he hardened Pharaoh’s heart? For, that is the one that really matters – because that is the one which led to Pharaoh’s death – the ones before can be considered teaching – but the last one was judgment.
 
Huiou_Theou said:
He then hardens it again, and the logic is arrogance. I don’t recall – but does God indicate that at the final moment he hardened Pharaoh’s heart? For, that is the one that really matters – because that is the one which led to Pharaoh’s death – the ones before can be considered teaching – but the last one was judgment.
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juliamajor said:
This is from the Jewish Press Torah commentary on Exodus"The motif of stiffening or hardening Pharaoh’s heart runs through the entire Exodus story; it appears exactly 20 times.Half of the references are to an essential attribute of the man’s character, half are attributed to divine causality.In the biblical conception, the pyschological faculties are considered to be concentrated in the heart.Regarded as the seat of the intellectual, moral and spiritual life of an individual, this organ is the determinant of behavior.The “hardening of the heart” thus expresses a state of arrogant moral degeneracy, unresponsive to reason and incapable of compassion.Pharaoh’s culpabality is beyond question
It is to be noted that in the first five plagues Pharaoh’s obduracy is self-willed.It is only hereafter that it is attributed to divine causality. This is the biblical way of asserting that the king’s intransigence has by then become habitual and irreversible; his character has become his destiny. He is deprived of the possibility of relenying and is irrestibly impelled to his self wrought doom."****
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Thanks, it’s very good.
 
Huiou_Theou said:
,

The point is that God does not have to harden a man’s heart directly in order to have mastery over history; by being gentle and patient, God allowed pharaoh to show his true inner thoughts.

.
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Does it mean it depends on Pharaoh’s choice as he has free will?
 
wina said:
Does it mean it depends on Pharaoh’s choice as he has free will?
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I would like to say that, yes. But there’s a bit more.
As Juliamajor points out, Pharaoh had already hardened his heart before God begins to do so. In one sense, that can lead one to think that it is just “a way of speaking” in the bible that God “hardened his heart”. But that is a risky interpretation…

I am just pulling from my memory meditations that I have had some time in the past, and so I’m not really sure if I am being thorough; But I tend to think that there is an active part associated with what God does – that is; I believe he purposely tells Moses to make a tactical mistake and cause the people to encamp in a location which would trap them in times of war. In essence, God told Moses to bait Pharaoh into believing he was a fool.

In our legal terminology, that is called entrapment.

So, for free will to be vindicated – there has to be a point where God releases Pharaoh and his army from entrapment and reveals to them his true might. The scriptures do not fully express, in Exodus, what happens in the final moments. It is clear that when the Egyptians have entered the sea, that they realize the folly of their position. That is, the army (at least) has a moment of repentance – and they “turn around”. But I don’t recall anything about Pharaoh’s last moments; so I don’t know if Pharaoh’s heart had changed – or if God continued to harden his heart at the last moment – or if his arrogance continued in spite of his army turning around.

I do seem to vaguely remember that somewhere else in scripture, later, when the Israelites are reflecting – that they assign the final folly to Pharaoh hardening his heart. One is left to wonder, though, whether the Judgment and death is only on account of the earlier folly where Pharaoh chose to harden his heart himself – or whether God includes his baiting of Pharaoh in the final judgment.

We are not allowed to see how Pharaoh is judged after death, so it is only speculation – but I tend to think God’s justice will judge less harshly the events which God manipulated in order to gain glory , than the moments Pharaoh was allowed to see clearly his folly – for it is how badly Pharaoh reacts in those moments which have no defense at all.
 
andrewagill said:
I

I think your best bet would be to consult an early Jewish commentary on this.
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The hardening of Pharoah’s heart, along with 2 Thessalonians 2:11, had been significant stumbling blocks for me, since it sounded as if God could violate our free will and even work against us.

On my way into the Church, I did go back to research the Pharoah question. In addition to reading some of the early fathers on it (John Cassian, for one I believe), I also thought to do what the previous writer suggested and sought out Jewish commentaries as well. One suggested that God hardening of Pharoah’s heart was in fact necessary to preserve Pharaoh’s free will, that the remarkable acts of God that Pharoah witnessed firsthand required the hardening just to compensate. Interesting perspective.
 
bgriffith said:
The hardening of Pharoah’s heart, along with 2 Thessalonians 2:11, had been significant stumbling blocks for me, since it sounded as if God could violate our free will and even work against us.
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Well, in this case, let me try some Socratic questioning here.

Why do we need free will?
 
andrewagill said:
Well, in this case, let me try some Socratic questioning here.

Why do we need free will?
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I know this would not be Socrates answer to your question, but we need free will to be in order to be in God’s image - and free will is a characteristic of God. God created us in His image and likeness. (Granted, man’s original perfection got messed up a bit in the Garden.)

Secondly, we are going to be judged according to what we do/think/say in life. If we are unable to freely choose our actions, then there should be no culpability on our part. Punishment for something. overwhich we have no control whatsoever, would be unjust. God IS just.
 
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