Got a Question for Catholics & Protestants - Exodus

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Singinbeauty

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Hello All,
Yes, it has been a bit since I last started a thread but I posed this question to my Dad and am wondering about getting your opinions as well…

So, in the OT I am sure we are all familiar with the story of Moses and the Pharoah. Here is my question:

In Exodus (I believe) it states how God said that He was going to harden Pharoah’s heart then send the plagues to show Himself to the world (paraphrasing of course!).

I am having such a difficult time with reconciling a God of Love that would first harden someone’s heart then punish them for it… The minor plagues I can see - darkness and such but the first born and the disease or blood Nile, this killed people for Pharoah’s hardened heart. If God created the hardened heart why did He punish people for it?
 
Singinbeauty said:
Hello All,
Yes, it has been a bit since I last started a thread but I posed this question to my Dad and am wondering about getting your opinions as well…

So, in the OT I am sure we are all familiar with the story of Moses and the Pharoah. Here is my question:

In Exodus (I believe) it states how God said that He was going to harden Pharoah’s heart then send the plagues to show Himself to the world (paraphrasing of course!).

I am having such a difficult time with reconciling a God of Love that would first harden someone’s heart then punish them for it… The minor plagues I can see - darkness and such but the first born and the disease or blood Nile, this killed people for Pharoah’s hardened heart. If God created the hardened heart why did He punish people for it?
Click to expand...
gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=romans+9&src=esv.org

🙂
 
Compare

Exodus 8:15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief,** he hardened his heart** and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said.

Exodus 9:12 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said to Moses.It was Pharoah who had hardened his own heart. The latter language lends to the notion of God permitting Pharoah to exercise his free will.

See the footnote on Ex. 8:15 from the Haydock commentary for a detail on the early Church’s take that reflects this also.
 
I wonder - does this imply that any good we do is inspired by God? Are we incapable, due to our fallen nature, of doing good on our own? Then God hardened Pharaoh’s heart not by positive act but by withdrawing from him.

Just my speculation.:twocents:
 
=Joe Kelley;4273134]I wonder - does this imply that any good we do is inspired by God? Are we incapable, due to our fallen nature, of doing good on our own? Then God hardened Pharaoh’s heart not by positive act but by withdrawing from him.
Click to expand...
This is what a Lutheran would say. The ability to do good works, good in the eyes of God, is only possible for the regenerate. It is the good works of the Holy Spirit working through us. On our own, we are slaves to sin, and incapable of doing good.

Jon
 
JonNC said:
This is what a Lutheran would say. The ability to do good works, good in the eyes of God, is only possible for the regenerate. It is the good works of the Holy Spirit working through us. On our own, we are slaves to sin, and incapable of doing good.

Jon
Click to expand...
I hope that doesn’t make me a Lutheran. 😃

More seriously, I try to accept good teaching where ever I find it.
 
I can see this a lot of different ways. Any and all of these may be wrong.
  1. It was just language used by God to show Moses his power. Everything that occures in the world is either by God’s command or by his permission.
  2. God knew how the events would be seen by the Egyptians and slanted the plagues in such a way that they would result in a resonse then, after some time, Pharoah would change his mind. It would have taken some time to get those folks out of there, as only with the last plague were they packed up.
3)Pharoah never wanted to release them. God would “remind” him of it as they went along

The others are less likely.

I would have troube saying that this even shows that we cannot do good with out God. It was the use of force that made Pharoah release them, not some drive to do good. I commit no good act when I give money at gun-point.
 
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