As we're studying through the life of Moses, let me address a passage of Scripture I've received a number of questions about over the years.
God said concerning Pharaoh in Exodus 4:21, "...I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go." This has understandably caused some to question whether or not we as humans really have free will. The line of reasoning goes like this: If God caused Pharaoh's heart to be hard, Pharaoh didn't really have a choice in the matter, did he? This leads some to conclude they don't really have a choice either. That being the case, they toss all moral caution to the wind, concluding: God made me this way. Why fight against God?
Not wanting anyone to believe they don't really have free will and not wanting anyone to believe God has made them stubbornly sinful, I write this blogpost.
When the Bible says that God hardened Pharaoh's heart, it's speaking of the effect God had on Pharaoh's heart, not that God forced Pharaoh to be stubbornly sinful.
We know this because of the following verses...
You see, the problem resided in Pharaoh, not in God. It was his stubborn nature that caused his heart to harden, not our Heavenly Father. Let me illustrate what's happening here...
As the sun in the sky shines down upon wax, the wax melts. As the very same sun in the sky shines down on clay, the clay hardens. The sun doesn't determine what happens to the objects it shines upon. The nature of the object is the determining factor. The nature of Moses' heart was as wax. As God gave Moses his commands, Moses' heart melted in obedience. The nature of Pharaoh's heart was as clay. As God gave Pharaoh his commands, Pharaoh's heart hardened in disobedience. God didn't determine what happened to Moses or Pharaoh. The nature of each person was the determining factor.
God has indeed given us free will. We can choose to obey or disobey. We can choose to melt in obedience or harden in rebellion. The choice is ours. So when we stand before God on judgment day He won't accept "But You made me this way!" as a valid excuse.
God said concerning Pharaoh in Exodus 4:21, "...I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go." This has understandably caused some to question whether or not we as humans really have free will. The line of reasoning goes like this: If God caused Pharaoh's heart to be hard, Pharaoh didn't really have a choice in the matter, did he? This leads some to conclude they don't really have a choice either. That being the case, they toss all moral caution to the wind, concluding: God made me this way. Why fight against God?
Not wanting anyone to believe they don't really have free will and not wanting anyone to believe God has made them stubbornly sinful, I write this blogpost.
When the Bible says that God hardened Pharaoh's heart, it's speaking of the effect God had on Pharaoh's heart, not that God forced Pharaoh to be stubbornly sinful.
We know this because of the following verses...
- Exodus 7:14 says "Pharaoh's heart is stubborn; he refuses to let the people go."
- Exodus 8:15, "But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen..."
You see, the problem resided in Pharaoh, not in God. It was his stubborn nature that caused his heart to harden, not our Heavenly Father. Let me illustrate what's happening here...
As the sun in the sky shines down upon wax, the wax melts. As the very same sun in the sky shines down on clay, the clay hardens. The sun doesn't determine what happens to the objects it shines upon. The nature of the object is the determining factor. The nature of Moses' heart was as wax. As God gave Moses his commands, Moses' heart melted in obedience. The nature of Pharaoh's heart was as clay. As God gave Pharaoh his commands, Pharaoh's heart hardened in disobedience. God didn't determine what happened to Moses or Pharaoh. The nature of each person was the determining factor.
God has indeed given us free will. We can choose to obey or disobey. We can choose to melt in obedience or harden in rebellion. The choice is ours. So when we stand before God on judgment day He won't accept "But You made me this way!" as a valid excuse.
good analogy.
ReplyDeletereminds me of that New Yorker cartoon with the man kneeling beside his bed in prayer, looking up to heaven and saying to God, "I asked you in the nicest possible way to make me into a better person, but apparently you couldn't be bothered."
god knows where culpability rests, and who is the accuser. are we going to choose to submit our will to the father's as Jesus did in the garden, or are we going to choose to exert our will and chose death?
he has set before us life and death, and he says to chose. then he says, "chose life," because he knows we are as helpless as sheep and need to be told which is the right choice.
free will is only seen for the beauty it is when those who are given crowns choose to take them off and lay them at Jesus' feet. those who dream of keeping the crown on their own head miss the point entirely and squander the gift of free will they could offer Jesus.
our ability to choose is either going to find its best expression in heaven, or in hell. what are you doing with your will? how would the people around you say it is expressed? in submission to Jesus' yoke and the father's will? or in the desire to dominate, intimidate, control, and manipulate?
god isn't mocked.