Now, with that subject this morning,
did God really? And we're going to be dealing
with the subject, did God really harden Pharaoh's heart? Now,
I'm going to alter my custom a bit this morning in that I'm
going to give an introduction and then we will read those passages
of the scripture. It may be that such a series
as this actually deserves a special opening introduction all of its
own. That there are some things in
the scripture that are so at variance with the thoughts, the
opinion, and the thinking of men that they either deny them
or they pervert them. Some dismiss them as being unbelievable
and not credible. Some say it can't mean that. Others say that it is inconsistent
with my view of God and therefore I cannot believe that. As an
example, when I was on the radio, I went in the radio station,
there was a man there, an announcer that I always talk to, we had
a discussion about the sovereignty of God, and it ended with him
saying, I could not love nor would I serve a God like that. The next time I went back, I
swear so and so, They said, well, he had a minor surgery and he
died during that surgery. Others have told me the God that
I serve is no tyrant. The God that I serve is kind
and gentle and gentlemanly. Therefore, we grant that there
are some things in the scripture that are hard to be understood. 2 Peter 3 and verse 16, as Peter
referred to some of the writings of Paul. There are other things
that are called the deep things of God in 1 Corinthians 2 and
verse 10. And then we notice from Paul
that as to the word of God there is milk and there is meat. 1 Corinthians 3, 2, Hebrews chapter
5 and verse 12. Then we also learn that in Christendom
there are babes and then there are those of age. there are those
that are mature, there are those that are full age. Hebrews 5, 13 and 14. We also know that there are some
who stumble at the word of God 1 Peter chapter 2 and verse 8. We know that there are hard sayings. John chapter 6 and verse 16. There are multiple reasons why
some do not accept or believe certain things that are found
in the scripture. Some of the reasons are as follows. Some in the churches are but
natural persons. They have not been regenerate.
They have not been enlightened. They have not been born again. And they have not the Spirit
of God to help them understand. Jude, verse 19. And Romans chapter
8, if any have not the Spirit of God, he is none of that. Again, there are those who have
had inferior or very shallow teaching only during their Christian
life or profession. Or there are others that have
a very strong bias toward human ability and are lovers of free
will and do not like the divine sovereignty of God. And so they
give too much to man and they give too little unto God. Every
unregenerate person is a humanist at heart. And as for such reason
as these and others, there are things in the scripture that
are contrary to the notions of them, and so they tend to ignore
them or to set them aside or to deny them or to pervert them. Say that they mean something
else now without behind us. Let's read our text for the morning
in Exodus chapter 4 verse 21 through verse 23. God is preparing
Moses to send him into the land of Egypt to bring the people
out and deliver them. And he said to Moses in Exodus
4, 21 through 23, and the Lord said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into
Egypt, see that thou do all these wonders before Pharaoh which
I have put in thine hand. I will harden his heart that
he shall not let the people go. Do all these things, deliver
my message, but I will harden his heart that he will not let
the people go. And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh,
Thus saith the Lord. Israel is my son, my firstborn. And I say unto thee, let my son
go, that he may serve me. And if thou refuse to let him
go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn. Now, switching to Romans chapter
9, verse 17 and verse 18. And the scripture saith unto
Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I raised thee up that I
might show my power in thee and that my name might be declared
throughout all of the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom
he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth." Now, we
will be camping in the book of Exodus chapter 7, 8, 9, and 10
if you want to open it up and stay at that place. So in asking
the question, did God really? Did God really say this or do
that? We take up the really hard one
first of all, the hardening of the heart of Pharaoh. Now this
is mentioned, I counted them, at least 17 times in the book
of Exodus. At least 17 mentions are made
of this. They are found in chapter 4,
chapter 7, 8, 9, 10, 14 of the book of Exodus and we'll
be there and again in the second service God willing so let that
sink in at least 17 times we read that Pharaoh's heart is
was hardened. And this hardening of Pharaoh's
heart is important because it was a major factor in God's dealing
in the deliverance of the seed of Abraham and in God showing
his power and making his power known and magnifying his blessed
and holy name. And that is said to be the purpose
of the hardening. Now, beside Pharaoh, the other
major player in this is that wonderful servant of God by the
name of Moses. And, of course, his brother Aaron,
who became his spokesman and the first high priest. For the
great conflict is to be between Moses and Pharaoh, and as providence
would have it, Moses had been raised from a little child as
the son of Pharaoh's daughter. You remember that? Exodus chapter
2, 1 through 10, how she fetched him out of the river and raised
him as her son in the house of Pharaoh. The Puritan preacher,
Thomas Goodwin, called Moses, and I agree, quote, the most
extraordinary ambassador of God until Christ came, unquote. And I think we might agree with
that. Exodus chapter 2 is very important. It tells us how Moses came to
be raised and named by the daughter of Pharaoh. It tells us how Moses
killed an Egyptian in trying to protect one of his brethren
and fled out of Egypt. Then he was given a wife and
he became a keeper of sheep in the backside of the desert. In Exodus chapter 2, 23 through
25, God looked upon the condition of the Hebrews and it was the
time of love and the time for him to deliver them. And he calls
Moses, I'm sure you remember, at the burning bush that he might
go and deliver them out of the land of Egypt. In chapter four,
giving him the gift of miracles, and telling him, as I read in
Exodus chapter 4 and verse 21, you go tell him to let the people
go. Use these signs and wonders that
I gave you, but I'm going to harden his heart that he will
not let the people go. Now there are two things here
to know. Number one, great wonders were
to be done by Moses in the sight of Pharaoh and his magician and
his henchman. And number two, notwithstanding
all of the plagues, and there were 10 of them, and all of the
wonders that would be done in the land of Egypt, God would
harden the heart of Pharaoh that he would not let the people go. Moses was commanded to say to
Pharaoh, let my people go. Exodus chapter five and verse
one. And how did Pharaoh answer and
respond to that? In Exodus chapter five and verse
two. I know not this Lord of whom
you speak. What's more, neither will I let
the people go. Now, if we drop back to Exodus,
chapter 3 and verse 19 and 20. I am sure that the king of Egypt
will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand. And I will
stretch out my hand and smite Egypt. with all of my wonders,
which I will do in the midst thereof, and after that he will
let you go." So let us recall what Paul said about Pharaoh,
Romans 9 and 17. For the scripture saith unto
Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that my
power might be known in thee, and that my name might be declared
throughout all of the earth." That dual purpose, that my power
might be manifested and my name mentioned and glorified throughout
all of the earth. Now you may say, where does the
scripture say that under Pharaoh? And you'll find it in Exodus
chapter 9 and verse 16 as a part of what Moses was to tell the
wicked tyrant in Exodus 3, 19 through 21. Verse 16, And indeed
for this have I raised thee up, a margin has it caused you to
stand, made him to live, made him to be a man, made him to
be king upon the throne, for to show in thee my power, and
that my name might be declared throughout all of the earth. So the conclusion is this, God
had a sovereign purpose that he would accomplish, and Pharaoh
was a chosen instrument unto that end. In Romans chapter 9,
Pharaoh is brought in as an example of God's absolute sovereignty,
just as Judas was appointed to betray the Lord. And the hardening
of Pharaoh's heart was a major part of the means of fulfilling
that. showing God's power and his name
being declared, but also delivering them out of the land of Egypt. Now, it was twofold, to show
in you my power and two, to have my name declared in all of the
earth. So the question is this now,
did God really harden the heart of Pharaoh? And by that, I mean,
Did the Lord God actually, in some way, act as the agent in
that fearful work of hardening the heart of this man? Now, the Armenians take a different
road on this. They usually deny that God personally
and directly hardens the heart of any person. You'll find if
you talk to them, that's their general position and stand, that
God does not himself personally or directly harden the heart
of any person in the world. And in facing these 17 texts
that we will be looking at, they cannot deny that Pharaoh's heart
was hardened and that it was an effect in the matter. And
so they emphasize the part that Pharaoh hardened his own heart. And on God's part, they grant
only that God allowed Pharaoh to be hardened. God allowed Pharaoh
to harden his own heart, that it was not a hardening, with
anything to do with salvation. It was not a hardening the Armenians
say about salvation, only about letting Israel go free and delivering
them out of the land. I'm gonna quote one, an old timer,
maybe you're too young to be familiar with the name of John
R. Rice, who was the high priest
of fundamentalism a lot of years ago. He wrote this, and I'm quoting. Pharaoh rejected every offer
of mercy. Pharaoh rejected every offer
of mercy by God. God allowed him to have a stubborn
heart, unquote. He also said another thing, quote,
Pharaoh could have been saved. He also wrote in the same book
that Esau could have been saved and possibly was. We do not know,
he said. Now concerning those 17 texts
in Exodus about the hardening of Pharaoh's heart, they are
three sorts, and we put them in three different columns as
we separate them. First of all, nine times, yes,
nine times, The hardening of Pharaoh's heart is ascribed unto
God, including the first mention in Exodus 4 and verse 21. Now, here they are. If you're
taking them down, we'll just give them Exodus 7, 3, 9, 12,
10, 1, 10, 20, 10, 27, 11, 10, 14, 4, 14 a plus what Paul wrote in Romans
chapter 9 So 9 times it is said clearly and beyond dispute God
Hardened Pharaoh's heart now in the second column. We find
that three times it is written that Pharaoh Hardened his own
heart that we do not deny you'll find it in Exodus chapter 815,
832, and 934. And then we might notice
that each of these three times came after God by Moses brought
an end unto the plagues. frogs, lice, hail. And in these two of the three,
Exodus 8, 15 and 9, 35, it is said that the actions of Pharaoh
were a confirmation of what God had spoken unto Moses in Exodus
8 15 he Pharaoh hardened his heart and hearkened not unto
them as the Lord had said again in Exodus 9 35 and the heart
of Pharaoh was hardened neither would he let the people or the
children of Israel go as the Lord had spoken by Moses And
so his hardening his own heart fulfilled the words of God unto
Moses. Now, two things God had confirmed
to Moses. Number one, Pharaoh's heart would
be hardened by God. Number two, he would not let
the people go. And both of them came true time
and time again during this ordeal. And then thirdly, Another five
times, it is simply stated as a fact, Pharaoh's heart was hardened. Not attributing it either to
God or to Pharaoh. The places are Exodus 7.14, 7.22,
8, 19, 9, 7, and 9, 35. That is, heart was
heart. 17 total in all, the most of
them ascribed to God. Now, this point of emphasis.
The hardening of Pharaoh's heart was a major part of the deliverance
of the children of Israel out of their bondage. And this is
a point to ponder. I raise the question, think upon
it, meditate upon it, if you will. Why did God harden Pharaoh's
heart? Why all the plagues and all the
devastation upon Egypt and the people? I ask that question because
the Lord could have put it into the heart of Pharaoh to let them
go. Revelation 17, 17, he put it
into the heart of kings to give their kingdom away. After all,
why did God simply not put it into the heart, incline Pharaoh
to let the people go? Proverbs 21, 1, the king's heart
is in the Lord's hand like the rivers of water He turneth it
whether so ever he will. Irrigation channels. He channels
it wherever he would. God put it into the heart of
kings to fulfill his will, to give their kingdom unto the beast
until the words of God be fulfilled. That verse in Revelation 17. In Psalm 105 and 25, he turned
their heart to hate his people. God has the heart of every person
in his hand. Why, therefore, not simply put
it in his heart, incline him to agree and to let the people
go and to shoo them out on their way? Now, in all, there will
be 10 plagues visited upon the land of Egypt. They were, and
I'll name them only, the waters of the Nile were turned into
blood. That was the first one. There
were frogs. There were lice. There were flies. There were cattle disease. There
were boils and sores on man and beef. There was that devastating
hail that came upon them. A plague of locust, thick darkness
came upon them. and the last and final one, the
smiting unto death of the firstborn of every house in the land of
Egypt. And in these things, exodus 11
and 7 the lord and i want you to get this the lord put a difference
between the egyptian and the children of israel in that here
are some examples in exodus chapter 8 and verse 22 When flies, can
you think of anything worse than flies on everything, defiling
everything, the food, the clothes, and all of that? But when the
flies corrupted and plagued the land and the food and the Egyptian,
the Bible said, no flies were found in the land of Goshen where
the Jews resided. They've troubled the Egyptian,
but not the Jew. Here's another example. In Exodus
chapter 9-4, when the plague killed the cattle of the Egyptian
and they began to die in the field and the pasture, we read
this. And the Lord shall sever between
the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt, and nothing
shall die of all that is the children of Israel. And you see
it again in verse 6 and 7. Take, for example, another plague,
the plague of darkness in Exodus chapter 10. 21 through 23. So great was the darkness that
it could be felt, the scripture said. It was not a natural darkness,
not natural at all. Three days they saw nothing,
the Egyptians. Three days they sat petrified
in their dwellings and they left them not. But in verse 23 and
the last part of chapter 10, All the children of Israel had
light in their dwellings. They could see, they had light.
Finally, in chapter 11, when the final plague came, The death
of the firstborn. All the firstborn in every house
of the Egyptian, there was death. The firstborn of humans, the
firstborn of cattle, and of beasts from the highest unto the lowest. But in verse seven, against any
of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue against
man or beast. Now, what was the purpose of
these things? Why did God make that miraculous distinction? Quote, that you might know that
I am the Lord in the midst of the earth. And chapter 8 and
verse 22, that you may know how that the Lord does put a difference
between the Egyptian and the Israelite, Exodus 11 and verse
7. So why did God God hardened the
heart of King Pharaoh. He was a godless and a wicked
and an evil man. He did impart misery upon the
children of Israel in their abject slavery. He made them slaves. after a new king arose that knew
not Joseph. Exodus 1.8 and Acts 7.18. Now, why not soften the heart
of the despot? and deliver them in that manner,
under that influence. Why harden the heart of Pharaoh? Why not soften it? God is able
to take away the heart of stone and to put in a heart of flesh. to let the people go. Isaiah
and Ezekiel said that. God is able to put into Pharaoh's
heart to send them out and to release them and then laden them
with their spoils for the journey. Why harden instead of soften
to accomplish this work? Well, instead of softening, God
declared that he would harden the heart of Pharaoh, chapter
421, chapter 7 and verse 3, with a specific result that he would
not let the people go. He would not hearken unto Moses. And why did God appoint that? in Romans 9.17 and Exodus 9.16,
that I might show in thee my power. God had a special purpose
and design in raising up Pharaoh, in causing him to stand, in giving
him life, in coming to the throne, or as Robert Haldane put it on
Romans 9.17, quote, the birth, the life, The whole situation
of Pharaoh was all by divine appointment." Now what could
be clearer? God declared it unto Pharaoh,
and Paul cites it as an example of divine sovereignty as referring
to the position that Pharaoh, by the providence of God, occupied
in history. God's dealing with him in bringing
Israel out of their abject bondage. Hear it again. that I might show
in thee my power." And not in his power in saving Pharaoh,
not in his power of giving him a new heart, but in hardening
his heart and making his spirit obstinate, Deuteronomy 2 and
verse 30, and overthrowing him and his armies in the deliverance
of the children of Israel. And by the way, Here is a point
not to be overlooked in this drawn-out ordeal, and that is
that after the death of all the firstborn Egyptians, and we read
in Exodus 12, 29, and 30, There was not a house where there was
not one dead, unquote. In all of Israel, not one house
where there was not one dead, and that was the death of the
firstborn. And by the way, when you think
of firstborn, do you think only of a little baby in a cradle
or a little child, toddler? No. The firstborn, whatever age,
they might be, was schmitten with death in that night. incident Pharaoh called for Moses
and Aaron or he wanted to tell them in Exodus 12 31 to 33 Okay,
go rise up and leave all the children of Israel and go and
serve the Lord your God take your flocks take your herds and
Bless me. He said before you are on your
way and Exodus 12 33 and the Egyptians were urgent upon the
people that they might send them out of the land in haste for
they said we all be dead." Or it was clear, it was clear even
to the Egyptians that the Lord was fighting on the side of Israel
against the Egyptian. Exodus 14 and verse 25. It was clear that God had taken
the side of the Israelite. Even so, even after Pharaoh let
the people go, Exodus 13 and 7, then we read Exodus 14 and verse 4 he says
go get out of here take your stuff and go and be gone your
Childhood children your flocks and your herd then in Exodus
14 and 4 I will harden Pharaoh's heart and that he shall follow
after thee, and I will be honored upon Pharaoh and upon his host."
In Exodus 14 and 5, and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was
turned against the people. They regretted letting their
slave labor go. Exodus 14, 17, I will harden
the heart of the Egyptian and they shall follow after them
and I will get me honor upon Pharaoh and all of his host. And then look at verse 18, when
I have gotten me honor upon Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen. Now God parted the Red Sea. A wall stood upright on each
side of the children of Israel, and they went through on dry
ground. Exodus chapter 14, 21 and 22. But Pharaoh then rushed in after
them, and God loosed the sea, and it covered them all, and
they perished. And God was honored. And in Exodus 15, 1 through 22,
Israel praised God for his destruction of Pharaoh and his army. And God got honor by and upon
Pharaoh and made a display of his power, and his name is declared
wherever this incident is read or is preached. Now, please pardon,
if you would, a short digression. But there is also a counterpart
under this, God getting honor by the hardening of Pharaoh.
There's another way in which God shows his power and is honored
and receives glory forever and forever, which is the saving
of the elect of God. God is also honored. His name
is glorified in the great salvation of God upon his people. called the elect, such as Romans
9, 22 and 23. John Murray pointed out in his
Romans commentary that the thought of these verses in Romans chapter
9 is the twofold way in which God executes his sovereign will,
his willing What if God willing to do two things? Number one,
to show His wrath, to make His power known on the vessels of
wrath, Romans 9, 22. And secondly, that He might make
known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy which
He hath aforeprepared unto glory. He gives the example, you remember,
of the potter and the clay. hath not a potter authority over
the clay to make one lump to honor and another unto dishonor. So we know that God is honored,
God is glorified in either and in both his attributes are drawn
forth in the exercise, whether it be the hardening of Pharaoh
or the shaving of the elect. But let's go back to God's dealing
with Pharaoh in the book of Exodus and the ultimate purpose being
to destroy the wicked king and deliver Israel. Now God's chosen
vessel to accomplish this dual purpose is Moses, by nationality
a Jew, by vocation a simple keeper of the sheep, but by divine commission
a deliverer or redeemer. And don't take this the wrong
way. But Moses was, in a sense, like
unto the Lord Jesus Christ, in that he was a man approved of
God among them, the signs and miracles and wonders, with the
use of his rod and at least Twice that rod that Moses carried is
called quote the rod of God unquote Exodus 4 20 and 17 and 20 with
that rod he smote the river with that rod he smote the rock and
water came out of it Moses and Aaron used their rod in nearly
every great miracle and remember It's called the rod of God. They had credentials under Israel
and under Pharaoh Exodus 4 and 5 that they might believe that
God appeared under Moses and the Pharaoh that he might know
that the God of heaven is after him and and his wrath is coming. Now a couple of things are told
unto Moses in this. Number one in Exodus 4 and 17. Take this rod in your hand wherewith
thou shalt do signs. Take this rod, keep it, it's
valuable, you will use it unto that end. What signs they were. We've already seen them. The
greatest period of miracles apart from the time and ministry of
our Lord. By that rod of God that Moses
had been given by God. The second thing we notice is
in Exodus 7 and 1. And listen to this. God said
to Moses, I have made thee a God to Pharaoh. I have made thee
a God unto Pharaoh. See also chapter 4 and verse
16. For all Moses' claims of inability
and incompetence, God tells him that he, Moses, is to be made
a God unto Pharaoh. He would act as God under divine
authority. to bring judgment and punishment
upon him, Pharaoh, and upon his country and upon his people. Now the word God is the word
here, I think, Elohim, as John 10, 34 and Psalm 82 and verse
6. Gil called Moses God's vice-regent
with power to work miracles and inflict plagues upon Pharaoh
and his nation. Wrote Calvin in Exodus chapter
4, quote, Moses is armed with power from heaven to make his
calling and commission sure, unquote, both to Pharaoh and
unto Israel. For Pharaoh must be crushed and
conquered and destroyed. It must in him come to pass. that God had raised up Pharaoh
to be an instrument of his and is used to exhibit the power
of God upon him and to him and the hardening of his heart lay
at the very core of God's purpose. I will harden his heart that
he will not let the people go. Now some might They might, they
ought to, they must admit, though God hardened Pharaoh's heart,
it was not about salvation. It was not a one-of-a-kind event. It was not something unique,
never happened upon another person. It was not a last resort. It was not an exception. When
God hardened Pharaoh's heart. Because we read of other incidents
of the same thing. For example, in Deuteronomy chapter
2 and verse 30, we read, Sihon who was the king of Heshbon and
the Israelites Wanted to go through his territory and it says this
Heshbon they've made peace with him. They said we won't mess
up the land. We won't trash it We just want
to pass through and it said the Lord hardened his heart and spirit
and made his heart obstinate Heshbon, Sihon king of Heshbon. Now this led to his destruction. Had he not had his heart hardened
and let the people pass. But God hardened his heart. He
rushed out to withstand Israel and was destroyed. And that was
by God hardening his heart. Another one in Joshua chapter
11 and verse 20 of the Hivites. Listen. Quote, it was of the
Lord to harden their heart that he might destroy them utterly,
unquote. God hardened their heart, and
they came and rushed out, and Israel was able to destroy them. So, this is not an exception
or an anomaly. What does Paul write? What does
Paul write in Romans 9 and 18? Therefore hath he mercy on whom
he will, and whom he will he hardens. Paul draws that conclusion
from this. Back in verse 15 of Romans 9,
quoting from Exodus 33 19, I will have mercy on whom I will have
mercy, and compassion on whom I will have compassion. The scriptures teach us that
the hearts and the eyes and the understanding of many Jews were
hardened and blinded. You have that text in Isaiah
6, 9 and 10. You have John chapter 12, 37
through 41. Therefore they could not believe
because Isaiah said their heart is hardened. You have that in
Romans 11, 7 and 8 and 9 and 10. where it teaches very clearly
that the elect were given faith or grace and the rest were hardened. So it is a clear doctrine of
the scripture that God indeed hardens the heart of some. Now that's a scary doctrine.
That's an awesome doctrine. That's a doctrine that ought
to make any unconverted person sit back and think and consider
Could God harden my heart? Could God be hardening the heart
of my loved one? who won't go to church, who won't
allow Bible reading, who curses and blasphemes that preaching
in preachers and Christians and churches? Could that be simply
natural depravity? Will God harden their heart unto
final impenitence, or will He be pleased to give them a new
heart? It's within the sovereign pleasure
and prerogative of God and he did harden the heart of Pharaoh. This is a hard saying. May the
Lord give us grace to understand it that it's clearly taught in
the word of God. All right let's bow our heads
please together for A word of prayer, thank the Lord for his
word, even though it skins the skin off of us. It's hard. It's a hard saying. And it is
an insult to the prideful flesh of men and women in our day who
think, listen, I'll decide my destiny. I'll go when I'm ready. I'll be saved when I'm ready,
when I want to. The heart of everyone is in the
hand of God.