⁸ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ⁹ “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle,’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake.” ¹⁰ So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. ¹¹ Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: ¹² Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. ¹³ Yet Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.” Exodus 7:8-13

¹⁰ “Tomorrow,” Pharaoh said. Moses replied, “It will be as you say, so that you may know there is no one like the Lord our God. ¹¹ The frogs will leave you and your houses, your officials and your people; they will remain only in the Nile.” ¹² After Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, Moses cried out to the Lord about the frogs he had brought on Pharaoh. ¹³ And the Lord did what Moses asked. The frogs died in the houses, in the courtyards and in the fields.¹⁴ They were piled into heaps, and the land reeked of them. 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 8:10-15         

We shall hear many times throughout the Exodus account, that the Lord “hardened Pharaoh’s heart”.  We talk about sin as both our refusal to heed G-d’s word and our behaviors and actions where we turn our backs to G-d. But, our Lutheran understanding is that WE are the agents to turning away from G-d. WE harden our own hearts to refuse to listen, to act, to live the Christ-like life.

In this exchange in Exodus however, it is often G-d who is hardening the heart of Pharaoh; G-d is the agent that turns Pharaoh away from the “I AM”.  Do you believe that G-d can will some people to not heed G-d’s word?  Is it possible that G-d can be the agent to turning people away from G-d’s self?  Does this sound too much like Predestination? Personally, I do not believe that G-d’s will is anything other than to save all people. It is our own sin and separation from G-d’s Grace that hardens our hearts.

Pastor Dave