The God Who Hardens

And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the  miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.

 

Exodus 4:21, ESV

 

Beginning with the above verse, the Bible speaks of Pharaoh’s hardened heart eighteen times in the next ten chapters.  Five instances refer to the condition of Pharaoh’s heart (hardened) and four instances assign the action of hardening to Pharaoh.   The remaining nine identify God as the One who hardened Pharaoh’s heart.  In addition, God also promises to harden the hearts of the Egyptians (14:17), which He does.

 

Does God really harden people’s hearts against Him?  If we take God at His word, we see that He does, and not just in Pharaoh’s case.  He hardened Sihon, the king of Heshbon (Deut. 2:30) and He hardened the peoples that dwelt in the Promised Land (Josh. 11:20).  Why would God do such a thing?  We are not left completely without answers:

 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these signs of mine among them, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and of your grandson how I have dealt harshly with the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them, that you may know that I am the Lord.”

 

Exodus 10:2, ESV

 But Sihon the king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him, for the Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, that he might give him into your hand, as he is this day.

 

Deuteronomy 3:20, ESV

 

For it was the Lord’s doing to harden their hearts that they should come against Israel in battle, in order that they should be devoted to destruction and should receive no mercy but be destroyed, just as the Lord commanded Moses.

 

Joshua 11:20, ESV

 

God hardens according to His will, to bring destruction upon those who oppose Him and to glorify Himself and make His name known.  In Exodus 9:16, God tells Pharaoh 

for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.

 

Exodus 9:16, ESV

 

The God who hardened Pharaoh’s heart is the same God who raised him up to the position of Pharaoh, and not because he was worthy, but so that God, through Pharaoh, might make His name known.  Though Moses’ original request was to travel into the wilderness to worship God, God used Pharaoh’s hardened heart to accomplish much more:  He delivered the Israelites from the yoke of slavery in Egypt, He allowed them to plunder the decimated nation as they left, and He annihilated the entire Egyptian army in the Red Sea.

 

Still, it may seem unfair, unkind, or unjust for God to harden a person, or a nation, and then punish them for being stubborn or stiff-necked toward Him.  Lest God be made a purveyor of evil, it must also be acknowledged that Pharaoh himself hardened his heart.  He is culpable for his rebellion against God.  Both God’s sovereignty over all His creation and man’s responsibility must be affirmed, for they are both in view here.  We cannot fully understand how the two work together, but to deny one or the other is to deny Scripture.  Paul anticipated the cry of protest against God’s exercise of His sovereignty, and addressed it in his epistle to the Romans: 

For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” But who are you, O man, to answer back to God?

 

Romans 9:17-19, ESV

 

May we never forget that the God who hardens is the same God that shows mercy.  He is God, and acts rightly in both roles.

 

The God Who Acts

And from among his brothers he (Joseph) took five men and presented them to Pharaoh.  Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” And they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, as our fathers were.” They said to Pharaoh, “We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants’ flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. And now, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.”

 

Genesis 47:2-4

 

An innocuous little phrase in the above passage helps give valuable insight into the character and nature of God.  Five of Joseph’s brothers, speaking to Pharaoh, declare their intentions:  “We have come to sojourn in the land.”  A severe famine had plagued both Egypt and the land of Canaan, causing Israel and his family to become sojourners in a land that was not their own.  God had told Abraham of this occurrence many years before: 

Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.

 

Genesis 15:13

 

Is God simply predicting the future, or is He telling Abraham what He will do?  Consider the words of Joseph to his brothers: 

And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.

 

Genesis 45:5

 

Joseph recognizes that although it was an evil act by his brothers that landed him in slavery, it was God who sent him to Egypt.  Lest there be any confusion as to God’s activity in bringing Joseph to power, Joseph goes on to tell his brothers that 

God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

 

Genesis 45:7-8

 

It was God who sent Joseph to Egypt.  It was God who made Joseph the most powerful man in Egypt.  And it was God who brought the severe famine that caused Israel and his family to sojourn in Egypt.  Consider Joseph’s words to Pharaoh: 

 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.  The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one.  The seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears blighted by the east wind are also seven years of famine.  It is as I told Pharaoh; God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do.

 

Genesis 41:25-28

 

Joseph recognized the work of God in his life.  Though his brothers operated with evil intent, God was concurrently working, with good intent, to bring about His will.  He is a God who acts, and He acts to accomplish His good purposes.

 

The God Who Predestines

And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.  I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”  Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”  And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!”  God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac.  I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.  As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation.  But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.”

 

Genesis 17:15-21, ESV

 

Predestination is an unpopular doctrine with many believers today – some go so far as to question whether it is even biblical.  In the NT, however, the Greek verb prohorizo (to predestine, to decide beforehand) is used six times, and has specific reference to God’s determining “everything in advance, both persons and things in salvation history, with Jesus Christ as the goal.” (TDNT)  Predestination is often rejected (against the biblical text) because it is seen to undermine human responsibility or free will.  Without question there is tension between the two, but to reject predestination on such grounds (to call it unbiblical) is to deny the teaching of the Word of God.

 

God’s predetermined plan for specific individuals can be seen even in the OT.  God predetermined to bless Abraham and make him the father of many nations, even though Abraham had not yet set foot on his journey.  God predetermined to fulfill His promise through Isaac, and accomplished His purpose even though Ishmael was Abraham’s firstborn, the fruit of his parents’ lack of faith in the power of God.  God predetermined to bless Jacob, even though Esau preceded him in birth.  God predetermined to use Joseph to deliver Israel’s family from famine, even though his brothers had intended harm:

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

Genesis 50:8

That God predestines people and things is a glorious, mysterious truth.  It underscores His sovereign control over His creation, highlights His plan to redeem for Himself a remnant from every nation, tribe, and tongue, and preserves man’s free choice and responsibility.  To deny the doctrine of predestination is to forfeit the truth that God

works all things according to the counsel of his will.

 

Ephesians 1:11, ESV

 

The God Who Provides

When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.  Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.  But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.”  He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.  So Abraham called the name of that place, “The LORD will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.”

Genesis 22:9-14, ESV

How gracious of God to provide a sacrifice to spare Isaac!  Unquestionably, this ram caught in the thicket is the foreshadowing of God’s gracious provision of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  Note, however, that while the ram was given to Abraham in response to his unconditional obedience in offering up his son of promise, Christ was provided for a people who, according to Romans 5:8, were sinners.  Abraham demonstrated regard for God’s command and God provided a substitute; we were demonstrating contempt for the commands of God, and yet He provided for us the perfect sacrifice.  Though God spared Abraham the unthinkable act of sacrificing his only son, God the Father was willing to do just that, and offered up His only Son because a suitable substitute did not exist.  What an incredible testimony to the love and grace of God the Father and the obedience of God the Son! 

Christ came then, not as a result of our obedience, but because we could not obey.  His perfect obedience is imputed to those who trust in Him, clothing us in the righteousness of Christ.  God has indeed provided!

 

The Mysterious Melchizedek

After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).  And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.)  And he blessed him and said,

          “Blessed be Abram by God Most High,

Possessor of heaven and earth;

              and blessed be God Most High,

who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”

And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

Genesis 14:17-20

 Melchizedek is one of the most fascinating characters in the Bible.  Mentioned only here in Genesis 14, in Psalm 110, and in the NT book of Hebrews, mystery shrouds this curious figure:

He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.

Hebrews 7:3

Why does Melchizedek appear, then disappear so quickly?  Since a greater sacrifice than that of bulls and goats was needed to remove sin (Hebrews 10:4), a greater priesthood than the Aaronic (Levitical) priesthood was needed to offer such a sacrifice.  To demonstrate the superiority of the priesthood of Melchizedek, Abram received a blessing from Melchizedek, priest of God Most High, and

It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior.

Hebrews 7:7

Abram also paid tithes to Melchizedek.  The Aaronic priesthood, descendants of Abraham and collectors of tithes, showed the inferiority of thier priesthood in that they themselves paid tithes to Melchizedek:

One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.

Hebrews 7:9-10

Quite simply, Melchizedek belongs (note present tense, per Heb. 7:3) to a priesthood superior to the Aaronic priesthood, which God instituted in order that a sufficient sacrifice for the sins of His people could be made.  Since this sacrifice needed to be infinite (because the sin committed was against an infinite God), an infinite priesthood was needed.  Jesus became a priest in that priesthood

not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life.  For it is witnessed of him,



“You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.”   

Hebrews 7:16-17

 

Melchizedek not only points to Christ, he gives evidence of God’s eternal plan of redemption by highlighting the necessary provisions made by God long before Christ came to this earth.  Truly He is God Most High, our Sovereign Lord.

 

A City, A Name, A People

Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.

Genesis 11:4

There are three interesting contrasts between this account and the life of Abraham that are worth noting.

First,  the post-deluvian people sought to build a city of their own, a great work of man that would inspire awe and unite them as a people.  They crafted their own building materials and set to work on a monument to themselves.  Abraham, on the other hand,

…went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.  For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.

Hebrews 11:9,10

Second, the post-deluvian people desired to make a name for themselves.  They wanted to be in control; they wanted to dictate how they would be known and remembered; they wanted to be masters of their own destiny.  Conversely, Abraham heeded the call of the Lord and was given a great name by God, a constant reminder, not of what Abraham could accomplish, but what God promised to do for Abraham:

No longer shall your name be called Abram (exalted father), but your name shall be Abraham (father of a multitude), for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.

Genesis 17:5

Third, the post-deluvian people wanted to be just that – a people unto themselves.  As one people, they had enormous potential (11:6); nothing was impossible for them.  But separated, they would be common, average, and of little or no renown.  But Abraham obeyed the Lord, taking his family, leaving his country, and sojourning in a foreign land.  And the Lord blessed him by making him the father of a multitude of nations:

Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations… I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you.

Genesis 17:4,6

God confounded the proud, rebellious plans of the post-deluvian people, confusing their language and scattering them across the face of the earth.  Ironically, God promised and gave the very thing to Abraham that the people of Babel had so desired to gain for themselves:

Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

Genesis 12:1-3

A great picture of a simple yet profound truth, found in a proverb cited by both James and Peter, and as pertinent today as ever:

God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

1 Peter 5:5

 

The God Who Redeems

For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die.  But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.  And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you.  

Genesis 6:17-19, ESV

Redemption is not usually the first word that comes to mind when recalling the flood account – words such as destruction, judgment, punishment, or wrath seem more befitting.  Nevertheless, when we view the flood account in light of the rest of Scripture, we see God’s unwavering commitment to redeem His creation. 

Without question, there was great destruction that accompanied the flood.  The whole of mankind – save eight people – were killed, along with all land-dwelling, air-breathing creatures – save two of each kind (seven of the clean animals).  The world was radically changed forever.  But therein lies the redemption.  The world was changed, not annihilated.  God did not start over from scratch; He worked to redeem what He had created in the beginning.  With a handful of humans and a handful (or arkful) of animals, God repopulated the fallen earth.  His predetermined choice was to redeem that which He created, to redo what sin had undone. 

The persistence of God in His work of redemption is made manifest throughout Scripture, culminating in the coming of Jesus, God in the flesh.  He determined before creation to preserve a remnant for Himself, chosen by grace and foreknown by Him:

God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel?  “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.”  But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”  So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.

Romans 11:2-5, ESV

He has not abandoned His creation.  He will not forsake those whom He foreknew.  He is the God Who redeems, and He will do so according to His good pleasure and perfect will.

 

Sin Undoes

…the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” 

Genesis 2:7

 

In the above passage we see the culmination of God’s creative work, the creation of man in His image.  In this process we see two actions of God:  He forms man and He breathes into him the breath of life. A living, breathing creature, bearing His image, is the result of God’s work. He is designed to live forever and bring glory to his Creator.

 

Sadly, a few verses later we learn that man sinned against God, with devastating consequences:

 

By the sweat of your face

you shall eat bread,

till you return to the ground,

for out of it you were taken;

for you are dust,

and to dust you shall return. 

Genesis 3:19

 

The work which God had wrought – forming man from dust and breathing life into him – will be undone.  The breath of life will leave him, and he will return to the dust of the ground.

 

This is what sin does; it takes that which is good and completely unravels it.  In a word, sin undoes.

 

The good news is that, in Christ, we are a new creation.  God creates again, but this time, sin is not a factor.  Christ’s work in His life, death, and resurrection renders sin powerless to corrupt, or undo, this new creation.  The new creation, though a certainty now, will be ultimately completed when that which returned to dust is raised and clothed in incorruption and immortality (1 Cor. 15:53-55).