If God made Pharaoh’s heart hard, then how can He be upset with him? Did God create a situation in which children would have to be killed?
Yes, God did harden Pharaoh’s heart. He even tells us why He did it, so that He could perform miracles and signs that would be talked about for all time. It was a way to teach all people that God is more powerful than our manufactured false gods. That’s why one plague is directed toward the Nile, which was the home of the god “Hapi”. The Egyptians believed that Hapi was the one who flooded the land each year, bringing new fertile soil in which to grow crops. The plague of blood clearly identifies that Hapi is not in charge, and so it goes for each of the plagues.
The gods that governed the harvest are refuted by hail and locusts. The gods that govern night and day are exposed as frauds when they cannot make nighttime go away. (all the while daylight remains in Goshen).
But why would God permit the death of children?
The text doesn’t identify any difference in Pharaoh between this plague and the others, so his heart is still hardened, and God did it. Doesn’t that make this whole thing God’s fault?
Not exactly. The phrase that helps me understand this passage was shared with me long ago. “The same sun that melts the ice hardens the clay”. It simply means that the revelation of God will cause the human heart to react in predictable ways. Some, who are self absorbed and arrogant will be hardened by the revelation. Others who are humble and wise, will be “melted” by it. God would not ever make one of His children resistant to His presence, it would go against His nature, and He cannot do it. God loved Pharaoh, and He loved all the people who were going to die, or who were going to lose a loved one. He didn’t create mankind to die in this way, and I’m sure He wasn’t happy about it.
But God knew Pharaoh’s heart. He knew that when He revealed himself Pharaoh would resist and become even more rebellious. In that way, Pharaoh is responsible for his own demise, and responsiblity for the death of his people rests on his shoulders. He could have repented, if he wasn’t so completely self absorbed. When God says that He hardened his heart, he isn’t lying….that’s what happened. But God didn’t take a heart that could be compliant to Him and turn it into something that couldn’t. God simply knows the future, and stated it as a matter of fact.
Where does that leave you and I? Choose to have a compliant heart that is responsive and obedient to God. When God reveals himself be humble, thankful and filled with praise. God will never turn that reaction away, nor will He force anyone to become hardened. You get to choose. Choose wisely, Choose life.
The first passover is explained here. The blood of the lamb causes the death angel to pass over the homes of those who have applied it to their door frames. Jesus is the Lamb of God, and when we are “covered” by His blood (by confessing and asking forgiveness for our sins) we move from condemned to death to the promise of life. On judgment day the angel of death will not lay claim to our souls, and we will not be cast into the lake of eternal fire. Passover in the Old Testament celebrated the deliverance of the Jews from Egypt. It became a covenant meal between God and the nation. In the New Testament, Jesus creates a new covenant from the same event, known to us as communion.
Communion then is our opportunity to display publicly our decision to follow Christ. It is a time to begin the covenant, renew the covenant and celebrate the ongoing covenant. It’s a time to “paint the blood of Christ” on the door frames of our hearts. A time to celebrate the significance of His sacrificial death for all of us, and a time to embrace His teaching and lifestyle.
The celebration of communion is our heritage, crossing over family lines and uniting the true family of Jesus together. The bread and wine are the symbols that Christ lives within us, and will deliver us from all evil.
What a joy to serve such a wonderful, thoughtful God who plans so deliberately and completely! I can only marvel at the perfection of everything that God does! He truly is worthy of our praise!
Faithfully,
PR