Comments on: Pursued by the Enemy

By: Karen Daniels

Karen Daniels — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:12:36 +0000

I also want to add to Tom’s response that, Pharoah made a choice, he viewed himself to be greater than Moses’s God. He, Pharoah, as Tom said, hardened his own heart…but let us not forget, he was not a nice Pharoah…he wanted the Israelites to suffer for his own purposes, to create a “kindgom” for himeself…this is going to sound harsh, but…”what goes around, comes around”…”do unto others…”!- K

By: MVTeacher

MVTeacher — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:11:00 +0000

It should bother us - just as Cain should bother us and Judas should bother us (that's why I tagged this post with "Theodicy"). First of all, Pharaoh hardened his own heart (Exodus 8:15 & 32). BUT . . . God created Pharaoh, and he knew that sending Moses to free the people of Israel from this particular Pharaoh would result in him hardening his heart (Exodus 4:21). Similarly, in John 13:26-27, Jesus gives bread to Judas, singling him out as the one who would betray him and then telling him to go and "do quickly what you are going to do". He's God, he's all-knowing, so he knows what Judas is going to do. BUT . . . He's God, he's all powerful, why didn't he change Judas's heart (for that matter, why didn't he change the hearts of the Pharisees and Pilate)? To say that it's a matter of free-will is to over-simplify the question, because it still leaves us with the issue of the death of innocents (whether they be the first-born of Egypt or the first-born of Bethlehem) and - even more problematic - natural disasters caused by no human action. The problem is that we're dealing with an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-good God and we find it hard to reconcile the three. (We're not alone in this -- from Job to C.S. Lewis we've been trying to understand the conundrum). I don't know the answer, but I know the solution . . . God died to fix the problem.

By: susan

susan — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:48:55 +0000

I have a question. More than once, but specifically in this passage, the idea of our God “hardening the heart” of the Pharaoh is mentioned. What does this mean? Does He really work this way? This has always bothered me.

By: Karen Daniels

Karen Daniels — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 10:16:05 +0000

“…so that I will gain glory for myself over Pharaoh and all his army; and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord. ”
This about says it all. When we live for the glory of God, His purpose is served.- Karen