Exodus 7:3
"But I will harden Pharaoh's heart that I may multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt"
2007-01-20 16:06:59 · 13 answers · asked by Atlas 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Can we say this was free will?
2007-01-20 16:08:03 · update #1
God just wanted to show off
2007-01-20 16:12:12 · answer #1 · answered by foreverquilting2003 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Who knows. People will debate this until the apocalypse.
However, it is impossible for one verse to determine the existance or lack of existance of freewill.
"Harden his heart" could have meant God brought circumstances into his life that tipped the scales in favor of being a jerk. You know, like when you wouldn't ordinarily flip people off, but because of the traffic conditions, and how completely rude everyone else is being, blah blah blah, you end up doing something a bit out of character.
Or it could have meant that God caused Pharaoh's heart to harden by surrounding him with stubborn people rather than compassionate people. Some indirect method of persuasion.
Or it could have meant that Pharaoh's natural tendencies were to be evil and not care about the Israelites. But something caused him to rethink his strategy and he came close to softening his heart, but God didn't allow it. Like as a natural consequence of past behavior or something. But we still don't know whether God intervened by actually changing Pharaoh's mind for him, or whether he brought in an outside influence to counteract his moment of weakness.
It's not something you can just answer yes or no.
2007-01-21 00:27:57 · answer #2 · answered by mara 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the Bible god can override free will if he wants. he's GOD after all and doesn't have to follow his own morality codes or be consistent. the Bible god is a "do as I say not as I do unless I help you commit genocide" kind of god.
2 Th.2:11-12
God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned.
PS. sorry Linedance but Exodus repeats 11 times (11!) that it was THE LORD that hardened the Pharaoh's heart.
2007-01-21 00:18:23 · answer #3 · answered by nebtet 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hmmm. It is strange that the bible says all this weird stuff happened in Egypt but there is no corresponding record in the Egyptian hieroglyphics, one of the most complete written records of the times of the Old Testament.
Maybe the bible is wrong.
2007-01-21 00:13:58 · answer #4 · answered by chuck 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't belief it didn't happen but I don't discard the power of the imagination either if there was any impact by concept alone or circumstance I really don't know. still have never seen enough evidence to accept the belief of a deity.
2007-01-21 00:16:07 · answer #5 · answered by dogpatch USA 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Again,God did this to show Egypt and Pharaoh that God is God.
2007-01-21 00:13:36 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Killing all the firstborn in one night may be a wonder but it's also an atrocity. Go ahead and make excuses for this but I'm not impressed.
2007-01-21 00:19:38 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sin will harden ones heart. God allowed it to happen because He has given all a will to choose. Hebrew verbs are both passive and agressive. When it states that God causes something, it would have been better representive of the Hebrew text to say in english that God allowed
I was not asking anyone what they thought, I am stating a fact.
2007-01-21 00:11:06 · answer #8 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 4⤋
Funny that God can't show us a few decent miracles because it would somehow "interfere" with our free will to worship him if we KNEW he existed, but he has no problem taking control of someone's mind in order to arrange the mass murder of thousands of innocent children.
Odd.
2007-01-21 00:13:32 · answer #9 · answered by Aeryn Whitley 3 · 3⤊ 1⤋
He knows us so He knew what was going to happen. He knew that he will have to take very serious measures before Pharaoh let His people go.
2007-01-21 00:11:49 · answer #10 · answered by SeeTheLight 7 · 0⤊ 3⤋