Why would god "harden the Pharaoh's Heart", wasn't that counter productive?

Question

EX 7:3 and 11:10

Answer 1

Good point!

Answer 2

from what I understand the term "hardening of the heart" as it is translated into Hebrew is to describe not as much adding stubbornness, but rather strength.

Its quite clear from the Exodus story that if G-d wish the Israelites could have left right then and all the Egyptians would be prevented from attacking them.

That was not the goal though. The goal was to make the Egyptians, particularly Pharaoh, release the Israelites of his own will because that was the right thing to do.

The plagues were to show that his people were being punished by keeping the Israelites in slavery.

If he would have granted there leave the moment the plagues became difficult it would have defeated the purpose.

rather the "hardening of the heart" was similar to a pain killer. Allowing Pharaoh do decide to let the Israelites leave out of his own will not because of the "pain" his people were under going.

but again that is just one view.

I hoped this helped.

Answer 3

Because, the ISSUE here wasn't between Moses and Pharaoh.

Moses and Pharaoh should be totally IGNORED for now. What we need to look at is the CONTEST BETWEEN THE GOD OF the Slaves of Egypt, JEHOVAH AND THE 10 MAJOR GODS OF EGYPT! Each and every Plague that was made, was a direct ASSAULT against a Major God of ancient Egypt. Everyday a God of Egypt was attacked and defeated by the God of the slaves of Egypt. What a kick in the Pharaoh's *ss.

So, it was PARAMOUNT that Pharaoh never say okay until all 10 Gods had been defeated. Pharaoh litterally HAD NO CHOICE. Until Jehovah God was done proving his power over the Gods of Egypt, Pharaoh would have to suffer.

Answer 4

The way God hardens (or heals) a heart is by giving the person choices. When God says this, he is saying, basically, "I am going to expose Pharaoh for what he is." With every wrong choice that a person makes, that person becomes more and more confirmed in their wrong approach to life (just like the more good you do, the more natural goodness becomes for you). Every time Pharaoh decided to not listen to what was right and to keep the Israelites in slavery and to murder their firstborn males as they were born so that they would not become more numerous than the Egyptians, he became hardened within himself, and it was because he kept closing the "ears" of his heart/spirit to what was right. God gave Pharaoh choice after choice (read the passage again, and see how many times God asks him to free the Israelites), opportunities to do right, and each time he did wrong, the wrong got easier, and the right got harder to listen to, until he and all the people who used the Israelites as slaves brought judgement upon themselves and their nation. In Exodus 7:14, notice also, that Pharaoh's heart was hardened because he saw his magicians replicating some portions of the miracles and plagues by their own devices, and in Exodus 8:11 it says: "But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and listened not to them, as the Lord had said." So God, when he hardens Pharaoh's heart is allowing Pharaoh to exercise his own free will (as you see, it says that Pharaoh hardened Pharaoh's heart as well) and to bring Pharaoh's abuse of his own free will and Pharaoh's abuse of the Israelites to its natural conclusion - the downfall of Pharaoh, and the freedom of the Israelites. If God had not given Pharaoh the choices that showed him up for what he really was (a lying cheat who went back on his promise to let the people go free), the people of Israel would not have seen how Egypt was keeping them trapped, and never would have escaped...so it was not counter-productive, it produced the realization in the minds of the Israelites that they truly had to get out, and it produced the opportunity for them to do so.

Answer 5

He is going to let Pharaoh be a figure, or a "type" of a kingdom of bondage which held the Lord's people captive, and show in Pharaoh someone who is completely rebellious against God (Which is exactly what Pharaoh was by nature when not restrained). By God removing His hand of restraint, Pharaoh's heart is hardened to it's natural state. It's not that God made him do anything, God simply stopped restraining him and let him do what he wanted. And in this, God can show His Glory in the signs and wonders which He manifested. The sin of the hardened heart, was truly Pharaoh's.

Answer 6

Some people who make a slight mis-step off the path of righteousness just need a little nudge to be set straight again. Others (i.e., the Pharaoh & the Egyptians) needed first-hand, up-close-and-personal, plain-view evidence that they are wrong.

Did you notice that God used small plagues (blood & frogs), but the magicians used magic to do that. They didn't get the message at first. After they could not reproduce the gnats with their magic, they admitted that "this is the finger of God." (Ex. 8:19)

However, Pharaoh could not believe that his multiple gods could not come to his aid, until the plague of the firstborns. And that's what it took for Pharaoh to finally get the message.

Answer 7

Well, in a nutshell, I think that He was using Pharaoh to accomplish His master plan to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Through Moses and the ten plagues, God showed His might and power, and in the meantime, strengthening Moses for what was to come. Moses was going to have to lead the Israelites across the Red Sea with the fierce Egyptian army right on their tails! God knows what he's doing and is always productive even when we don't see how. =)

Answer 8

it is a punishment similar to that of blaspheming the Holy Spirit.

Jesus says in Matthew 12.31 that the man who blasphemes the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven.

the reason why is because that man will deny and blaspheme the Holy Spirit so many times that he will no longer WANT to receive the conviction and quickening that the Holy Spirit provides. Therefore, there can be no forgiveness or salvation for that man.

the same thing went for pharaoh too. He hardened his own heart for so long that he actually created the pattern and God did nothing but follow suit. seems weird, but our thoughts and ways are not His.

Answer 9

Why do you care? If you hate the truth so much, stay an Atheist and leave people that do alone. You will not convince a Christian of anything, they arleady know the spirit of Christ dwells in them. Pharaoh's Heart was harden because he chose to rebel against God, and God wanted to make a fool of him, for his previously bad decisions. God used Pharoah as a means for showing the World that only God is to be worshipped.

Answer 10

I haven't wondered if hardening the pharaoh's heart, and in genesis when he says to the serpent He will put hatred between the children of eve and the serpents children.That seems to me to mess with free will.Does anyone else think this too?

Answer 11

Pharoah first chose to oppose God, so God granted him all the desires of his heart.

It wasn't counter productive, because by so doing, God carried out his divine plan, according to his will, and Cecil B. DeMille got a script for two classic movies.