Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may perform these miraculous signs of mine among them that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the LORD." (Exodus 10:1-2)
2007-04-05 06:20:41 · 17 answers · asked by NHBaritone 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
A couple of reasons:
1) The Biblical god likes to see human suffering. He's a sadist.
2) The Biblical god likes to do things the complicated, roundabout, messy way - not the simple, logical, common-sense way.
2007-04-05 15:01:58 · answer #1 · answered by catrionn 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Most people do not realize that the confrontations going on between Moses and Pharoah lasted over two years. Exodus list how each of the different plauges affected different seasonal crops, and goes through a two year cycle.
During this time Pharoah kept promising to free the people, and then breaking that promise. He said they could go and worship for a day, and then broke the promise. He said they could go for three days to offering sacrifices, and then boke the promise. He said they could go for a week, and then broke the promise.
So God finally said "enough is enough". At that point he "hardened pharaohs heart" in that he made a decision once for all on whether it would let the people go. That decision was a "no". So God locked him into the decision, and proceeded to free the people through the final plague.
It was not that Pharaoh was a nice guy and wanted to let the people go, but God "hardened his heart" so that he didn't do it. Rather he was up and down, back and forth, constantly changing his word, and refusing to take a stand. So finally God forced him to make a decision, and then "hardened" that decision in his heart so that they could get the whole thing over with.
2007-04-05 06:32:19 · answer #2 · answered by dewcoons 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The continuation of the verse after "harden Pharoah's heart" answers your question: "that I may perform these miraculous signs of mine among them that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the LORD." It was so that there would be no doubt over the one true God.
2007-04-05 06:27:18 · answer #3 · answered by YoungScholar 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Great question!!! The only time in history that God messed with a man's (woman's) will!!!
He did it, because He wanted to totally humiliate the egyptians. He did not want there to be any doubts about Who was doing what to whom...And, after the 'angel of death' went through egypt, "passing over" those houses that had blood on the doorposts...THEN, pharoah said...'get out...and here's a part not many know....every egyptian house had to give gold, jewels and other wealth to the departing Hebrews !!!
Now, WHY did God want to humiliate the egyptians??? I know, do you???
How about some cogent and insightful answers here, Christians and others'
2007-04-05 06:29:27 · answer #4 · answered by Bill S 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
whilst finding on the case of Pharaoh Jehovah foreknew that Pharaoh could refuse permission for the Israelites to depart “different than by a reliable hand” (Ex 3:19, 20), and he foreordained the plague ensuing interior the demise of the firstborn. (Ex 4:22, 23) The apostle Paul’s communicate of God’s dealings with Pharaoh is oftentimes incorrectly understood to symbolize that God arbitrarily hardens the middle of persons in accordance to his foreordained objective, with out regard for the guy’s previous inclination, or coronary heart approach. (Ro 9:14-18) Likewise, in accordance to many translations, God counseled Moses that he could “harden [Pharaoh’s] coronary heart.” (Ex 4:21; study Ex 9:12; 10:a million, 27.) in spite of the fact that, some translations render the Hebrew account to examine that Jehovah “permit [Pharaoh’s] coronary heart wax ambitious” (Ro); “permit [Pharaoh’s] coronary heart substitute into obstinate.” (NW) In help of such rendering, the appendix to Rotherham’s translation shows that for the duration of Hebrew the occasion or permission of an experience is oftentimes presented as though it have been the reason for the form, and that “even beneficial instructions are at times to be time-honored as meaning no extra desirable than permission.” consequently at Exodus a million:17 the unique Hebrew text fabric actually says that the midwives “brought about the male little ones to stay,” while quite they accepted them to stay by refraining from putting them to demise. After quoting Hebrew pupils M. M. Kalisch, H. F. W. Gesenius, and B. Davies in help, Rotherham states that the Hebrew experience of the texts regarding Pharaoh is that “God accepted Pharaoh to harden his very own coronary heart—spared him—gave him the possibility, the occasion, of determining the wickedness that replaced into in him. that's all.”—The emphasized Bible, appendix, p. 919; study Isa 10:5-7.
2016-10-21 02:46:55 · answer #5 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Bible also says that Pharoah hardened his own heart. Therefore a callous heart was a precondition of the Pharaoh. God simply used this precondition for his purposes. See Romans 9.
2007-04-05 06:25:00 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
Through the plagues, God was attacking the Egyptian deities and proving himself, not only to the Egyptians but the Hebrews he is going to lead. A resume is necessary for a leader and this is what he was establishing with his audience.
2007-04-05 06:26:04 · answer #7 · answered by Aspurtaime Dog Sneeze 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
He was punishing the Egyptians for what they had done to His people. He could have softened their hearts to let the Israelites go, but He was determined to punish them for what they had done. Also, the signs of the ten plagues were to show the Israelites that it was God who was doing the punishing. Each of the 10 plagues attacked one of the Egyptian gods. The frog god, the scarab, the nile goddess, etc.
2007-04-05 06:29:21 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
So He could perform His miraculous signs to show the Israelites that He was with them!
2007-04-05 06:37:01 · answer #9 · answered by G.W. loves winter! 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Because it suited Him to.
"JC is the Man" has it right: Romans 9.
No comebacks, no complaints.
If God decides to wreck your life for his purposes
(Or wipe out your entire family to make a point, as in Job), you have no grounds for objecting. It's in the small print.
"The potter may do what he likes with the clay"
I wish my job description read like that.
It's right because he does it.
(I think R D Laing had something on this)
2007-04-05 06:39:33 · answer #10 · answered by Pedestal 42 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋