I found some contradictions in Exodus, please help clarify?

Question

Problem: God hardens Pharoah's heart and yet punishes him for something God did.

Since Chapter 7 God sends Moses and Aaron to ask the Pharoah to let his people go. But God said " But I will make Pharaoh stubborn. Even though I will do many miraculous signs and amazing things in Egypt, Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will use my power to punish Egypt severely, and I will bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt in organized family groups."

So then he starts to do the miracles, and each time before the next one is done, he hardens the pharoah's heart, so that he can perform them... sounds like hes messing with Free Will.

After God performs the final miracle, (killing all the firstborn in the land Pharoah ruled) In chapter 13 starting in verse 13, God commands the Israelites to redeem the innocent sons killed in order for their escape to have been succesful.

So here it seems that God can't mess with Free Will cause he couldn't force the Pharoah to let them go,

(that is why there is a sacrifice of firstborns), but then earlier in the passage, 9 times God hardened Pharoahs heart... implying that he is messing with Free Will...

Can someone help me understand what is going on please?

You guys should stick to kind words, judging shall not become of us. I am a christian, and my faith is strong, I'm not going to lose faith because of this, that is why I said 'please help clarify'.

I know there is an answer, and that's what I'm seeking; He who seeks finds, remember?

You guys are making me out as a non believer and as someone who wants to offend and disprive God, that is certainly not the case.

Love, and always think the best of people.

Answer 1

I once heard a good analogy that explains this: God hardens some hearts and softens others the way that the sun hardens mud but softens wax. It's the same sun, but the two materials are inherently different. God was merely "catalyzing" the process that had already begun in Pharaoh's heart.

Answer 2

hi, this is eros_halo.

God let his people become slaves so that he can show the world that there is always a way out, even when none is found. Faith produces works, and works perfects faith. God wanted to perform miracles so that others could realize Him and love Him, so that he can bring us all to heaven (because he loves even the worst of sinners). Since God knew his people could handle the chastising, he let the Pharoah rule over them for centuries so that he can show all the nonbelievers that faith will get them through anything. After some time, God proceeded to impliment his Divine Plan and bring Justice to his people.

Now here is where the Free Will part gets tricky

When our faith is being tested, God always provides a way out. As in the Pharoahs case, he had, with his own free Free WIll, chose to go against God many times before Moses and Aaron arived. God knew, that if Moses and Aaron were to ask him at this point of time to let his people go, that the Pharoah would say no. But because this injustice has gone on long enough, and because Pharoah had already turned his back against God, God let Moses and Aaron go ask him, thereby "hardening his heart."

But you see, only God has the authority to catalyze a situation, so it was acceptable. Pharoah still had Free Will, and it was not tampered with. It's only that God knew (because Pharoah had already hardened his heart before) he would say no, but still let it happen.

Do you see the difference? Pharoah had chose to become stubborn, and God knew he would still be stubborn when Moses and Aaron came, but he allowed it to happen because Justice was needed amongst his people. He merely catalyzed a situation, thus, 'hardening his heart'.

Thank you all for your answers!

Answer 3

The application of "free will" is entirely for mankind in general. Where God decides to intervene in the affairs of mankind, is solely for the implementation of His Devine Plan concerning all of us (human creation). Remember; Joseph ? He ended up being Pharaoh's right hand man ? God was paving the way for the Israelites - the nation He was working with at the time, to bring into Egypt. There they would eventually serve under a tyrant Pharaoh as slaves. God was doing all of this to make a point. The very fact that God placed Satan on this Earth prior to creating humans, illustrates something is in the making. For example; suppose God has it in mind for (let's say) Ireland to become a power house of a nation. Suppose then, God causes events to shape that possibility through to closure, by preventing any ill-effects from interfering with that process. This principle can be applied to the Egyptian - Israelite issue.
All in all; where and when in the best interests of God's objectives, God will and does intervene in the live of the main players to have those objectives come to closure.
See: Book of Romans, chapter 9, verse 17 - to capture the gist of what I'm saying to you.

Answer 4

You pose a very interesting question, funnily enough it is the same question that I had several years back. My understanding of the Jewish belief system (and people can correct me if I am mistaken) is that previously (during the exodus and around that time frame) the Jewish nation believed that God was responsible for both the good and the bad, and they did not believe in the devil and his influence on humanity as majority of the Christian world believes in today.
An example from the Bible may help...When David took a census of Israel, it was considered a bad thing. This event is documented in both 2 Samuel 24:1 and 1 Chronicles 21:1. On the one hand in 2 Samuel the event seems to be incited by God, while in 2 Chronicles the event is incited by Satan and David realises later that he has sinned.

To me this little example explains the discrepancy that you noticed in exodus with God's character. If the exodus event was re written today, perhaps it would say that Pharaoh chose not to listen to God and instead to Satan who kept whispering to him not to let Israel go.

I hope this helps in explaining your question.

My personal belief is that God is a wonderful and loving parent who wants all the best for his children...after all, he loves us so much that he sent his Son to this earth to make certain that we would be able to be with him for all eternity when He returns.

Kind regards and God bless :)

PS: If you want an explanation of the jewish belief system i found some information on

http://www.sacred-texts.com/evil/hod/hod08.htm
(read under Satan) - retrieved 14 April 2007

Answer 5

There is a porpose and reason in any of God's work in the past, present and in the future. We creatures have a very limitted mind to understand them, So please limit your way of attacking God and questioning from the point you don't even know the answer because that is the polite way of asking question/

according to the Bible Paroah hardened his heart from his side with his full concious for almost 4 times (as I dont have the bible with me now I cannot give accurate details) and there after God started hardening his heart. Why?

Paroah an Idol worshipper had a good accociation with the people of God the Creator and his previous cabinet ministers were from Israelits that gave him almost full knowlege of God Almighty but still he wanted to oppress this people thinking that he can Limit God. He believed his idols and godes and goddesses are going to help him and also his superior position in the land gave him such a proud that he can keep this people as a slave and can exploit them to keep his own citizens comfortable.

But God wanted His people to see His mighty hand so that in the future they will belittle God and follow other gods using Paroah's rebellious nature.( in the later time in the new testement Paul quotes this incident in his epistles saying "God heardens whom so ever He wants hearden and shows his mercy to whom so ever He wanted to have mercy with)

Who are we to ask question God? (have you ever asked questions against your employer or President? try it you will know the answer, sorry if my answer looks so hard but I warn people not to offend God this wrong way as it is fatal in the present age and in the life after.)

Answer 6

I'm not quite sure why this is a contradiction?

Without God's spirit with us all of us would reject God and disbelieve just like Pharaoh. The Bible states that we are all spiritually dead and a spiritually dead person thinks the things of God are foolish and the natural tendency is to disbelieve anything spiritual. So when God hardens someone's heart it just means that His Holy Spirit does not operate in their life and God allows them to move back to their natural human nature.

Answer 7

only because something is discovered in the Bible does no longer propose that God condones it. David's polygamy went counter to God's regulation and David ended up paying a heavy value for it. Solomon discovered from his father to have distinct different halves and it ended up costing his total relatives the royal throne in Jerusalem. Polygamy in Abraham became no longer said by using God, condoned by using God, or winked at by using God. It created friction and strife interior Abraham's relatives and ultimately created the Arabic those who're hostile in the course of the Israelites to this very day. Jacob's polygamous situation became the duty of both women's father's deceit. God did not condone it. It only became what it became. the outcomes were experienced in each and each and every situation because it befell.

Answer 8

Yes , You have to look at his motives of why he did it! His Hebrew slaves were in the pit for 400 years crying out to God for help, so when he roused himself from the throne of heaven on their behalf he was making a statement by showing all mankind at that time his Power and Glory and that he is the one true God, that's why he hardened his heart, now he is going to do it again coming up when Antichrist get here, he is going to come on the scene of mankind and do the Armageddon and wind up this generation with a display of his mighty power and then when we enter the eternity we will all be praising him for what he just did to the wicked. God judges the wicked and rewards those who love him. You must have his Holy spirit, here is how to get it, read this!'
http://www.freedomcame.com/glory/

Answer 9

It says that God knew that Pharoah would not change. That means that even if God were to come down out of the sky and say to Pharoah, "Hey I'm God, worship me", Pharoah would only hate God more. That is exactly how Satan is. He chooses to hate God and God knows that Satan will not change. So what happens to a person that constantly repeatedly rebels against the Word of God? They harden their hearts to make it easier to ignore his voice. God hardened his heart just by speaking to him, revealing himself to him, knowing that Pharoah would only harden his heart more. In other words, free will AND predestination is a paradox, not a contradiction. We cannot fully understand it, only accept it.

Answer 10

...sounds like He's messing with freewill, you're clever you make me laugh. Where did you get the idea God can't do anything He wants?