Mission accomplished, right? God said Pharaoh would not let the people go without compulsion, God said He would harden Pharaoh's heart and we see above he acted as such as his heart was hardened.
So the question is what kind of free will did Pharaoh exercise during the deliverance of Israel by God chapters of the book of Exodus?
If one wants to answer this a different way...Did Pharaoh choose to do what he did?
It’s amazing that I should have to point out such obvious truths as follows. But I guess that’s just the way it is. The time has come when men will not abide strong doctrine but, wanting to have their ears tickled, they will gather to themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires. God knows there are many such shallow ear ticklers posting in this forum.
The scriptures are filled with examples of God and men acting and speaking concurrently. This is but one of the examples.
Sometimes the actions and words of men are good and sometimes they are evil.
Always the actions and words of God are good.
E.G. ------ The actions of Joseph’s brothers were evil and they meant it as such. But God meant what He did (or allowed if you must) for good. The scriptures make it clear that, since God is the prime mover of all things, He was ultimately the one doing it (all for good alone since He is not the author of evil).
Caiaphas made an evil statement about one man dying for the good of the nation. He meant his comment for evil. At the same time God made the same statement as a prophecy. Therefore it was ultimately God doing it since even Caiaphas lived and moved and had his being in God.
The donkey brayed and meant it in the way a donkey only can. At the same time God spoke His words and later recorded them in the scriptures for us.
Evil men meant to crucify Jesus as an altogether evil act. They did it as such and they will answer for it as such. At the same time God “crushed” His Son, as the scriptures prophesied, and meant it for absolute good. God was ultimately the one doing good although He brought it to pass through choices and actions of evil men.
God uses natural means to bring to pass what He has predestined to happen. Sometimes those means are the choices for evil by men and sometimes they are choices for good by men. But God is always the prime mover and the ultimate sovereign of the universe – in every way imaginable.
Just as often as for evil, men make choices and speak words either for good or in a neutral way.
E.G. ------
Paul, John, Luke, Peter, Moses etc. wrote letters and documents out of their own mind and for their own reasons. They made the choice to speak as they did. No doubt Luke made the free choice to protect his writings from the rain and river crossings They did such things by their own free will and for their own reasons. At the same time – it was God doing the same things, and for an altogether good reason. He wrote the scriptures and protected them from destruction. No doubt, He has protected the Word of God in like manner for the last 2000 years.
It intrigues me that so many “anti-sovereignty types” object to the idea that God predestines and that He is the prime mover of
all things in His creation. At the same time – they, at least nominally, agree with the inspiration of scripture and the concurrent actions of God and men in their creation. Of course, as we see so often here in the forum,many of them really do not believe the scriptures.
Sometimes they actually show their true colors and call the scriptures “metaphors” and “tribal mythology”
Well – enough examples. The fact is that we (both good and evil men) are vessels through whom God works for an ultimate good. We are as free as entities who have their being “in God” can be. We are created in His image and are able to relate in a personal way with Him as He is with us.
Mystery though these things are – it is just the way it is.
Some people chafe at what those facts are and they cry “I want to be completely free” and “we are but robots and puppets if this is true”. They deny what the scriptures tell us about our nature as created and sustained beings. Apparently - they perhaps inwardly wish they could be gods.
But I, and other people of faith like me, embrace these facts and rejoice in the mystery that we can be loved by the creator and sustainer of all things in a personal way in spite of not being His equals.
No doubt – Pharaoh, if he was posting in this forum, would be one of the former complainers because his free choices were planned long before he made them – in order that they could play a small part in a great and mysterious tapestry of good that God will display in the ages to come.
