God hardens hearts?

[Ben Bet Beh]

Could someone explain this passage to me? It appears harsh to me. Perhaps the context of what is going on would be helpful. Thanks!

And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. (Exodus 14:17)

 

[SharonL]

Hardening of the heart means that God has turned us over to our own way of thinking because we will not follow the leadingof his calling and the Bible tells us that God will call us just so many times and then He will turn us over to a reprobate mind (following our own thinking) Not a good place to be in.

 

[juvenissun]

Could someone explain this passage to me? It appears harsh to me. Perhaps the context of what is going on would be helpful. Thanks!

And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. (Exodus 14:17)

May be you have heard that God knows if a person would be saved even before the person was born.

If so, there will also be bad cases, that a person will not be saved after all. So, if God hardened the heart of a person who will not be saved, it is not a terrible situation after all.

 

[elopez]

Could someone explain this passage to me? It appears harsh to me. Perhaps the context of what is going on would be helpful. Thanks!

I think it would appear as 'harsh' because you probably think that God 'hardening hearts' implies some sort of force contrary to one's personal choice. If not, why does the idea seem 'harsh' to you?

The context would be very accommodating because what 'hardening hearts' really means is that God emphasized a choice that one made himself. This can be observed in the case of Pharaoh.

And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. (Exodus 14:17)

Look here at Exodus 8:15: "But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart."

 

[Verticordious]

The original Hebrew word translated as "hardened" in that verse means to strengthen or encourage. Some people, typically Calvinists, try to argue that the word means "to make evil" or "to make disobedient", but you can look it up in a lexicon and that is flat out false. What it means is that God gave them courage to fulfill their heart's desire. The Egyptians wanted to kill and enslave the Israelites, but they were afraid because of all the plagues that God sent upon them. God gave them courage so they would chase after the Israelites and be drowned in the sea.

God did this because he had made the promise to Abraham to give the Israelites the land of Canaan. Israel first entered Egypt hundreds of years before as just one family. They had to multiply into a nation before they could occupy the land of Canaan, and also the nations in the land of Canaan were to be given a chance to repent before God destroyed them. God built Egypt up as the most powerful nation in the world by sending the years of plenty and years of drought, and by raising up Joseph to warn the Egyptians so they could prepare and become the dominant nation.

Over and over God says that if a nation who he raises up turns to sin, he will destroy them. Egypt turned to sin by enslaving the Israelites. God says several times there in Exodus that it was his purpose to make Israel feared among the nations. Had Egypt not turned against Israel, God could have made Israel feared among the nations by having Egypt continue being their ally. Nations are going to attack Israel if they know Egypt, the most powerful nation in the world, is going to be backing them up. Since Egypt turned on Israel, however, Egypt being allied with Israel was no longer an option. Instead of having Israel be allies with the strong nation, God made Israel the conqueror of the strongest nation. God gives people the opportunity to be obedient and be part of his will, but his will will still be accomplished even if you choose to disobey.

 

[ciel_perdu]

I like what others have shared about how hardening one's heart is a choice that the person makes, and not something that I think God forces on someone.

There is a reference to 'hardening hearts' in the gospels (don't have reference with me at the mo), but I think it's when Jesus and the disciples are going over one of the seas after feeding the multitude, and he says beware the leaven of the pharisees, they think he's talking about them not bring bread, and he says something like, ''why have ye yet hardened your hearts?...when we the 7000, how many baskets took ye up?'' etc. (That is a rough rendering of the context from memory).

I think it's interesting because the disciples were hardening their hearts, not willing to understand the power of God and what Jesus had showed them. I think we harden our hearts at times because we are unwillinging to change and become like little children, and so we just resort back to the hard unfelxible heart of human reasoing.

Well, hopefully this reference to the disciples hardening their hearts helps with this discussion.

 

[Bear.Fr00t]

Read Romans 9.

 

[MrPolo]

And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. (Exodus 14:17)

I find it helpful to read other verses in the text about hardening hearts. For example

:Exodus 8:15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart, and would not listen to them; as the LORD had said.

Exodus 9:12 But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them; as the LORD had spoken to Moses.​

You see how first the flow of heart-hardening in Exodus is first credited to Pharoah hardening his own heart, and then it says God hardened Pharoah's heart. So as others suggested, when God is said to do something in Scripture it can mean He wills something directly or by way of permission. In Exodux 9, God is confirming Pharoah in the hardening of his own heart. Both man's free will and God's sovereignty can thus be responsible for the hardening of man's heart.

Thus can Ex 14:17 be understood in the same way.

 

[dimi]

Pharaoh believed himself to be divine. Eventhough The Lord showed him the truth, Pharaoh still wouldn´t belive.

I think that´s quite normal even today.

If Gods Angel appeared to a modern person he would probably have himself committed rather than accept God.

I think that Pharaoh hardened the hearts of the Egyptians and their "divine" Pharaoh, because he offered them salvation through SUBJUGATION and PUNISHMENT only.

By their Godgiven free will they refused to hear and they refused to see.

The simply wanted revenge over their human being property, their slaves, and God´s

efforts only caused the rage and hatred in them to grow.


Christ himself came to Jerusalem to celebrate this event,The Easter.
This time The Lord offered his people not only physical resurrection and freedom, but also spiritual resurrection and freedom, in the Kingdom of God to come, through the power of love and mercy.

You see, had Pharaoh had love in him and mercy, Him and his people would have been blessed and saved, and they would have repented. Instead of life and freedom they chose death and slavery.