THE LIVES OF THE PATRIARCHS #76 | THE LIFE OF MOSES #58
Pastor Christopher Choo
Lesson 3759
THE LIVES OF THE PATRIARCHS #76
THE LIFE OF MOSES #58
MOSES VS. PHARAOH ( PART 4 )
THE HARDENING OF PHARAOH'S HEART.
In Romans 9:14-18 Paul has this to say of God's hardening of Pharaoh's heart.
Romans 9:14-18
(English Standard Version)
14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part?
By no
means!
15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.
17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that My Name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”
18 So then He has mercy on whomever He wills, and He hardens whomever He wills.
What is Paul really saying?
God is not unjust to love one man and to keep his wrath on another.
On the basis of justice, some (like Esau and Pharaoh) receive judgment.
On the basis of mercy, others (like Jacob) are the objects of love and salvation.
But no one gets injustice, because all deserve judgment.
With that as an overview, let’s work through Paul’s reasoning:
1. As the righteous Sovereign over all, it is outrageous to think that God could treat anyone unjustly (9:14).
As the righteous Sovereign over all, God is not unjust to grant mercy to some and to harden others, because all deserve His judgment.
2. As the righteous Sovereign over all, God is free to show mercy to whomever He wishes (9:15-16).
3. As the righteous Sovereign over all, God is free to harden whom He wishes, to display His glory (9:17-18).
In Romans 9, Paul writes about the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart for the purposes of making His glory known. This still seems rather harsh to some as if Pharaoh is a mere puppet.
Let's retrace Paul's teachings.
1. The wages of sin is death. As the perfect and sovereign judge, none of us deserves His mercy... only His rejection and death-sentence.
2. But He has forever shown Himself to be merciful as His inseparable attribute.
So He surely can show mercy to those in doomed humanity whom He chooses. And for those who reject His mercy, He in judgment could harden their hearts.
3. Pharaoh hardened his heart and thus bears full responsibility for his own condemnation. By rejecting God's mercy, He invokes God's judgment -
the hardening of his heart. As we have seen, God's hardening results when His mercy is spurned.
Paul uses the everyday image of a potter and his pots. God like a potter can do as he wishes with his clay. He has built into His system a salvation plan - a judgment that is reversible if people ( the pots ) will respond to His gospel of grace and mercy and repent ( turn to Him ).
God has a perfect right to show mercy or to harden under such gracious terms.
If people like the Gentiles who are already condemned by God but then repent, He will show forth His mercy and grace of salvation.
But if a people ( like the Jews ) have favourable prospects in His sight but then reject the gospel they will forfeit His grace and mercy.
Romans 9:22 pictures God's twofold intention of punishing sin ( " shows His wrath ") and subduing ( "make known His power") those who resist Him.
This is a hard and difficult teaching that Paul leaves us with.
That is why Dr. Sproul wrote: "God forbid, but if any of you are damned on judgment day, you will not be able to blame God by saying, “It’s not fair! You didn’t choose me!” Rather, God will be glorified in judging you for your sin. On the other hand, if you are saved, you won’t be able to boast in your faith, but only in God’s grace. If you have not yet received God’s abundant mercy, then cry out like the publican in Jesus’ parable (Luke 18:13), “God, be merciful to me, the sinner!”
