September 12, 2023

Exodus 11: 10 Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go out of his country. (NIV)

God made us as free-will creatures who are able to sin, but who are also able not to sin.*

I have always wondered: If God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, what happened to his freedom to choose? I have heard it said that the same sun that softens wax also hardens clay,* which at first glance seems a likely explanation for what happened in this case – except that the raw material of our hearts is not a matter of choice, while rejecting God is. So how could we say that the way your heart reacts to exposure to God depends on what your heart is made of? Did Pharaoh have a choice?

I have twin sons who started out with physical hearts that were composed of the exact same genetic material. Their "spiritual hearts" were a blank slate. I was a single mom who didn’t have time to dedicate to nurturing their individuality as the experts recommended, so for the first five years of their lives, my sons had very few separate experiences. But from kindergarten on, their paths began to diverge and become more personalized. They continued to develop at the same rate and shared the same aptitudes and interests (including friends), but eventually they made different life choices – college, career, wife. Those life choices, however, were the result of what their hearts had been exposed to – not what they were made of.

Hearts may be composed of the same ingredients and exposed to the same stimuli, but at some point the owner of that heart decides how he or she will react. We are not victims of how we’re wired. So here’s the thing: Pharaoh had plenty of opportunities to soften his heart but he continued to choose poorly. Don’t be like Pharaoh. Maybe you will only get so many chances to make the right choice before God hardens your heart. 

Jesus warns us that a time will come when there will no longer be an opportunity to repent.*