It doesn’t take a genius to see that the Pharaoh of Exodus is far different than the Pharaoh of Genesis.
In Genesis, the few times we run into Pharaoh, he is seen as a man of honor (Genesis 12:18), a man of deep religious conviction (Genesis 41:38-40), and a man of respect for foreigners (Genesis 47:7-12).
By contrast, the Pharaoh in Exodus is a racist tyrant who wields unmerciful power and demands obedience from everyone in his kingdom. I understand that nearly 400 years and several generations separate these two books (and that they’re different people inside those books), but the difference is striking.
One of the main conflicts in the book of Exodus erupts in Exodus 6-7 between Pharaoh and God. Both of them claim to be deities, but only One actually is. Both of them claim ownership over the children of Israel, but only One is actually their father. Both of them claim to have power over nature, but only One will actually show it.
Exodus is essentially what happens when you have the proverbial unstoppable force meeting the immovable object. With two entities that are so engrained in their identity, it’s inevitable that a butting of heads will commence. You ever see those videos with the rams clashing their horns in the forest? That’s what we have in Exodus.
The difference is that Pharaoh is infinitely out of his depth. Even though he may claim to be god, the reality is that he’s just a man. And it’ll take multiple plagues to finally break through that stubborn facade and force him to confront the truth about Jehovah.
This is what’s meant by God’s statement in Exodus 7:3 that “He will harden Pharaoh’s heart.” It’s not a supernatural agency of God on the heart of Pharaoh; if that were the case, it would make God unjust. The Bible specifically says that God does not tempt anyone with evil (James 1:13).
What’s happening instead is the fact that God’s demands and His actions will harden Pharaoh’s heart for him. This is seen in the fact that the Text says Pharoah hardened his own heart (Exodus 8:15) and God hardened it for him (Exodus 9:12). Both of those can’t be true unless they’re both involved. Since God’s justice won’t allow Him to force people to sin, His involvement has to be with the plagues. Pharaoh’s involvement is his response.
This won’t be the last time this phrase is used. In fact, this exact idea is mentioned at least fourteen other times in Exodus.
Tragically, one is left to wonder what would’ve happened had Pharaoh opened up his heart to letting the people go. How many plagues would there be? Would God still have opened up the Red Sea? Such are the questions that we’ll never have answered.
