Romans 9-11: Lesson 3

Overview

Did God Harden Pharaoh's Heart? Reading Romans 9 with Exodus

Romans 9–11 must be read as a single, sustained argument. Paul is making one point across these chapters: God's promises do not fail, and "true Israel" is constituted not by biological descent from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but by faith in the Messiah. With that frame, we can rightly approach one of the most troubling texts in the chapter: Romans 9:17-18, where Paul cites God's word to Pharaoh and concludes, "He has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills." Read in isolation, this can sound like double predestination—as though Pharaoh were created for damnation. But that conclusion is not what the text, read in concert with Exodus, actually teaches.

What the Hebrew Verbs Show Us

When God first tells Moses, "I will harden Pharaoh's heart" (Exodus 4:21; Exodus 7:3), He is announcing the final outcome the way prophets often speak of certain future things as already accomplished—similar to the "prophetic perfect" we hear in Isaiah 53:4-5, where the Servant's suffering is described as already done. Critically, through the first five plagues, the verbs describing Pharaoh's hardened heart are stative—they describe the condition or state of his heart, often with Pharaoh himself as the actor: "Pharaoh's heart was hardened" (Exodus 7:13, 22); "he hardened his heart" (Exodus 8:15, 32; Exodus 9:7).

Only beginning with the sixth plague does the verb shift to a dynamic action with God as the agent: "the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh" (Exodus 9:12; Exodus 10:20, 27; Exodus 11:10; Exodus 14:8). Even after the seventh plague, Pharaoh once again "sinned... and hardened his heart" Exodus 9:34. The pattern is unmistakable: Pharaoh repeatedly hardened himself against the call of Yahweh; God's hardening came as a response to Pharaoh's persistent self-hardening, not as a prior decree damning him. As the church father Origen put it, "Although Pharaoh's wickedness was enormous, God in His patience did not withdraw the possibility of conversion from him." The Lutheran theologian R. C. H. Lenski likewise insisted that "the only objects of this hardening are men who have first hardened themselves against all God's mercy."

The Warning—and the Mercy—for Us

Scripture takes the danger of self-hardening with utmost seriousness. Psalm 95 calls us joyfully into worship and then warns, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts." We see the same pattern in the New Testament: when Paul preached in Ephesus, some "became stubborn and continued in unbelief" Acts 19:8-10. Even Israel in the wilderness, freshly delivered from Pharaoh, complained against the very God who had freed them. People do what people do—and apart from grace, our hearts drift toward stone.

Paul's argument in Romans 9 is therefore not an indictment of God's justice but a defense of His patience. If God endured Pharaoh through ten plagues, extending opportunity for repentance again and again, how much more patient is He with His own people? This is the source of Paul's anguish for his fellow Israelites, and it is the heart of his urgency that they not persist in unbelief. God is eternally just and eternally merciful—we cannot have one without the other, and we trust both.

Pastoral Application

The verses that trouble us most often reveal where our own hearts need softening. When we rush to blame God for "being God," we mirror the very posture Paul is warning against. Instead, Romans 9–11 invites us to marvel at covenantal mercy that will not let go—mercy poured out on Pharaoh, on wandering Israel, and on us. This side of heaven, it is never too late for a hardened heart to be softened. That truth fuels our calling: every believer is a missionary, sent with the word of Christ on our lips and confidence that God's saving name will be proclaimed in all the earth. His word to Pharaoh did not fail. His word to Israel does not fail. And His word to you, in Christ the Messiah, will not fail either.

Transcript

Thank you so much. 7s

We thank you that we are in the season of Easter and truly as a Christian people. 9s

We already live in Easter and we are promised that we will live eternally in Easter. 15s

Lord, we thank you. 23s

We thank you for this word. 24s

We thank you for your word. 26s

And indeed, is truth. 27s

Guide us by your word this morning. 29s

Grow us in love of you and understanding of your love for us. 31s

And let us be sent into the world around us this week. 37s

Stronger in the faith that you've blessed us with with your word upon our lips. 42s

And with the heart that is eager to share your love with all we meet. 47s

Lord, we lift this to you in the holy name of Jesus Christ. 52s

Okay, so because last week we did not have class we're going to do a quick quick quick recap. 55s

Okay, so I also have to say this is hilarious. 64s

Last time we met, remember I started, I'm so smart. 67s

Okay, in that same class, I led us to Micah instead of Malachi, where we needed. 71s

The Lord will always humble me. 79s

I love the Lord. 83s

And he let thank you. 87s

Thank you. 89s

Yes, because Jesus loves us. 89s

Okay, so we are studying Romans 9 through 11. 92s

And we really need to study these as a whole. 98s

It's not going to serve us well and it's not going to serve our understanding well. 102s

If we try to just read 9 or just read 10 or if we try to separate them, not only from one another, but from the whole of scripture. 111s

Remember that all of scripture is held together. 123s

All of it is held together. 127s

And so we really, we really want to look at those together because Paul is using all three of these chapters as one point. 129s

Or making one point. 140s

We know that the same promises made to Israel are the same promises that God keeps that Israel is not. 144s

True Israel is not a matter of ancestry and being biologically linked to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, but really the true Israel is those that God has. 152s

And we know that I think last time I talked about a man that I've met that consider or calls himself a completed Jew. 171s

Because because he grew up in Israel, he is an necessarily linked to the biological Israel, but he is in faith linked. 180s

He knows who Christ is, he knows who his Messiah is. 195s

We also last time we talked about the difference between love and hate in that God when it says in Romans that in scripture prior that Jacob have I loved, 199s

he has not a matter of emotion that God feels toward issa or Jacob, just like Jacob loved Rachel hated Leah. 213s

He didn't kick Leah out. 226s

He remained faithfully married, which sounds kind of weird because he had four ladies. 228s

So faithfully married to Leah and Rachel, but it's not the emotion, but it's the same. 235s

The actions that God had carried out. 243s

Now, one of the things that we read last time, if we would open up to Romans chapter 9, Romans chapter 9. 247s

So we're going to spend a good portion of our time in Romans and we'll spend a good portion of our time in Exodus. 259s

Just a heads up on that one. 267s

So Romans chapter 9, Romans is in the New Testament. 269s

It's after the Gospels, it's after the Book of Acts, then we have the Book of Romans. 272s

And so we're going to find Romans chapter 9. 277s

And let's go ahead and begin at verse 14. 281s

Where it says, what then are we to say, is there injustice on God's part? 288s

By no means, for he says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. 292s

So it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who shows mercy. 301s

Now we get to the verses we're going to talk about. 308s

For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, I have raised you up for the very purpose of showing my power in you, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. 311s

So then he has mercy on whom ever he chooses and he hardens the heart of whom ever he chooses. 320s

So a couple weeks ago we said we're going to put up in in those verses because we need to come back to what is happening well today. 328s

We're back and we're going to talk about what's going on here with God, hardening the heart and how does that work? 338s

Because doesn't that mean that that Pharaoh is predestined or elected to be damned? 344s

And that's where we get into double predestination and that is not theologically accurate. 355s

That is not correct. And so we can find ourselves spinning out of control over thinking that. 361s

So we're going to take that pin out of the hardened heart of Pharaoh and we're going to study that today. 369s

So the first thing and I will say all props to Michael Middendorf. 377s

I think that's his name. He is a Lutheran scholar and God bless him. He understands the Hebrew and the Greek really well. 382s

And so I rely heavily on his grammatical help here. So I just want to give props we're props are due. 391s

Okay. So the sequence of hardening in the Exodus narrative. 399s

So let's go to Exodus. This is the second book in the Bible. It's the second book in the Old Testament. 404s

We have Genesis. Then we have Exodus. We're going to go to Exodus chapter 4. 411s

Exodus chapter 4. 417s

Verse 21. Exodus chapter 4. Verse 21. Where Moses had already seen the burning bush. 423s

God had told him he was to return to Egypt. And we're going to look. 432s

And the Lord said to Moses, this is verse 21. When you go back to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh, all the wonders that I have put in your power. 437s

But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go. Let's go over to Exodus chapter 7. 449s

Looking at verses 2 and 3. 459s

Where this is he is talking to Moses and Aaron or to Moses about he and Aaron. He says, you shall speak all that I command you and your brother, Aaron, shall tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his land. 463s

But I will harden Pharaoh's heart and I will multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. 478s

So what's really important to understand here is the Hebrew verb tense. The tense is our critical. 486s

Just because God tells Moses the final outcome does not imply that the hardening of Pharaoh's heart is God's prior act of hardening. 495s

So there are in Hebrew, there are perfect past tense or prophetic perfects. 506s

And those are implying that God has spoken and the future actions that he has spoken will certainly take place. 515s

They can already be considered accomplished. So an example of this, keep your hand in Exodus. 523s

An example of this is in the prophet Isaiah. Let's go to the prophet Isaiah. This is in the center of your Bible. If you open up, you'll find Psalms and you'll find Proverbs. 530s

And keep going, you're going to find yourselves in the prophets. Isaiah is the first prophet we come to. Isaiah chapter 53. 541s

Where we see in verse 4, surely he has born our informities and carried our diseases. 554s

Verse 5, but he was wounded for our transgressions crushed for our inequities. 566s

So Isaiah is describing future events as if they had already happened. 572s

So those are prophetic perfects. Those absolutely will happen. They are telling of the Messiah and the work of Jesus that he does for us. 582s

The verbs that we have in Exodus here in Waking up Acts Exodus in chapter 4 and 7, where God is saying that he will harden Pharaoh's heart. 595s

They are more state of verbs. 608s

And you use the markers here. Which if you think of state of verbs, that is a state of being. It's static. It's who one is. 612s

It's so Pharaoh. Pharaoh it shows that Pharaoh's heart is in a nature or a state of being hardened. 627s

It's in a nature or state of being hardened. So it's a state of being without agency from God. 641s

Whereas a dynamic verb, a dynamic verb is going to be something that causes change or God can or God does cause change. 647s

So now we're going to stay in Exodus 7 and we're going to go through and we're going to look at some of these moments where Pharaoh's heart is hardened. 660s

So let's start in Exodus 7 verse 13. 672s

Well, let's actually let's go back. This is, we're going to go back a little bit where in verse 8 it says the Lord said to Moses and Aaron when Pharaoh says to you, 679s

and it became a snake. Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did the same by their secret arts. 705s

Each one threw down his staff and they became snakes, but Aaron staff swallowed up theirs. Still, Pharaoh's heart was hardened and he would not listen to them as the Lord had said. 716s

Let's go to verse 14. Then the Lord said to Moses, Pharaoh's heart is hardened. He refuses to let the people go jump down to verse 22. 728s

But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. So Pharaoh's heart remained hardened. 741s

Let's go to chapter 8 verse 15. So we're continuing on in the plagues. Now they have a plague of frogs verse 15. 748s

But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them just as the Lord had said jumping down to verse 19. 759s

And the magician said to Pharaoh, this is the finger of God, but Pharaoh's heart was hardened and he would not listen to them just as the Lord had said. 769s

Jumping down to verse 32. And this is after the plague of flies, but Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also and would not let the people go. 780s

Let's go to chapter 9 verse 7. We have the livestock disease. This is another plague. 793s

Verse 7, Pharaoh inquired and found that not one of the livestock of the Israelites was dead, but the heart of Pharaoh was hardened and he would not let the people go. 800s

All of these verses, all of these verses show it's the nature or the state of being of Pharaoh's heart that he is hardened. 814s

It is himself that is hardening his heart. It is himself that hardens his heart and refuses to let Israel go. 826s

So he's hardening his heart against Moses, but ultimately he's hardening his heart against God, against Yahweh and against what Yahweh has called to happen. 839s

Yahweh has called that the Israelites would be set free and he performs through Moses and Aaron, he performs these miracles, these wonders, these signs, these plagues, but through these five plagues, the state of being of the Pharaoh is that he himself continues to harden his heart. 853s

During the sixth plague, which we're going to get to, for the first time, it says that Yahweh made the heart of Pharaoh heart. 882s

So let's look at Exodus chapter 9, verse 12. So this is that sixth plague, the boils, but the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh and he would not listen to them just as the Lord had spoken to Moses. 892s

We have the seventh plague happening. We have the eighth plague in verse 10, go to verse 20. 911s

But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart and he would not let the Israelites go. The ninth plague, we have the darkness covering the land, verse 27. 923s

But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart and he was unwilling to let them go. 934s

There's a warning of this final plague and chapter 11, verse 10. Chapter 11, verse 10. Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart and he did not let the people of Israel go out of his land. 942s

Jump over to Exodus chapter 14, where we're going to be crossing the red sea. 963s

Let's go ahead and just start in the beginning of chapter 14. Then the Lord said to Moses, tell the Israelites to turn back in camp in front of Paheya, 975s

the highest between McDonald and the sea in front of Bale's F. 986s

You shall camp opposite by opposite it by the sea. Pharaoh will say of the Israelites. They are wandering aimlessly in the land. The wilderness has closed in on them. 990s

I will harden Pharaoh's heart and he will pursue them so that I will gain glory for myself over Pharaoh and all his army and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord and they did so. 1001s

Moving down to verse 8, the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt and he pursued the Israelites who were going out boldly. 1016s

And then jumping down to let's go to 14 or 13. Moses said to the people because the Israelites are frightened. 1029s

Moses said to the people, do not be afraid. Stand firm and see the deliverance that the Lord will accomplish for you today. 1042s

For the Egyptians who you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you and you have only to keep still. 1050s

Then the Lord said to Moses, why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to go forward. 1057s

But you lift up your staff and stretch it out, stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. That the Israelites may go into the sea on dry ground. 1062s

Then I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. 1070s

And so I will gain glory for myself over Pharaoh and all his army, his chariots and his chariots, drivers. 1076s

And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord. When I have gained glory for myself over Pharaoh, his chariots and his chariots, drivers. 1084s

So the verb is no longer static or static. The verb is no longer the state of being for Pharaoh's heart, but it is God who is now causing Pharaoh's heart to be hardened. 1094s

So looking, keep your hand. 1114s

No, we can go to Romans. 1119s

Romans 9 again. 1125s

Romans 9. 1128s

So those are our dynamics. So it is kind of like we are working in like we are talking about three various verb tenses. 1136s

So we want to read in Romans as we read verses 17 and 18. 1147s

We want to read it as God is predestined Pharaoh to be damned. 1158s

But when we do that, we are trying to read it as a perfect, perfect perfect. 1168s

But if we go back to Exodus and the verbs in the Hebrew, it is actually a state of verb for those first five plagues, where it is that the Pharaoh has hardened his own heart. 1175s

And we are going to talk more about this. Lots of Pharaoh talk today. But then with the sixth plague, that is when we have the change. 1193s

That is where we have the change when it is the Lord hardening Pharaoh's heart. 1204s

So this verb that we just read for the sixth through the tenth plagues, those are no longer state of. 1211s

So let's read again verses 17 and 18 in Romans 9. 1221s

For the scripture says to Pharaoh, I have raised you up for the very purpose of showing my power in you so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. 1228s

So then he has mercy on whomever he chooses and he hardens the heart of whomever he chooses. 1237s

So this conveys that Pharaoh got raised him up for God's saving purposes. He was going to free Israel under Pharaoh's reign. He was going to free Israel. 1243s

And he had Pharaoh had every opportunity. He was given the call of God. 1263s

Over and over and over again. He was given the opportunity to free the Israelite people. 1271s

And there were times where Moses and Aaron would come to him and he would say, 1279s

Pray to your God, pray to your God and make this stop. And it looks like he is going to repent. 1285s

It looks like he is going to let the Israelites go. 1291s

And then he hardens his own heart and he wants power and he wants the glory. 1294s

And he wants the control. And so he hardens his heart and says, no, Israel cannot go. 1306s

You cannot take the Israel people. That's when God steps in. 1314s

If Pharaoh had submitted to God's will and if he had freed the Israelite people, 1322s

then God's name and power would indeed be proclaimed. 1330s

It would be known what God had done through Pharaoh. 1335s

It would be known that under Pharaoh's reign, the Israelites had indeed been freed. 1341s

And God's saving purpose would be known. 1350s

Yes. 1358s

Exactly. Exactly. So. 1361s

Yes. So, so God's mercy reigns. 1369s

God's will reigns. And so Pharaoh had the opportunity to free the Israelites. 1374s

Now it comes to a point where Pharaoh wants nothing to do with Yahweh. 1388s

He wants absolutely nothing to do with the God of the Israelites. 1398s

And that means he wants nothing of Yahweh's mercy. 1403s

Remember, God is consistent. God is eternally just God is eternally merciful. 1409s

And in his eternal mercy, he is extending mercy for Pharaoh and Pharaoh says no. 1420s

He wants nothing to do with mercy for himself or his nation. 1434s

And he continues to block the saving plan of Yahweh. 1440s

We know that Yahweh's will will indeed be done. 1448s

And so God's hardening of Pharaoh was a response to Pharaoh's own hardened nature and repeated self-hardening against God's revealed will for him as Yahweh's call to let Israel go. 1455s

So, the hardening, the Lord hardening Yahweh's heart becomes God's response to Pharaoh whose heart repeatedly is rejecting God. 1475s

Repeatedly rejecting God's call to let the Israelites go. 1497s

So, the key to note here is that the text verbs don't convey a predetermined judgment against Pharaoh or that he was predestined not to believe the divine call or word. 1505s

In note, we want to, I should have had us keep our hands there. Let's keep your hand at Romans. 1521s

Let's go to Exodus chapter 9. So, we're back in that second book of Scripture. Exodus chapter 9. 1528s

And this is in the seventh plague that we're in. So, this is, I mean, God has extended mercy to Pharaoh. 1546s

Pharaoh has continually rejected God's call continually hardened his heart. 1556s

And then it says, the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart. Let's go to Exodus chapter 9 verse 94 verse 34 verse 34. 1565s

Let's actually go to 33. Moses left Pharaoh went out of the city and stretched out his hands to the Lord. 1580s

Then the thunder and the hail ceased and the rain no longer poured down on the earth. 1588s

But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned once more and hardened his heart. 1593s

He and his officials. So, the heart of Pharaoh was hardened and he would not let the Israelites go just as the Lord had spoken through Moses. 1602s

So, there we see again its Pharaoh once again hardening his own heart. 1613s

In Acts, this is, if you have your hand in Romans still just go back one book to the book of Acts chapter 19. 1624s

Acts chapter 19. 1634s

In verse the beginning and verse 8. 1640s

Let's see here. So, Paul enters into Ephesus, it says, in verse 8, he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke out boldly and argued persuasively about the kingdom of God. 1648s

When some stubbornly refused to believe and spoke evil of the way before the congregation, he left them, taking the disciples with him and argued daily in the lecture hall of Tyranus. 1665s

This continued for two years so that the residents of Asia both Jews and Greeks heard the word of the Lord. 1679s

So, notice those that are hearing, they are hardening their own hearts. They're hardening their own hearts. 1685s

But there's, it's a process of self-hardening that we see there. But there's also a warning in Psalm 95, not to harden hearts against Yahweh. 1694s

So, let's go to Psalms. Psalm 95, this is in the center of Scripture Psalm 95. 1705s

And we're going to actually read the whole Psalm because I love it. 1716s

So, so we start in the beginning where there's a call to worship. There's a call to worship the Lord. 1722s

Let us sing to the Lord. Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving. 1730s

Let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise. For the Lord is a great God and a great king above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth. 1738s

The heights of the mountains are also his. The sea is his for he made it into dry land which his hands have formed. 1748s

Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For he is our God and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. 1756s

So, there is this call to worship the Lord and it is a call with very direct words about knowing exactly who the worshipers are and who the one is that is to be worshiped. 1764s

But it continues in verse 7. 1777s

O that today you would listen to his voice. Do not harden your hearts as at Maraba. 1784s

As on the day at Massa in the wilderness when your ancestors tested me and put me to the proof though they had seen my work. 1793s

For 40 years I loathed that generation and said they are a people whose hearts go astray and they do not regard my ways. Therefore in my anger I swore they shall not enter my rest. 1802s

There is the call to worship with the relationship very much understood. 1818s

And then there is a warning. Don't harden your hearts. We have seen this done before. It is not good. 1825s

Those that harden their hearts will not enter my rest. 1842s

God is not pushing them away from him. He is not pushing them toward evil. 1849s

They could choose to respond with a hard with hardening of heart but God's gracious will is for repentance and returning to him. 1857s

Origen, a church father said although Pharaoh's wickedness was enormous. God in his patience did not withdraw the possibility of conversion from him. 1867s

Think about that. 1882s

Five plagues and Moses and Aaron again and again and said God says let my people go. Five plagues worth. 1885s

And Pharaoh continues to harden his heart. He continues to reject Yahweh. 1902s

Pharaoh responded with his own call as an hardened heart and as such he received the wrath of God. 1914s

Richard Lensky was a Lutheran theologian of the late 19th, early 20th century. 1926s

And he said the only objects of this hardening are men who have first hardened themselves against all God's mercy. 1934s

So we hear the verses in Romans chapter verses 17 and 18 and we want to place blame on God. 1942s

But that's us hardening our own heart. 1956s

That's us turning away the reality of God's eternal justice and mercy. 1962s

God has to be eternally just. 1974s

We have to rely and count on his eternal justice because if he falters in that, then how can we rely or count on his eternal goodness and mercy? 1980s

God is consistently always God. 2002s

And so when we reject or when we harden our hearts to God, we are receiving the response. 2011s

God's wrath. 2029s

But this side of heaven, it is never to late. This side of heaven and this is why it is so important as missionaries as disciples who are called to go forth, 2034s

which every single one of us is a missionary and why we take it seriously because this side of heaven, it is never to late to have a softened heart. 2048s

Again, I know most of you know the example of my grandfather. 2065s

99 years old, 99 years spent hardening his heart to the Lord, 99 years. 2068s

And yet I know that when the fullness of time comes and we are all gathered into the presence of Christ, I know that I am going to see my grandfather at the marriage feast of the Lamb. 2080s

Because 99 years later, he said, I know one thing. 2097s

I know Jesus loves me because Jesus loves everyone. 2107s

It's not our place to put blame on God for being God. 2117s

God's saving power and name will prevail always. 2129s

And so the focus should be the covenantal mercy that God continues to show. 2136s

And we get off course when we chase after God as a bad actor. 2147s

We have to look at it in the whole of Scripture. 2152s

We have to look at it in the whole of the salvation, narrative, the salvation truth that we have. 2154s

Pharaoh was not used by God as a pawn. 2164s

He responded to God's mercy with his own sinful will. 2168s

And Pharaoh did what Pharaoh wanted to do. 2172s

He refused time and time again. 2175s

God's call to free Israel. 2178s

So God's word to Pharaoh did not fail. 2180s

God's word to Israel does not fail. 2185s

And as the true Israel, as those who know Christ the Messiah, we know that his word does not fail for us. 2188s

So now is Paul Wright's regarding the Jews of his day. 2201s

He's writing of those who are acting in accordance with Pharaoh more than the ancestral line from which they come. 2204s

The line of the Israelites that are freed from the grasp of Pharaoh. 2211s

If God was patient with Pharaoh, how much more patient will he be with Israel? 2216s

This also makes Paul's anguish more clear and why he urges his Israeli brothers not to persist in unbelief. 2223s

So yeah. 2234s

So really, the ten plates or whatever the ten things that came about was known to Pharaoh, the also to teach Israelites what God could do. 2235s

They also had hard and hard to imagine, you said, just read that through the board years they were hard. 2246s

Right. 2251s

Right. 2252s

So the witness saying, the witnessing of God's saving power, definitely hardened the heart of Pharaoh. 2254s

But yeah, she brings up a great point. She's saying really, the Israelites had hardened hearts toward God at that point too. 2265s

And think about that when they are wandering in the wilderness, like they don't even get to the red sea and they're saying, oh, we should have just died here in Egypt. 2274s

They are hardened of heart or maybe sick of skull. 2286s

Yeah, absolutely. 2297s

Absolutely. 2300s

When God brings about the mana and the quail because they're complaining, we don't have enough to eat. 2301s

And so God says, okay, I'm just going to give it all. And they have so much food. And as before, I think it says before they're even able to clean up from eating their whining again. 2312s

Because people do what people do. 2328s

And by God's grace, we are called to have softened hearts. 2332s

And we are called to share the good news. 2338s

Chris, you had a question? 2342s

Our Pharaoh's actions, an example of the unforgivable sin, the blaspheming of the Holy Spirit. 2347s

Absolutely, because he is rejecting God's power. 2356s

He is rejecting what God is doing has done. 2362s

And we, wow, we are so blessed to live post-resurrection. 2368s

Because we see even more of the fullness of God's power, which is just incredible, incredible. 2376s

Thank you. 2385s