"For Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." - Romans 9:17 (NIV)
Romans 9:17 provides insight into Pharaoh’s purpose as appointed by God, emphasizing the display of God’s power in dealing with him and the proclamation of God’s name throughout the earth. This verse reflects God’s sovereignty over the affairs of nations and His use of even powerful rulers to accomplish His purposes.
The passage appears to establish a connection with verses 13 and 14, where God’s love for Jacob and His hatred for Esau1 seem to suggest unfairness on God’s part.
In verse 14, Paul categorically refutes this implication. Moving on to verse 17, Paul cites Exodus 9:16 to present the case of Pharaoh, which also seems to imply God’s unfairness in ‘hardening’ Pharaoh’s heart. However, Paul responds to this question about God’s unfairness, and the answer here is strikingly similar to that given regarding Jacob.
The issue of Pharaoh poses a significant problem for many people who argue that God was unjust in hardening Pharaoh’s heart. It is crucial to remember that it was Pharaoh who initially hardened his own heart. To ‘harden’ one’s heart is to exhibit stubbornness and obstinacy.
When God brought a plague upon Egypt, Pharaoh would be humbled by it and would ask Moses to remove the plague, claiming that he would release the Israelites. However, as soon as Pharaoh was relieved from the plague, he would stubbornly renege on his promise and refuse to obey God. Interestingly, the Bible states that after each of the first five plagues, Pharaoh hardened his own heart. However, beginning with the sixth plague, God began to harden Pharaoh’s heart, continuing until the last plague.
Pharaoh was given multiple opportunities to acknowledge the one true God, His power, and the impending judgment for those who opposed His will. However, Pharaoh refused to listen or submit to God. This teaches us that if we persistently resist obeying God’s will, there comes a point when God intervenes and accommodates our stubbornness as a form of judgment. In my opinion, Pharaoh ‘hardening his own heart’ signifies that God knew how Pharaoh would act in a given situation, but He allowed the situation to demonstrate Pharaoh’s chosen course of action.
Once again, we are confronted with the paradox of God’s sovereignty and human free will. How can we reconcile God’s justice and fairness in light of verses such as these, which illustrate how a man like Pharaoh should be ‘raised by God Himself’ to illustrate the powerlessness of the creature in relation to the will of the Creator? The truth is that verse 17 and similar verses of the Bible portray only one facet of the complete truth, namely God’s sovereignty.
We must consider other equally valid Biblical passages that emphasize human free will and complete responsibility. The complete truth is that God ‘raises up’ individuals like Pharaoh to be what they became through their own free choices and rejection of the light that could have potentially saved them. In all instances, God’s purpose is to display His power so that His name might be proclaimed throughout the earth.
- The statement found in Malachi 1:2-3, “I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated,” does not imply that God harbored genuine hatred towards Esau. Instead, two plausible explanations exist. Firstly, in the ancient Near East, the term “love” was used in wills to denote the chosen heir of an estate, while “hate” signified the legal rejection of any competing claim. Similarly, the use of “despise” or “hate” in reference to wisdom, as in Proverbs 1:7, denotes a rejection of it. Secondly, the statement could be a form of comparison, indicating that the Lord loved Jacob more than Esau. This can be paralleled with the story in Genesis 29:30-31, where Jacob is portrayed as loving Rachel and not loving (i.e., hating) Leah. ↩︎
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