January 24, Exodus 9:1-11:10

"Why did God harden Pharaoh’s heart?

Exodus 7:3-4 says, “But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt he will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment I will bring out my people the Israelites.” It seems unjust for God to harden Pharaoh’s heart and then to punish Pharaoh and Egypt for what Pharaoh decided when his heart was hardened. Why would God harden Pharaoh’s heart just so He could judge Egypt more severely with additional plagues?
First, Pharaoh was not an innocent or godly man. He was a brutal dictator overseeing the terrible abuse and oppression of the Israelites, who likely numbered over 1.5 million people at that time. The Egyptian pharaohs had enslaved the Israelites for 400 years. A previous pharaoh—possibly even the pharaoh in question—ordered that male Israelite babies be killed at birth (Exodus 1:16). The pharaoh God hardened was an evil man, and the nation he ruled agreed with, or at least did not oppose, his evil actions.
Second, before the first few plagues, Pharaoh hardened his own heart against letting the Israelites go. “Pharaoh's heart became hard” (Exodus 7:13, 22; 8:19). “But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart” (Exodus 8:15). “But this time also Pharaoh hardened his heart” (Exodus 8:32). Pharaoh could have spared Egypt of all the plagues if he had not hardened his own heart. God was giving Pharaoh increasingly severe warnings of the judgment that was to come. Pharaoh chose to bring judgment on himself and on his nation by hardening his own heart against God’s commands.
As a result of Pharaoh’s hard-heartedness, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart even further, allowing for the last few plagues (Exodus 9:12; 10:20, 27). Pharaoh and Egypt had brought these judgments on themselves with 400 years of slavery and mass murder. Since the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), and Pharaoh and Egypt had horribly sinned against God, it would have been just if God had completely annihilated Egypt. Therefore, God’s hardening Pharaoh’s heart was not unjust, and His bringing additional plagues against Egypt was not unjust. The plagues, as terrible as they were, actually demonstrate God’s mercy in not completely destroying Egypt, which would have been a perfectly just penalty.
Romans 9:17-18 declares, “For the 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.’ Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden.” From a human perspective, it seems wrong for God to harden a person and then punish the person He has hardened. Biblically speaking, however, we have all sinned against God (Romans 3:23), and the just penalty for that sin is death (Romans 6:23). Therefore, God’s hardening and punishing a person is not unjust; it is actually merciful in comparison to what the person deserves."
Bible Answers for Almost All Your Questions by Elmer L. Towns.

I really like this answer. It makes sense to me.

I also like the comments in the KJV Commentary Bible. 

Exodus 10:3 King James Version (KJV) ^"3 And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me."

"Pharaoh's pride was his undoing. He believed himself to be a god and paraded himself like one.God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble." KJV Commentary Bible

Psalm 18:27 Amplified Bible (AMP) ^"27 For You deliver an afflicted and humble people but will bring down those with haughty looks".

1 Peter 5:5 Amplified Bible (AMP)^"5 Likewise, you who are younger and of lesser rank, be subject to the elders (the ministers and spiritual guides of the church)—[giving them due respect and yielding to their counsel]. Clothe (apron) yourselves, all of you, with humility [as the garb of a servant, ^[a]so that its covering cannot possibly be stripped from you, with freedom from pride and arrogance] toward one another. For God sets Himself against the proud (the insolent, the overbearing, the disdainful, the presumptuous, the boastful)—[and He opposes, frustrates, and defeats them], but gives grace (favor, blessing) to the humble."

Wow. I have tried many times to mentor these types of people. I have spent hours counseling , begging and pleading (via face to face, cell phone, texting) but to no avail. Why? These people are exhibiting the spirit of satan. This spirit is haughty and proud and knows better than those in authority. I just have to walk away sometimes. At first I feel like I've failed. Not so. If someone is infected with the spirit of satan (pride), they can't be helped. Unless they throw themselves down at Jesus' feet in humble repentance. 

"In Exodus 9 and 10 there are two vivid examples of 'foxhole religion' recorded for us. This kind of 'faith' freely acknowledges the power of God during a terrible crisis, and then promptly forgets all abut Him when the danger passes. Just like little children, we want to avert punishment by saying, 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry!' and then go about our business as usual. God is not interested in empty 'I've sinned' confessions. Only true repentance from the heart is acceptable to God." KJV Commentary Bible

"Dear God, may my repentance be true, heartfelt repentance. Not empty words. Forgive me for the times in the past when I've been on 'auto pilot' and said mindlessly, 'Cleanse my heart from all unrighteousness' and not really meant it. You see my true motives. Reveal my true motives to me so that I can honestly repent. And thank You. Thank you for all those times I laid everything at the foot of the Cross; and Your blood ran down and covered my sin and You freely forgave me. In Jesus' precious name, the name that is above every name, AMEN."