Human beings have the power of choice. Unlike birds, fish and the beasts of the field, we have the intellect and will power. But the extent to which we can make our choices comes into question when we hear about a Pharaoh whose heart was hardened by God Himself, thus refusing to let the children of Israel go.
A lot of strange things happened before the Egyptian Pharaoh could let the children of Israel leave Egypt. We're talking of almost 3000 years BC. The story is known as "the ten plagues" (mapigo kumi), simply because the LORD had to "spank" Pharaoh and his people 10 times - yes, 10 times - before he could come to his senses and release the Israelites at Moses' request.
It's true that God can either "show mercy" or "harden" whomever He desires (see Rom 9:18). But God "desires" to show mercy to those who show mercy (James 2:13). Pharaoh, who had already slaughtered thousands of innocent Hebrew baby boys, showed nothing close to mercy. Let's also remember that historically, Egyptians had many gods. And they also yielded to these great rulers (Pharaohs) as gods. In fact, they believed that if the Pharaohs were not served well, the Nile would not rise and they would, therefore, have a terrible farming season. It is because of such a belief that God had to "make Moses as a god" and his brother, Aaron, a prophet (see Ex 7:1). In order to get Pharaoh's attention, Moses had to be empowered to that "status" which Pharaoh could deem considerably important enough for him to give ear. It's like acquiring a diplomatic escort before visiting the white house. Otherwise, Pharaoh would've just thrown Moses and his buddy straight out with no regard and no respect. No doubt, the Pharaohs were proud. A friend of mine believes that God deliberately hardened Pharaoh's heart so that he could add more plagues till Pharaoh goes down to his knees (Aliufanya moyo wake uwe mgumu jamaa awe mbishi ili ambamize zaidi na mapigo mengine!)
A lot of strange things happened before the Egyptian Pharaoh could let the children of Israel leave Egypt. We're talking of almost 3000 years BC. The story is known as "the ten plagues" (mapigo kumi), simply because the LORD had to "spank" Pharaoh and his people 10 times - yes, 10 times - before he could come to his senses and release the Israelites at Moses' request.
It's true that God can either "show mercy" or "harden" whomever He desires (see Rom 9:18). But God "desires" to show mercy to those who show mercy (James 2:13). Pharaoh, who had already slaughtered thousands of innocent Hebrew baby boys, showed nothing close to mercy. Let's also remember that historically, Egyptians had many gods. And they also yielded to these great rulers (Pharaohs) as gods. In fact, they believed that if the Pharaohs were not served well, the Nile would not rise and they would, therefore, have a terrible farming season. It is because of such a belief that God had to "make Moses as a god" and his brother, Aaron, a prophet (see Ex 7:1). In order to get Pharaoh's attention, Moses had to be empowered to that "status" which Pharaoh could deem considerably important enough for him to give ear. It's like acquiring a diplomatic escort before visiting the white house. Otherwise, Pharaoh would've just thrown Moses and his buddy straight out with no regard and no respect. No doubt, the Pharaohs were proud. A friend of mine believes that God deliberately hardened Pharaoh's heart so that he could add more plagues till Pharaoh goes down to his knees (Aliufanya moyo wake uwe mgumu jamaa awe mbishi ili ambamize zaidi na mapigo mengine!)
