What did god do to the pharaoh?

Answer 1

Exodus 7:14 "And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh's heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go."

Despite a common false belief that God hardened Pharaoh's heart, we understand this not to be the case.

God's actions towards Pharaoh were consistent with his nature. God showed him kindness and mercy, providing instructions to avoid calamity. God's spokesman, Moses, delivered these messages personally.

Exodus 5:3 "...The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee... lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword."

Despite the appearance of the wording, "lest he fall upon us," God did not desire that Pharaoh or the Egyptians come to harm, nor was He going to be the source of that harm. God's instructions, if heeded, would have prevented them from reaping the bitterness in life they had been sowing.

Exodus 1:13,14 "And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour: And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage..."

Since God does not violate freedom of will, we understand the commonly quoted "the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart," to mean that God permitted it. Reflecting on these truths, we are in awe of God's willingness to help us get out of the soup, and to avoid getting in the soup in the first place.

Isaiah 55:7 "Let the wicked forsake their way and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will richly forgive."