2Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land.
3And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.
4But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.
5And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.
6And Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded them, so did they.
7And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh.”
God said that He would harden Pharaoh’s heart, a sovereign act of Almighty God. A hardened heart means that Pharaoh was dull of mind, insensitive to the voice of God, so that he could not respond to God’s warnings. To some people this seems cruel, especially as it impacts the issue of God’s election vs. man’s will to choose God and life. However, there are two truths that run parallel to each other: 1. God sovereignly chooses whom He will; and 2. Man has a will and is responsible to choose God and life. Both of these lines of truth are valid, Scriptural, and uncontradictory, though man’s finite mind can never reconcile them completely. In the case of Pharaoh, it is said many times that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart (see Ex. 4:21; 7;3; 9:12; 10:1; 10:20; 10:27; 11:10; 14:4; 14:8; Rom.9:14-21), and yet it is said several times that Pharaoh hardened his own heart (see Ex.8:15; 8:32; 9:34-35). Pharaoh had ample opportunity to obey God, but stubbornly refused to do so according to his own sinful will; and at the same time, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart to show His own power and glory. When Pharaoh’s heart was hard, God had occasion to multiply His signs and wonders for all the world to see.