So, we are still looking at the beginning of the plagues in this place that we're in, in Exodus, 8th and 9th chapters. And I've named this "Hard-hearted!" So, I have listed the plagues for you and my intention is not to go into detail in each one but to chronicle the cosmic battle, the spiritual battle, that's taking place-this is spiritual warfare. The battle is a picture of how God works to display his glory and to accomplish his will. The battle is between the evil rulers of Egypt and the Holy God of Israel.
Now, this is what you find here, and this is often confusing to people, and so I want to speak into this confusion. Ten times Exodus says that "God hardens Pharaoh's heart." Ten times Exodus says that Pharaoh hardened his own heart, and maybe when you read through Exodus or maybe when you hear me saying this, you're thinking, "Well Paul, which is it?" And the answer is, "Both and." What Exodus is doing is ripping back the curtain of the universe to reveal how it operates under God's authority--God has ultimate incontestable power over everyone and everything. What he has determined will happen. Romans 9:14-18 says:
What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.
God is in absolute control. At the same time, there is true validity to the thinking, desires, choices, and actions of the people he made. That's why Hebrews 3:8 says, "...do not harden your heart as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness." God rules, but your choices are real and have consequences. You say, "Paul, I'm confused." Well, here's how things work. God exercises his sovereign will through the vehicle of the true validity of the choices and actions of people he created. God is always in control, and you are always responsible for your choices.
You know that's true. When you get up in the morning and you're getting ready to go, your hand never goes toward a shirt you don't want to wear, or you reach into the refrigerator to get something to drink that you don't want to drink. God has given you the ability to make choices, and it's in those choices that he works his sovereign will. His will will be done, but your actions and choices matter. You can trust his sovereign will, but you cannot live passively or blame him for the choices you make.
Let me say that again. His will will be done, but your actions and choices matter. You can trust his sovereign will, but you cannot live passively or blame him for the choices you make.
This is what Exodus is teaching us as it lays out the interplay between God and Pharaoh and the great judgment of the plagues. God is ruling the whole process; because in that process, he has demonstrated his glory to Moses and Aaron, to Israel, to Egyptian people, and to Pharaoh. But Pharaoh is responsible for his choices, and he is responsible for the judgment that follows. God is in control, and he is just!
You have choices to make, and you're responsible for the choices you make, and as that works together, God's sovereign plan marches forward. God is sovereign; we are responsible. It is what the Bible teaches!
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion
1. Up until now, what has been your perspective on the tension between God's sovereign will and your personal choices? How has that tension confused you in the past? How has it strengthened your faith?
2. What has been most helpful about the teaching that God is sovereign and you are responsible? How does this truth that the Bible teaches motivate you? How does it help you to be at peace and rest (if at all)?
3. In what ways have you been more prone to put weight either on God's sovereignty or your free choices? Has it been easy for you in the past to live passively because of your stated theology? In what specific ways have you blamed God for the personal choices you've made?
4. How might your perspective change in relation to your decision-making if you were keenly aware of the spiritual war that was going on all around you? How might your decision-making process change if you intentionally gave thought to the fact that there is a spiritual battle going on just behind the scenes?
For Younger Children:
1. Is God in control of all things? Why do you think it's important for us to place our faith in God's control over everything, everywhere, all the time? How does God's control make you feel comfortable?
2. Are you responsible for the choices you make? Why do you think it's important for us to know that there are always consequences to our choices--both big and small?
3. How do God's control and our choices work together, even though it might not make sense at first?
For Older Children:
1. What do you think the word "sovereign" means? Is God sovereign? Does that mean we aren't responsible for the choices we make in our lives? Why or why not?
2. How do you think it's possible for God to be in control of everything, everywhere, all the time, and yet still hold people responsible for their personal choices?
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