Reflection for V’eira
“Is God Discriminating?”
Romans 9:14-17
2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1
excerpted from TorahScope Apostolic Scriptures Reflections
The account of Ancient Israel’s deliverance from Egyptian slavery is rather universally known, because the traumatic events surrounding the Exodus are so dramatically moving! The Exodus is well known for more reasons than simply depicting the salvation available in the sacrificed Lamb of God, Messiah Yeshua, as important as this is. The Exodus has motivated people throughout history to oppose oppression, to promote liberty, and to help one’s fellow human beings—even among those who do not accept the Bible’s record as historically accurate. Even with debates among conservatives over the timing, route, or actual numbers of the Exodus—second to Yeshua’s death and resurrection—it might be the most important event in Scripture! And we agree: a large number of descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob really did escape Egypt, in actual history, sometime over three millennia ago.
One of the most intriguing, and perhaps perplexing aspects of the Exodus account, is the Lord’s assertion that He was going to use the judgment upon Egypt, to declare His power throughout the Earth. We know this has taken place because the Exodus is so well known, even to those who are not that familiar with the Scriptures. What might not be as well known to the average person—although it is quite debated among interpreters—is how the Sovereign God declared several times how He was going to harden Pharaoh’s heart, along with Pharaoh hardening his own heart, in order to accomplish His will. In fact, we not only see the Lord hardening Pharaoh’s heart, but also what the primary reason was for such a hardening:
“The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he didn’t listen to them, as the LORD had spoken to Moses. The LORD said to Moses, ‘Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and tell him, “This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘Let my people go, that they may serve me. For this time I will send all my plagues against your heart, against your officials, and against your people; that you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. For now I would have stretched out my hand, and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth; but indeed for this cause I have made you stand: to show you my power, and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth’”’” (Exodus 9:12-16, WMB).
The Holy One of Israel chose to make an example of the king of Ancient Egypt, and his actions, in order to declare who He is to the world. When the Israelites were led out of Egypt, the Canaanites were going to hear about the miracles their God had performed:
“You, in your loving kindness, have led the people that you have redeemed. You have guided them in your strength to your holy habitation. The peoples have heard. They tremble. Pangs have taken hold of the inhabitants of Philistia. Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed. Trembling takes hold of the mighty men of Moab. All the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away. Terror and dread falls on them. By the greatness of your arm they are as still as a stone, until your people pass over, LORD, until the people you have purchased pass over” (Exodus 15:13-16, WMB).
The power of the Lord’s deliverance of Ancient Israel, as we certainly know today, has most definitely been used to proclaim who He is throughout the Earth since the Exodus occurred 3,500/3,300 years ago. But as great as the Exodus was, it would not be great unless there had been a foe to defeat. While the destiny of the average Egyptian who endured the judgments of God can be debated, the destiny of the Egyptian Pharaoh cannot be. For some reason or another, the full brunt of God’s judgment was directed toward the Pharaoh. Some think that since the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, that he was just a player in the larger scheme, and should have been exempt from any punishment. Yet at the same time, even theological traditions which emphasize the free will of human beings more than God’s sovereignty, may have to concede that the Pharaoh of the Exodus was an exception.
I have always taken great comfort as a Believer, in knowing that God is sovereign in the choices He has made. I have frequently looked to various statements made by the Apostle Paul in Romans chs. 9-11, to find support for this. Is God discriminating? I think He is. God chose to use Pharaoh to be an example of His judgment. Can God’s mercy be shown to be mercy, without the example of what it means to not be shown mercy? Consider what the Apostle Paul said:
“What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? May it never be! For he said to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion’ [Exodus 33:19]. So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, ‘For this very purpose I caused you to be raised up, that I might show in you my power, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth’ [Exodus 9:16]. So then, he has mercy on whom he desires, and he hardens whom he desires” (Romans 9:14-18, WMB).
God is absolutely just in all that He has done and will ever do—because that is who He is, and that is what His perfect character requires. And do keep in mind, God did not necessarily condemn the Egyptian Pharaoh by hardening His heart. The Egyptian Pharaoh believed himself to be a god, and the chance of him ever acknowledging a God of slaves as his superior, was quite impossible. God needed to use someone to judge, in order to proclaim His justice and goodness to the whole Earth, and the Egyptian Pharaoh was the best one to make an example of.
As Believers in Messiah Yeshua, who have partaken of God’s mercy and salvation, we understandably want to focus more on His selection of vessels for whom He has shown mercy. This week as we read through V’eira, more attention will be given to the figure of Moses, who was selected by the Lord to be His carrier of deliverance for the Israelites. But remember, the reason Moses was selected, was because of his great humility (cf. Numbers 12:3). If you want to be used by God to be there in a time when He needs you—you must likewise be a humble servant.
Be one who can follow the example of Moses, and humbly submit to the will of the Father! Hardening your heart is an option, but as seen by the example of Pharaoh, it is not at all the best choice. Circumcise your heart, and be sensitive to God’s purpose for your life:
“Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiff-necked. For the LORD your God, he is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, the mighty, and the awesome, who doesn’t respect persons or take bribes” (Deuteronomy 10:16-17, WMB).
Our Creator does exercise His power on a discriminating basis: some have definitely been chosen to be vessels worthy of His wrath. At the same time, we might consider that the opposite has been true as well: some have definitely been chosen to be vessels worthy of His mercy. Whether these realities are the case for all people, as opposed to specific individuals in history, we will leave for another time. But we all must be united on how God’s justice is without flaw and is everlasting. Let us praise Him, and make sure that we are all vessels who receive His mercy!
