Permanence is not Puppetry
Free choices leading to permanent results were still choices
February, 2025
This month's spotlight verse (Exodus 4:21) is a source of controversy. God is planning to "harden the heart" of Egypt's king. This will make Pharaoh disobedient about releasing the enslaved Hebrew people (Exodus 1:11–14). This often raises questions and objections about free will. If Pharaoh cannot do the right thing, because God is somehow preventing it, how is that the king's fault? Does that mean Pharaoh never had a chance? Does this mean God controls us all like puppets, so we're not responsible for what we do? Why would God command obedience, prevent someone from obeying, and then punish them for it?
As usual, we need a complete perspective on what's happening in the story of Exodus. God offered Pharaoh many, many chances. In fact, God often held back on the punishment Egypt deserved for its treatment of Israel (Exodus 9:13–16). When Moses and Aaron brought direct commands from the Lord, Pharaoh resisted (Exodus 7:12, 14, 22, 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7). He mocked (Exodus 5:2, 4). He retaliated (Exodus 5:16–19; 10:28). He broke his word over and over (Exodus 8:15, 31–32; 9:34–35; 10:19–20). All of this happened despite numerous supernatural proofs of the divine message (Exodus 8:19; 10:7). Pharaoh purposefully chose to "harden" himself against the Lord's conviction (Exodus 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7). Eventually, he ran out of time to repent. When that happened, God stopped offering forgiveness and turned the Egyptian king into a warning for others (Exodus 10:1, 20, 27; 14:8).
God predicted that He would eventually control Pharaoh's choices (Exodus 3:20). But that divine control was a consequence; it was a response to Pharaoh's constant defiance of God. By the time God began to interfere in Pharaoh's will, the king had already thrown away multiple opportunities to submit. This is where Proverbs 29:1, perhaps the most chilling verse in Scripture, comes into play. There is a "point of no return" for those who persistently defy God. Sooner or later, God will stop convicting, instead using an obstinate sinner to demonstrate His own holiness (Romans 1:24, 26, 28; Revelation 15:4).
This idea is troubling—and it should be. Free will can lead to irreversible effects. A choice leading to lasting consequences doesn't prove we never had a choice. Some decisions are permanent. Some are stupid. Some are both. That makes our choices meaningful, because not everything we choose can be changed later. God accepts repentance from anyone who sincerely seeks Him (John 6:37; Ezekiel 18:21–23). But that offer comes with a cutoff date, one different for each person. That may be the moment of death. It might be before.
Despite what some think, this has little to do with the concept of eternal security. True salvation is permanent, but it doesn't instantly and permanently free us from all temptations, addictions, or errors (1 John 1:8–10). The Pharoah of Exodus was not a struggling, conflicted sinner saved by grace who found himself rejected by his Savior. He was the type of person who laughs and mocks God until there is trouble. Only then will he put on a shallow show of faith. But he always comes back to sneering and defying God as soon as the crisis has passed.
Eventually, time runs out. We may exit earthly life due to an accident, illness, or old age; death is only the most obvious boundary. But Scripture—including the example of Pharaoh—also says that God can decide when we've had enough chances. When that happens, there is no "remedy:" nothing that can reach that soul. Not because God cannot forgive. But because that person has made a commitment to rejecting their Creator, who simply stops reaching out.
So, yes, the Lord certainly interfered with Pharaoh's free will. No, that does not mean Pharaoh was being punished for something outside his control. If I dive into shallow water and suffer a spinal injury, that is permanent. What comes after is not a series of new, unrelated problems. They all fall under the singular "consequence" that came from the choice. Playing "Russian roulette," severing a limb, and so forth all come with permanence. If I sign a contract, and someone acts on a clause in the contract I don't like, that doesn't mean I had no choice. I can stomp across a rotting bridge a hundred times before it collapses under me, but I can't complain afterwards that I didn't have a "choice" about hitting the bottom of the canyon.
Everything that results from free choice is precisely that: a result. God calls and warns, in ways that are obvious to everyone (Romans 1:18–23) and in ways that require some care (Matthew 7:7–8). God promises rescue for everyone who submits—but that offer does not extend into infinity. There is a "sudden" and permanent consequence when we choose to step beyond the limits of His divine patience. Pharaoh learned this the hard way, in part so others have a chance not to repeat his mistake.
Editor
