Pharaoh's Heart Is Hardened. Series

Pharaoh's Heart Is Hardened.

Exodus 7:13

Yet Pharaoh’s heart became hard, and he would not listen to them, just

as the LORD had said. – Exodus 7:13, NIV

COMMENTARY

God HARDENS Pharaoh’s Heart BECAUSE …

1. God Was Responsible for This Pharaoh Coming To Power. This Accords With Rom. 13:1-3.

ROMANS 13:1, NIV: LET EVERYONE BE SUBJECT TO THE GOVERNING AUTHORITIES, FOR THERE IS NO AUTHORITY EXCEPT THAT WHICH GOD HAS ESTABLISHED. GOD HAS ESTABLISHED THE AUTHORITIES THAT EXIST. (ROMANS 13:1)

In Romans 12, Paul described what it means to be a living-sacrifice Christian. In short, it mainly involves setting ourselves aside to serve the Lord, each other, and even our enemies in love.

Now Paul turns to the issue of how Christians who are saved by God's grace should interact with our present governments. He describes the biblical doctrine of submission to human authorities, something Peter also teaches (1 Peter 2:13–17). Again, those in Christ are called to set themselves aside and trust God to provide what is needed through those in authority, good or evil.

Paul is clear that this applies to every person. He calls for us to be in submission to government authorities, though he does not say that we must obey them in all cases. Paul and the other apostles refused to obey commands from people in authority to stop preaching the gospel, for instance (Acts 5:27–29). They did, however, submit to those in authority in all matters that were not in contradiction to the will of God.

Why should we submit to it? Paul is clear: Every authority in the world was established by God. This would include, of course, good leaders, evil leaders, and everyone in-between. Paul's instruction here is not about blind nationalism or absolute obedience to men. Instead, it is a recognition that human government—in general—is a legitimate authority and that Christians cannot use their faith as an excuse for civil lawlessness. God puts all leaders in place for the specific reasons Paul will describe in the following verses.

We should remember that Paul is writing this letter to Christians in Rome. The government of Rome ruled much of the known world at the time. Emperor Nero led it from AD 54–68. Nero is famous for his cruel and unfair treatment of Christians, among other groups. We must not assume that Paul is writing these words lightly. He was aware of the implications of his teaching.

ROMANS 13:2, NIV: CONSEQUENTLY, WHOEVER REBELS AGAINST THE AUTHORITY IS REBELLING AGAINST WHAT GOD HAS INSTITUTED, AND THOSE WHO DO SO WILL BRING JUDGMENT ON THEMSELVES.

Paul has spelled out the Christian doctrine of submission to human authorities, including government authorities. The bottom line is that those in Christ should understand every authority to have been placed in his or her position by God Himself and for God's purposes. Christ's kingdom may not be of this world (John 18:36), but that does not mean believers have a license to disobey earthly authority for any reason (1 Peter 2:13–17). Only when commanded by the government to disobey God are Christians obligated to disobey the government and accept the consequences (Acts 5:27–29).

Paul now begins to put together the pieces of what that means. In truth, anyone who resists someone in authority is resisting God's work. In general terms, human government is one of the ways God restrains the influence of evil in the world (2 Thessalonians 2:7). Resistance to that system will result in judgment. It is not clear if Paul has in mind judgment from the government or judgment from God. Both are possible.

Paul left little room for Christians to tell themselves that they were free to resist human authorities because their first loyalty was to the kingdom of heaven. Those loyal to Christ are specifically instructed to be submissive to human government. Generally, civil disobedience is only allowed when a Christian is being asked to sin, disobey God, or act ungodly.

ROMANS 13:3, NIV: FOR RULERS HOLD NO TERROR FOR THOSE WHO DO RIGHT, BUT FOR THOSE WHO DO WRONG. DO YOU WANT TO BE FREE FROM FEAR OF THE ONE IN AUTHORITY? THEN DO WHAT IS RIGHT, AND YOU WILL BE COMMENDED.

Paul has described the Christian doctrine of submission to human authorities. Since God establishes every human leader, Christians must not resist God's work by resisting those authorities. These verses give essential context for understanding his recent comments.

Paul begins to describe why God establishes human authorities in the first place. The God-given role of governmental authorities is to keep order. This is true whether those authorities are good people or not. Human government is one of the ways God restrains the influence of evil in the world (2 Thessalonians 2:7). Christians cannot embrace anarchy—rejection of all forms of government—or disobey authority simply because they disagree.