Why Did God Harden Pharaoh’s Heart?

Before the first few plagues, Pharaoh hardened his own heart against letting the Israelites go. (Exodus 7:13; 7:22; 8:19; Exodus 8:15; Exodus 8:32). Pharaoh could have spared Egypt of all the plagues if he had not hardened his own heart. God was giving Pharaoh increasingly severe warnings of the judgment that was to come. Pharaoh himself chose to bring judgment on himself and on his nation by hardening his own heart against God’s commands.
As a result of Pharaoh’s hardheartedness, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart even further, allowing for the last few plagues (Exodus 9:12; 10:20; 10:27). Pharaoh, and Egypt, had brought these judgments on themselves with 400 years of slavery and mass murder. Since the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), and Pharaoh and Egypt had horribly sinned against God, it would have been just if God had completely annihilated all of Egypt. Therefore, God hardening Pharaoh’s heart was not unjust. God bringing additional plagues against Egypt was not unjust. The plagues, as terrible as they were, actually demonstrate God’s mercy in not completely destroying all of Egypt, which would have been a perfectly just penalty.
Romans 9:17-18 declares, “For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: ‘I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.’ Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden.” From a human perspective, it seems wrong for God to harden a person and then punish the person He has hardened. Biblically speaking, however, we have all sinned against God (Romans 3:23), and the just penalty for that sin is death (Romans 6:23). Therefore, God hardening and punishing a person is not unjust, as it is actually merciful in comparison to what the person deserved. All mankind deserve death. God shows us mercy. God gave us a way to escape hell. Have you turned to Jesus for your Salvation?