Weekly Devotional - August 18th

For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very reason I raised you up, in order to

demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the

earth.” So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.

You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?” On the

contrary, who are you, you foolish person, who answers back to God? The thing molded will

not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? 

Romans 9:17-20

In the book of Exodus, it is mentioned that God hardens the heart of Pharaoh. This act of

hardening is often understood as God lifting His divine restraint, allowing people to give in to their sinful nature. It does not mean that God directly causes or creates sin within individuals. Rather, it is seen as allowing them to succumb to their own inclinations as found in Jeremiah. This concept is also alluded to in Revelation, where it seems to describe the final state of the wicked (22:11). The idea is that without God's providence, humanity's natural state is one of depravity, and it is only through God's intervention that individuals are not entirely consumed by their sinful nature.