As you read through the Old Testament, one of the most interesting theological questions is the question of Pharaoh. When he is being implored by Moses to let God's people go, he goes back and forth. He says, yes, then no, yes, then no, yes, then no.

Well, if you carefully read through the whole Exodus account, you'll find that precisely five times Pharaoh hardens his own heart, and five other times the text says that God hardened Pharaoh's heart. And all of a sudden we're taken to the realm of, wait a minute, isn't God stepping on our free will and our choices?

Well, the fact is that Exodus actually tells us why God hardened Pharaoh's heart. And it was for one purpose. It was to get glory over Pharaoh. And what that shows us is that Pharaoh is responsible for hardening his own heart. He made a real choice.

And yet God is responsible for hardening Pharaoh's heart because he has created God and he does what he wants, with whom he wants, how he wants. And so really this lesson for us is that God does what he will. And we're thankful for our salvation because unlike Pharaoh, he opened and softened our hearts to the gospel.