Salam dalam nama Bapa, dan Putra, dan Roh Kudus
Bagaimana kabarmu, teman-teman?
Aku harap teman-teman dalam keadaan sukacita.
Aku merenungkan sebuah pertanyaan yang bersumber dari Keluaran 4:21,
Firman TUHAN kepada Musa:
"Pada waktu engkau hendak kembali ini ke Mesir, ingatlah, supaya segala mujizat yang telah Kuserahkan ke dalam tanganmu, kauperbuat di depan Firaun. Tetapi Aku akan mengeraskan hatinya, sehingga ia tidak membiarkan bangsa itu pergi."
"Mengapa Tuhan menghukum Mesir, apabila hati Firaun Tuhan sendiri yang keraskan?"
Aku bertanya pada teman-teman, aku mencari di komentar Kitab Suci Katolik maupun Protestan, tapi tidak ada jawaban yang memuaskanku.
Aku pun semakin mencari jawaban setelah aku menemukan ayat lain yang konteksnya sama dengan perenunganku, yaitu Keluaran 7:3-4:
7:3 Tetapi Aku akan mengeraskan hati Firaun, dan Aku akan memperbanyak tanda-tanda dan mujizat-mujizat yang Kubuat di tanah Mesir.
7:4 Bilamana Firaun tidak mendengarkan kamu, maka Aku akan mendatangkan tangan-Ku kepada Mesir dan mengeluarkan pasukan-Ku, umat-Ku, orang Israel, dari tanah Mesir dengan hukuman-hukuman yang berat.
Namun, aku masih tetap percaya pada Tuhan. Tidak sedikitpun luntur kepercayaanku yang saat ini ada hanya karena hal ini.
Lalu, aku menemukan komentar Ramban terkait hal ini. Aku merasa puas dengan jawaban ini.
AND I WILL HARDEN PHARAOH’S HEART.
The Rabbis said in Midrash Rabbah: “G-d revealed to Moses that He was destined to harden Pharaoh’s heart in order to bring judgment upon him for he caused them to work in cruel bondage.”
It is also stated there [in Midrash Rabbah]: “For I have hardened his heart.” Rabbi Yochanan said, “This provides a pretext for the heretics to say that G-d did not allow Pharaoh to repent.” Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said, “The mouths of the heretics be closed! Only, if it concerneth the scorners, He scorneth them. When He warns one on three occasions and he does not turn from his ways, He closes the door of repentance on him in order to punish him for his sin. Such was the case with wicked Pharaoh.
After the Holy One, blessed be He, sent him five times [the request to let His people go] and he paid no attention to His words, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: You have stiffened your neck and hardened your heart; I will double your defilement.”
The Rabbis [in the above Midrash] have thus discussed the question which all ask: “If G-d hardened his heart, what then was Pharaoh’s sin?” For this there are two explanations, and both of them are true.
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Pharaoh, in his wickedness, had unjustifiably perpetrated such great evils against Israel that justice required that the ways of repentance be withheld from him, as is so indicated in many places in the Torah and in the Writings. He was judged according to his wickedness which he had originally committed of his own will.
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Half of the plagues came upon him because of his transgressions, for in connection with them it is only said: And Pharaoh’s heart was hardened; And Pharaoh hardened his heart. Thus Pharaoh refused to let the children of Israel go for the glory of G-d. But when the plagues began bearing down upon him and he became weary to suffer them, his heart softened and he bethought himself to send them out on account of the onslaught of the plagues, not in order to do the will of his Creator. Then G-d hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, so that His name may be declared [throughout all the earth]. Similar in meaning is the verse, Thus will I magnify Myself…
Before the plagues, And I will harden his heart, and he will not let the people go, was merely His warning to Moses of what He was destined to do to Pharaoh in the last five plagues, it being similar to that which He said, And I know that the king of Egypt will not give you leave to go.
This then is the meaning of the verse [before us], And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs. That is to say, “I will harden his heart so that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt,” since in the last five plagues, as well as at the drowning in the sea, it is said, And the Eternal hardened the heart of Pharaoh, for “the king’s heart is in the hand of the Eternal; He turneth it whithersoever He will.”
Hal yang perlu kita lakukan adalah kita perlu membedakan mana dosa Firaun dan mana hati Firaun yang dikeraskan Tuhan.
Kita dapat melihat dalam Keluaran 1 bagaimana orang Israel ditindas di Mesir dan bayi-bayi laki-laki diperintahkan untuk dibunuh. Itulah dosa Firaun.
Tetapi, pada saat Firaun menolak bangsa Israel untuk keluar pergi beribadah dari Mesir. Ini rangkaian karya Allah untuk menunjukkan mukjizatNya di tanah Mesir.
Lalu, apabila kekerasan hati Firaun itu Allah yang buat, apakah ada kemungkinan Firaun lebih memilih lunak hatinya? Apakah ada kemungkinan kita bisa lunak hatinya meski Allah merancangkan kita sebagai keras hati?
Ya, ada kemungkinan Firaun bisa saja lunak hati, termasuk kita.
Karena, setiap kita diberkahi kehendak bebas yang mana Allah menghormati kehendak bebas kita.
Sekian perenungan hari ini.
Damai Kristus menyertai
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit
How are you, dear friends?
I hope you are all in joy and peace.
I’ve been reflecting on a question that comes from Exodus 4:21:
The LORD said to Moses,
“When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have put in your hand.
But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.”
"Why would God punish Egypt, if it was God Himself who hardened Pharaoh’s heart?"
I asked this to some friends. I searched for answers in both Catholic and Protestant Bible commentaries, but none of them satisfied me.
I continued my search for an answer, especially after I found another passage with the same context that deepened my reflection: Exodus 7:3–4:
7:3 But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and I will multiply My signs and wonders in the land of Egypt.
7:4 Yet Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay My hand on Egypt and bring out My armies, My people the Israelites, from the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment.
Still, I continue to believe in God. My faith has not diminished in the slightest, even as I wrestle with this question.
Then, I found Ramban’s commentary on this. And I finally felt at peace with his answer.
AND I WILL HARDEN PHARAOH’S HEART.
The Rabbis said in Midrash Rabbah:
“God revealed to Moses that He was destined to harden Pharaoh’s heart in order to bring judgment upon him, for he caused them to work in cruel bondage.”
It is also stated there: “For I have hardened his heart.”
Rabbi Yochanan said,
“This provides a pretext for the heretics to say that God did not allow Pharaoh to repent.”
Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said,
“Let the mouths of the heretics be shut! Only, if it concerns the scorners, He scorns them.
When He warns someone three times and they do not turn from their ways, He closes the door of repentance upon them, in order to punish them for their sin.
Such was the case with wicked Pharaoh.
After the Holy One, blessed be He, sent him five times [the request to let His people go], and he paid no attention to His words, the Holy One said to him:
You have stiffened your neck and hardened your heart; I will double your defilement.”
The Rabbis in the above Midrash addressed the question everyone asks:
“If God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, then what was Pharaoh’s sin?”
There are two explanations, and both are true.
First, Pharaoh—out of his own wickedness—had committed great injustices against Israel. Divine justice demanded that the path of repentance be closed off from him.
This is affirmed in many parts of the Torah and the Writings.
He was judged according to the evil he originally committed by his own will.
Second, half of the plagues were brought upon him because of his transgressions.
About these, Scripture says: “Pharaoh’s heart was hardened” and “Pharaoh hardened his heart.”
Pharaoh refused to let Israel go—not to honor God—but only to relieve the pressure from the plagues.
When the plagues pressed upon him and he grew weary, his heart softened and he thought to release them—not to do the will of his Creator, but to end his suffering.
So then, God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate,
so that His name might be proclaimed throughout all the earth.
This is similar to the verse: “Thus will I magnify Myself…”
Before the plagues, “I will harden his heart, and he will not let the people go,” was merely a warning to Moses about what God would do to Pharaoh during the last five plagues.
It echoes another verse: “I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go.”
Thus, the meaning of the verse before us, “I will harden Pharaoh’s heart and multiply My signs,”
is this:
“I will harden his heart so that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”
Indeed, in the last five plagues, and even during the drowning in the sea, it is written:
“The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh,”
for “the king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wills.”
What we must do is learn to distinguish between what was Pharaoh’s sin, and what was Pharaoh’s heart hardened by God.
We can look back to Exodus 1, where the Israelites were oppressed in Egypt, and their baby boys were ordered to be killed. That was Pharaoh’s sin.
But when Pharaoh refused to let Israel go and worship in the wilderness,
that was God’s work—to display His wonders in Egypt.
Now, if Pharaoh’s hardened heart was caused by God,
could there still have been a possibility for Pharaoh to choose to soften his heart?
Could we also soften our hearts even if God intended otherwise?
Yes, there was still a possibility.
Pharaoh could have chosen a softened heart, just like we can.
Because each of us has been given the gift of free will,
and God honors that freedom.
That is all for today’s reflection.
May the peace of Christ be with you. ✨
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