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Replying to ttruscott]
Here is the passage in Exodus,
18 And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.
19 And the Lord said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life.
20 And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.
21 And the Lord said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go
We see that God taught Moses some tricks to show the Egyptians as signs, and sent him on his way to Egypt. God tells Moses that he, God, would harden Pharaoh's heart. These are the words "I will harden his heart". Those words are not confusing. God would not have said he would harden Pharaoh's heart if it was already hardened against God--to say that makes God a buffoon. Like saying I will institute gravity to keep him from lifting off the planet....when it has already been created. In order for Gods plan to work he had to harden Pharaoh's heart.
You are right to point out the resistance to the Word of God on this issue, where there are people who would fight against the very words of God...to wrest control from God and instead maintain a human desire for control. You have probably noticed that some of the same folks who argue that the plain words above, mean something other that what they say.....will in the next instance fall all over themselves to point out the critical need to accept the word exactly as is, going to the ancient meaning of a word, the syntax, the context, the time of day, etc. This irony is what comes of creating a religious belief first, then force fitting the Word to create harmony.
