# Exodus Chapter 11
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## Summarrium
The Lord instructs Moses to speak once again to Pharaoh and warn him of a final plague. First he is to speak in the hearing of the people to let them know they will be leaving soon and to seek silver and gold from the Egyptians. The Lord gives them favour and the reputation of Moses aids them in securing these items.

Then Moses tells Pharaoh that the first born of every Egyptian will perish and that it will be Pharaoh's servants who honour Moses and tell the Israelites to leave. The Lord does this that his wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt. Yet nevertheless we see once again the Lord hardens Pharaoh's heart.

## Meditatio
This final judgment of Pharaoh strikes at the heard of Egyptian ideology. Pharaoh was considered to be Ra's representative on earth and as such a 'god'. YHWHs challenge here is not only to the divinity of Pharaoh but to his future. Pharaoh's son, his heir, represents the future potential of Pharaoh and YHWH undermines this by essentially cutting off the future and demonstrating Pharaoh's humanity. 

This no doubt is the reason why Moses and Pharaoh part in angry calling an end to these confrontations. Pharaoh has demonstrated his fickle nature in response to the earlier plagues and has invited the wrath of God upon himself. Now Pharaoh must fact the end to his dynasty. To his future.

One thing in particular that has struck me about these confrontations is the conclusion which is usually one of three lines

1. Pharaoh hardens his own heart
2. The Lord hardens Pharaoh’s heart
3. Pharaoh’s heart is hardened (passive voice)

For (1) this seems to emphasis the personal responsibility; the direct actions that Pharaoh takes in rejecting the commandments of God. It emphasises free well highlighting that Pharaoh is not a mere puppet but is a willing participant in Gods overall plan to free the Israelites.

For (2) we observe something of how the Lord utilises . God is not coercing Pharaoh into sin but rather a "giving him over" to his sinful nature[^1]. In this way His signs and wonders will increase that his name may be known throughout the earth. So hereby the hardening serves a greater redemptive purpose

For (3) we are not offered a perspective on if it is divine sovereignty, or human agency at play. We are instead left to draw our own conclusions. The tension between these two ideas is never satisfactorily resolved within scripture. The bible instead concludes humans are accountable for their actions AND God is in control of all things.

[^1]: See [Romans 1:24-28](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%201%3A24-28&version=ESV) for more details.