Of mercy, and justice
Picture this: Two men are on death row for murder. Both acknowledge their guilt and have resigned themselves to their fate. But when Murderer A unexpectedly receives a pardon, Murderer B is outraged and complains vociferously about the injustice of it. Why should he have to serve his sentence, he asks, if Murderer A does not?
I recently read of this happening somewhere, though I can’t recall where. Nevertheless, anyone can imagine having that very reaction if put in the place of Murderer B. It seems unfair when one receives mercy and another does not. But is it? Is not Murderer B receiving his just due for the horrible crime he committed?
I’ve been wrestling with atheists recently….philosophically, not physically. And as we’ve gone back and forth, the charge of God’s apparent capriciousness and/or callousness has been proposed as reason to question his goodness. A case in point is the biblical record of God “hardening“ Pharaoh’s heart. This is the Egyptian king who was ruthlessly oppressing the enslaved Israelites. And when God called Moses to be his instrument of redemption, he did say to him, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.” (Exodus 4:21)
Many ask, how then can God be just in bringing all the plagues on Pharaoh a
nd the Egyptians if he so decreed that his heart would be set firmly against freeing the Israelites? It is a reasonable question, but I believe some investigating will disclose a satisfactory answer.
Before I go on, I’d like to emphasize its reasonableness and say to my atheist friends (and I do sincerely believe we can be friends though we disagree) that these difficult passages disquiet and trouble Christians as well. It is a sign of our sense of justice and concern for our fellow man that you and we are disturbed by them. And that’s a good thing. The difference, as I see it, is that you stop there and write God off as either nonexistent or not worthy of worship, but we give him the benefit of the doubt, if you will, and pursue a greater understanding. Not because we don’t want to face the facts, but because we must, and the facts of his justice, mercy, love, and grace don’t jive with evil and cruelty.
I think of our recent presidential campaign as helpful in understanding the Christian’s point of view. The opposing parties did their best to cast aspersions on the other’s candidate, so much so that if one were to take every charge at face value, one would think they were both totally unfit for the office. But we voters would often get a different picture if we took the time to investigate a little further. And we would be most likely to investigate charges against our candidate because, as we might say, we know him to be honest, fair, concerned for others, etc. and the charges don’t line up with what we know to be true.
In the same way, because I am convinced of God’s goodness, based on how he reveals himself in both the Old and New Testaments, the witness of Jesus Christ who is the “image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15), the fact that we his creatures are capable of great love, compassion, sacrifice, kindness, etc…I, at the very least, trust that there is a good explanation for the apparent dichotomy. And my faith can be strong without knowledge of that explanation. But because I believe God provides a greater understanding when we pursue it…I pursue it.
So I’ve sought understanding of God’s hardening of Pharaoh’s heart, and though God’s ways are so much higher than ours and men have written long treatises on this issue because it is deep and complex, still I think I can confidently speak on one reality that addresses it and that should be helpful. And it is demonstrated in the convicted murderer scenario I opened with: A just punishment is still just even if there is a potential for mercy that is denied.
Pharaoh was an evil ruler who denied mercy to the Israelites and abused them as his slaves. He and all of Egypt worshipped false gods and the Pharaoh willingly received adulation from the Egyptians as having godlike status. They were deserving of God’s wrath. What’s more, God foreknew that Pharaoh would stubbornly refuse to release the Israelites “unless compelled by a mighty hand” (Exodus 3:19). His hardening of Pharaoh’s heart was part of God’s method of compulsion because it precipitated retribution for his evil deeds borne of an evil heart, and the means of redemption for God’s people.
So, God did not compel Pharaoh to resist him in opposition to what Pharaoh was inclined to do. In multiple passages in Exodus Pharaoh is said to have hardened his own heart. He simply executed righteous judgment on him and the Egyptians by ensuring his continued resistance resulting in the ten plagues.
One might object that obviously God knew Pharaoh would have relented a lot sooner or he wouldn’t have needed to harden his heart, and that would have spared Egypt a number of plagues…and that’s not fair. But I refer you again to our convicted Murderer B. Would we think it just, particularly if his victim was a loved one of ours, if upon his expressed remorse and resolve never to murder again as he stood ready to be sentenced, the judge let him go scot-free?
But whence goeth justice in the case of Murderer A? He received mercy, which is the antithesis of justice, and every judge has the authority to dispense it. But though we are all entitled to justice, no one is entitled to mercy.
But if God is so wonderful and loving, why doesn’t he have mercy on everyone? I think there are a lot of good answers to that, but there’s one that becomes obvious if we ask ourselves this: Why doesn’t any judge sentence every convicted criminal that stands before him to probation?
