12. Who Hardened Pharaoh?

Not long before the kingdom of Judah was taken into Babylonian captivity, the prophet Jeremiah was given a rather interesting task: to go into a potter’s house. There, Jeremiah saw a potter working with a piece of clay which was “marred”, or disfigured. And so we read that the potter “made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it”. Drawing from this illustration, the Lord declared to the prophet: “as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.”

Some use this verse to teach that God predetermines the lives of individuals and nations. Yet as the chapter continues, further proclamations are made which disprove such a notion. 

What’s fascinating is the juxtaposition between the wet, workable clay and the dry, hardened clay which becomes the key symbol of chapter 19. The stubborn nation of Judah—whom the Lord declares had “hardened their necks”—are represented by the hardened vessel which cannot be restored. 

Such terminology calls us back to the story of the exodus, where it is said that Pharaoh “hardened his heart” against God. However, the book of Exodus also records that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. So which one was it? Did God ordain that Pharaoh rebel and be lost? Or did He provide Pharaoh with a genuine opportunity for repentance and reformation?