I have a teaching called “God Loved Pharaoh.” It’s linked in the last day of the By Way of Reminder course on Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool, allinonehomeschool.com (because of imitators, I want to give you both the name and address!)

The summary says, “Our all-knowing, all-powerful sovereign God is always good and always loving.”

Scripture tells us that God is good and God is love. He can’t stop being either, or He stops being God. We always have to look at Scripture through the lens of the truth that God is good and loving, always.

Verse 17 in Romans 9 talks about God raising up Pharaoh to show His power, that the name of the Lord God Almighty would be proclaimed in all the earth. In Exodus we read about God hardening Pharaoh’s heart.

God’s heart is that all would be saved. We know that from Scriptures such as 2 Peter 3:9. We know He delights in showing mercy (Micah 7:18).

How did God harden Pharaoh’s heart? It wasn’t with a maniacal laugh. It was by giving Pharaoh exactly what he needed to be saved. Pharaoh needed to humble himself. God sent him a shepherd. Egyptians hate shepherds. God sent him someone from the slave race. Pharaoh certainly despised the thought of taking orders from a slave. What would have enabled Pharaoh’s salvation by his humbling himself, instead steeled him against it. And, by the way, God would have gotten His name glorified if Pharaoh repented as well! If you need more help seeing God is good in such things, please look for that teaching on the site. Search “God Loved Pharaoh allinonehomeschool”.

It is also God’s great love in that He allows people to not humble themselves, in His willingness to let people perish in their sin. He gives people in exchange for us (Isaiah 43:3-4). He lets them not choose Him, so we will fear God and turn to Him. He will do what’s necessary to save His children, even breaking His own heart.