Exodus and Heart Hardening

The hardening of hearts; A very interesting, but potentially touch subject.

Exodus 4:21

And the LORD said to Moses, “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.

I think if I were Moses, at this point I would be like, um God, your plan is awesome and all, but why are you going to make me go do this if you are just going to harden his heart? What is the point?

Exodus 7:14

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is hardened; he refuses to let the people go.”

In this verse it is more of a seemingly passive voice from God. Pharaoh’s heart is hardened. He refuses to let the people go.

Exodus 9:12

But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had spoken to Moses.

This seems to be an action of the Lord, whereas before it didn’t. “the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh”

Exodus 9:34-36

But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet again and hardened his hear, he and his servants. So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people of Israel go, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses.

I might be reading this wrong, but it seems to have both a passive and active voice. Pharaoh hardened his heart, but a few words over, the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, which seems like it wasn’t all of Pharaoh’s doing.

Exodus 11:9

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”

This verse is simply beautiful

Romans 9:17-18- yes people, we are going there…

For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.

If you know me well, you know that I am all about the complete sovereignty of God, but I want to know:

What does all of this mean in your opinion? I want to know about your thoughts on the sovereignty of God, hardening of hearts, and God’s role in that. I don’t care if you are a new Christian, ten years old, have a doctorate in theology, think you are dumb, think you are brilliant, don’t know me very well, know me better than I know myself, or have never talked to me in your life. I want to hear your thoughts.

Exodus 23:18

Exodus 23:18
"You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened, or let the fat of my feast remain until the morning."

Communion?
When we take communion it is representative of drinking the blood of Christ and eating the body of Christ.

My dad actually asked me a question about this a couple months ago when we were talking about the bread in the communion at Asbury. It is a delicious loaf of bread. A delicious yeasty loaf of bread.
My dad's question was why does it have leavening in it? My response... um I don't know.
I had never had communion with that kind of bread until I went to a Methodist church, and I never have looked behind their reasoning for doing it that way. That was pretty much the end of my thought process on it until I read this verse.

Why does the bread at Asbury have yeast, and should it not? Is this verse even applicable?