Travels through Exodus . . . part one

Exodus 1:8 . . .
"Eventually, a new king came to power in Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph or what he had done."
There is power in knowing and remembering history. This knowledge could have led to a whole different exodus experience. But God had a plan knowing that Pharaoh would not so easily let the Hebrews go. Pharaoh's fear of the Hebrews turned to hatred and cruelty. Imagine if he had simply talked to and worked with the Hebrews.

Exodus 2:1-10 . . .
God's had was on Moses and his family. Not only did his mom spare his life for a long as possible, she was eventually paid to raise her own son, thus giving him a foundation in his culture that would later lead to his connecting with his own people.

Exodus 3 . . .
God says:
—I hear you.
—I love you.
—I have seen all.
—I will rescue you.
—I will bless you with much.
—I will show you my power.
—I will judge the wicked and punish them.

Exodus 4 . . .
—The Lord promises miracles—even though He knows they will not make a lasting impression.
—Moses is afraid to be "the one," but God does not relent.
—What does God want me to do that I am refusing?

Exodus 4:21 + 10:1-2 + 12:36 . . .
"But I will harden his heart so he will refuse to let the people go."
This harshness of how this is worded always gets me. Is there justice in God's desire to show his power by manipulating the will of a man? And is this what "hardening" really means? I remember hearing a great explanation of this at one point, but I can't recall it now. . . . And if God is willing to change a person's heart for the worse, why won't He change mine to be more disciplined, empathetic, loving?