Is God Unjust?

Yesterday and today our reading schedule has us reading Exodus 7-12.  These chapters describe the ten plagues God brought on Egypt due to Pharaoh's refusal to let Israel leave the country.  In Exodus 4:21, we read "but I will harden Pharaoh's heart so that he will not let the people go"   Many have questioned this.  If God hardens Pharaoh's heart, how can Pharaoh be responsible for his refusal to let them go?  It would seem that God is at fault.   Later the Apostle Paul says "For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden."  Romans 9:17-18"   Paul's point is that God is sovereign over all creation. God seeks his own glory above all and that we, his creation, exist to bring God glory.  But again, if God hardens Pharaoh's heart, or ours for that matter, who is at fault?   While we often notice that God hardened Pharaohs heart, we do miss the fact that this took place only after the first five plagues.  In the first five plagues we learn that Pharaoh hardened his own heart.  "But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said."  Exodus 8:15.   After the sixth plague we learn that God hardens Pharaoh's heart.  (Ex 9:12)  God gave Pharaoh five opportunities to relent and allow the Israelites to leave.  Only after five stubborn refusals does God harden Pharaoh's heart.   Paul writes of this same principle in Romans 1:18 and following.   All men everywhere are evil in the sight of God.   They have rejected God and followed after their own wicked desires.  As a result, God has brought judgement on the wicked by allowing them to sink deeper and deeper into sin.  (Romans 1:24)   The heart is deceitfully wicked.  As we continually reject and oppose a holy God, he brings judgement upon us by hardening our hearts towards him.  Like Pharaoh we often harden our hearts to God.  Each time we do, we find it just a little bit easier to do our own wicked thing.  Our only hope is to fall upon the grace of a merciful holy God who gave himself for us that we might be saved.