Harden Not Our Hearts
Hebrews 3:7-8 - “Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, Today if ye will hear his voice, 8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness.
Hebrews 3:15 - “While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.“
Hebrews 4:7 - “Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, Today, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.“
These three passages emphasize the importance of faith, encouragement and responsiveness to God’s voice. The key message in each passage is to avoid hardening our hearts toward God. Instead, we should respond immediately with sensitivity to the Holy Spirit; encourage one another daily, and hold firm to our faith in Christ. The call is to remain receptive to God’s voice and not repeat the mistakes of the past.
To open the Bible and read the passages therein is to actually hear God speaking. It was the Christian apologist Tim Barnett who pointed out the response of Jesus in Matthew 22:31-32 to the Sadducees who asked Him about marriage in heaven. In verse 31, Jesus said that GOD spoke to them about His being a GOD of the living and not the dead. Just how did GOD speak to them? Why, through the Scriptures that we read! Many believers open and read their Bibles as a matter of course, some in obedience. There is nothing wrong with that. The fact that believers actually open and read their Bibles is a practice that should be commended and celebrated.
However, to read the Bible out of rote and not hear GOD speaking is to miss the sweetness of having an intimate conversation with the Almighty on a daily basis. This is the fellowship that a great majority miss. They look for GOD’s voice in all the wrong places. Some look for GOD in the events that happen around and to them. Some listen and wait for a booming voice from heaven as a precondition for believing.
Yet the Scripture tells us that GOD speaks in a still, small voice. Someone pointed out that people who talk to each other shouting, do so usually because they are distant from one another. GOD, on the other hand, speaks in a still, small voice because He is near to everyone, which makes very good sense. The challenge before those who believe when they stop and read GOD’s Word, is to block out the self and the world; listen with an open mind and a gentle heart, always ready and willing to obey what it is that GOD wants us to learn and do.
Hardening of hearts is with reference to the “rebellion” that points back to the Israelites’ disobedience in the wilderness. Despite witnessing God;s miraculous provision and guidance, they repeatedly hardened their hearts. Their disobedience and lack of trust led to provoking God, especially during times of trials and testing. In the wilderness, their stubborn rebellion persisted in 40 years, resulting in their exclusion from entering the promised land of Canaan.
As believers, we face a similar danger of hardening or hearts. When we resist God’s voice, doubt His promises, and persistently disobey, we follow the same path as the Israelites. The warning is clear: unbelief leads to disobedience; disobedience ultimately leads to apostasy. The Israelites’ hardness of heart serves as a solemn warning for us. Let’s learn from their history and choose faith over unbelief, trusting in God’s promises and persevering in our journey of faith. Let us remember too that God’s rewards await those who trust Him and remain faithful ‘till He brings us home.
Let us respond to God’s invitation and heed the call to soften our hearts and to enter into His rest through faith in Jesus Christ, our Savior.
Our Prayer for Today!
Dear Father in heaven, thank you for continuing to speak to us through the Scriptures. O that we may always make time to meet with You and have sweet fellowship with You in the garden of Your Word. May our minds be always open, our hearts always gentle, and our body always willing to learn the lessons that You are teaching us, and to do the works that You have prepared us to undertake. In Jesus mighty name. Amen.