“Therefore the Holy Spirit says… ‘Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in rebellion …’” (Heb. 3:7–8).
How does a person get a hardened heart? You might be surprised by the answer. Read on.
It can happen when you’re listening to a preacher. That’s because you decide how you’re going to receive the message before you even hear it. Some listen with an open heart, wanting to align with what God says. Their hearts will get softer, receptive and more pliable. Others listen to the same message and say, “I’ve heard that before. You’re not telling me anything new.” And their hearts will begin to stiffen.
There’s an old and trustworthy saying, “The same sun that softens the wax hardens the clay.” The problem is the same message that impacts one person positively can actually cause another person to become resistant to the word of God and a hardening of the heart begins. They become hardened by the very truth that should have softened them and become judged by the very message that should have set them free.
We see this in the life of Pharaoh in the book of Exodus. Despite seeing the many miracles that God performed through Moses, Pharaoh’s heart became hard, defiant.
The Lord had directed Moses to take his shepherd’s staff and throw it on the ground in front of Pharaoh. That staff became a snake, presumably a cobra, which was the symbol of ancient Egypt. Then Moses grabbed it by the tail, and it turned into a rod again.
I think this was God’s way of saying to Moses, “Take the snake by the tail. Face your fears. You’re going to overcome Pharaoh and the might of Egypt.”
Pharaoh, however, wasn’t impressed. And so he allowed his heart to become resistant to the things happening before him. He would see, listen and ponder the source of the things happening. He hardened his heart. Closed his mind and would not consider any other power but himself.
God has given each of us a free will, the ability to choose. And God honors this privilege that we have. He will not force us to do his will. Sometimes it seems as though he ought to, things would be so much easier on the world, but he doesn’t interfere with our choices.
For example, God said to the Israelites in Deuteronomy: “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!” (30:19 NLT)
In other words, “That’s your choice, and I’m even telling you which choice you should make.” What more could you possibly want?
So to Pharaoh, God was saying, “OK, Pharaoh, here it is: Release the Israelites, or don’t release them.” It's your choice. Pharaoh said, “I’ll harden my heart” and I will do things my way!
The word the Bible used for “harden” in this instance can be translated “strengthen or stiffen.” So the Lord strengthened Pharaoh’s heart, which means that Pharaoh made his decision, and the Lord strengthened him in it. Pharaoh was culpable. He was responsible for his choice. There was no manipulation by God to setup a confrontation with Pharaoh.
You see, we make our choices, and then our choices make us. And if our hearts become hardened, it’s because we’ve chosen to harden them ourselves.
The hardening of the heart can happen to anyone. Certainly it can happen to nonbelievers, because every time a nonbeliever hears the Gospel and God’s offer of forgiveness and chooses to reject it, his or her heart gets a little harder.
But even Christians can get hardened hearts. Jesus’ own disciples allowed their hearts to harden. When they ran out of food before Jesus performed the miracle of multiplying the loaves and fish, he said to them, “Why are you arguing about having no bread? Don’t you know or understand even yet? Are your hearts too hard to take it in?” (Mark 8:17 NLT)
If you’re a Christian reading this today, do you have a hardened heart?
One indication would be that you’ve simply stopped caring. You just don’t care about your spiritual growth or about your fellow Christians. And you don’t care about lost people.
Also, you don’t want to worship. When others are engaging in worship and praise, your arms are folded. In fact, you’re even judgmental and sort of look down on them.
Another sign of a hardened heart is that you’re always critical. Some people think they have the spiritual gift of criticism: “This is wrong here, and that is wrong there.” They’re always critical. They see the bad but never the good. That isn’t a spiritual gift; that’s a sign of a hardened heart.
Christians who have hardened hearts can’t remember the last time they brought anyone to church. And when someone becomes a Christian, they think, “Who cares?” It doesn’t affect them at all.
But God cares about lost people. And let’s remember that we once were lost people as well.
We want to keep a tender heart. As Billy Graham used to say, Christ can re-sensitize your conscience, and he can soften your heart. But, it requires you to be open, accessible and willing to accept the changes he will do in your life.
The Bible warns us in Hebrews, “Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God” (3:12 NLT).
Don’t harden your heart. If you resist the things of this world that serve to turn us away from God, to harden our hearts making us think we can do anything and everything on our own, if we turn away from that mindset… then God will strengthen you in your decision to turn to him.
In contrast to the hardened heart of Pharaoh, iron had entered the heart of Moses. He was full of faith and courage. And where did Moses find that strength? The Bible gives us this insight: “It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27 NLT).
In other words, Moses looked to the Lord, “on the one who is invisible.” That’s what kept him going. And that’s what will keep us going as well.
