Laws Publishing

TIME WITH GOD FOR BUSY PEOPLE

JIM LAWS

We have all heard about someone who has hardened his heart. Possibly the most famous person to have done this would be Pharaoh in the Old Testament. In fact in Exodus 5-14 the Bible records exactly 20 times that Pharaoh’s heart was hardened. What does the Bible mean by “hardening” of the heart, and can that condition happen to us? Basically, the heart of the Bible is the mind, and it can be hardened, i.e., to be made “firm”, “hard,” or “stiff.” Thus, it would be correct to say when Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, he had made up his mind! In the Exodus account there are three words used to describe Pharaoh’s heart and all of them are translated as “hardening of the heart” in the English versions. These words express the degree to which Pharaoh “made up his mind.”

The first word literally means “to make insensible.” Pharaoh made up his mind to the extent that he was not going to be touched or moved by anything or anyone. The second word literally means “to make unimpressionable.” When Pharaoh hardened his heart, he made up his mind that nothing was going to make an impression upon him! The third word literally means “to make firm or stiff, so as to be immovable.” When Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, he had made up his mind that nothing or no one was going to change his mind! Therefore, when anyone hardens his heart, he has decided that that he is going to be insensitive, unimpressionable, and immoveable! He is in a state of hard-headedness, prejudice, stubbornness, rebellion, and willful opposition to God and His message.

Examples of this condition are easily found in the Bible. Consider the nation of Israel, which had made up its mind not to listen to God or his messenger. In Ezekial 3:7 they are described as being hard-hearted. Consider the contemporaries of Jesus, who had made up their minds not to heed His teachings. As it says in Mt. 13:15 their hearts had “waxed gross” and had “grown dull.” Also, the Jews, who stoned Stephen in Acts 7:51 had made up their minds to resist the message of the Spirit: they were “stiff-necked” and “uncircumcised” in their hearts. Or consider those men, who were bound and determined to put away their wives, regardless of God’s original plan, and to whom Moses “for the hardness” of their hearts had given stipulations concerning divorce to protect the innocent. (Mark 10:2-5).

We recognize the Bible says that Pharaoh hardened his own heart, before it says that God hardened his heart (Ex. 9:12). God had made a reasonable demand upon Pharaoh (Ex. 5:5) saying, “Let my people go,” and Pharaoh had made up his mind not to heed it! Thus, there was both God’s part and Pharaoh’s part in the hardening process. The demand hardened Pharaoh’s heart, because it was made by the God of heaven and earth, the God Pharaoh neither respected, nor feared. Ultimately, it is within your power to determine the effect God’s demands for your life will have on you. The Hebrew writer said,

“Today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your heart”

(Heb. 3:15).

Obey the voice of our Lord now!

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