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Hardening of the Heart
What is “hardening of the heart”?
Exactly 20 times in Exodus, chapters 5-14, it is said that
Pharaoh’s heart was hardened.
What does the Bible mean by this?
The Heart That Is Hardened
• Basically, the heart is the center of man.
– the center of the intellect
– the center of the emotions
– the center of the conscience
– the center of the will.
The Heart That Is Hardened
• Because the heart involves the will, it is self-determined.
• Thus, it would be right to say that when Pharaoh’s heart was
hardened he had made up his mind or will!
Hardening of the Heart
• There are three words used with reference to the hardening of
Pharaoh's heart.
• They express the degree to which Pharaoh had “made up his
mind.”
Hardening of the Heart
• The first means, “To make insensible.”
• Thus, Pharaoh made up his mind, to the extent that he was
not going to be touched or moved by anything or anybody.
• This is the searing of one's conscience.
1 Timothy 4:2
Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter
times some will depart from the faith, giving
heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of
demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their
own conscience seared with a hot iron,
forbidding to marry, and commanding to
abstain from foods which God created to be
received with thanksgiving by those who believe
and know the truth.
Hardening of the Heart
• The second means, “to make unimpressionable.”
• Thus, when Pharaoh hardened his heart, he made up his mind
that nothing was going to make an impression on him!
Hardening of the Heart
• This is the way in which many listen to sermons:
“I'll listen, but nothing he says will make any impression
on me.”
“He can preach until he's blue in the face and not even
phase me!”
Hardening of the Heart
• The third means, “to make firm or stiff so as to be
immoveable.”
• Thus, when Pharaoh's heart was hardened, he made up his
mind that nothing or nobody was going to change his will!
Hardening of the Heart
• Thus, when a man hardens his heart, he decides (makes up
his mind) that he is going to be insensible, unimpressionable
and immoveable!
Hardening of the Heart
• He is in a state of hard-heartedness, prejudice, stubbornness,
rebellion, and willful opposition to God and God’s message.
OTHER HARDENED HEARTS
• Men were bound and determined (they had made up their
minds) that they were going to put away their wives
regardless of God's original plan.
OTHER HARDENED HEARTS
• Because of their hardness of heart, Moses gave stipulations
concerning divorce to protect the innocent!
Mark 10:2-5
The Pharisees came and asked Him, "Is it
lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" testing
Him. And He answered and said to them,
"What did Moses command you?" They said,
"Moses permitted a man to write a certificate
of divorce, and to dismiss her." And Jesus
answered and said to them, "Because of the
hardness of your heart he wrote you this
precept."
OTHER HARDENED HEARTS
• The house of Israel had made up its collective mind that they
were not going to listen to God or his messenger.
• they were hard-hearted!
Ezekiel 3:4-6
Then He said to me: "Son of man, go to the
house of Israel and speak with My words to
them. For you are not sent to a people of
unfamiliar speech and of hard language, but to
the house of Israel, not to many people of
unfamiliar speech and of hard language, whose
words you cannot understand. Surely, had I
sent you to them, they would have listened to
you.
Ezekiel 3:7
"But the house of Israel will not listen to you,
because they will not listen to Me; for all the
house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted."
Conclusion
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Don’t harden your heart!
Soften it!
Be receptive to the word of God.
Allow it to change your heart.