One of the memorable details in the Exodus is Pharaoh hardening his heart. Despite the miracles, the plagues, the pronouncements of Moses, he persisted, and the end result was God’s judgment on him and his nation. Pharaoh wasn’t the only one with a hard heart. Israel soon developed one in the wilderness. In the Old Testament and New Testament, we are warned not to harden our hearts. Of course, we would never … It doesn’t happen overnight though. It starts with an action or an attitude and before we know it, we are cold and indifferent to God and His word. Over the next six posts, we’ll consider some cautionary signposts that mean we are on the road to a heart hardened toward God. We’ll start our discussion with disobedience.
What is disobedience?
It is an act of will. It is a refusal to follow, a refusal to acquiesce to God’s will. It is rebellion. And we are guilty. We know what God expects of us. We know the words Jesus. We know Paul’s exposition on those commands. And we choose not to do them. We can construct a host of excuses, explanations, and justifications, but we are disobedient children.
The first example of hardness
In Genesis 3, we read about Adam’s first sin. We also see in just a few moments how that sin introduced a hardness in his heart that damaged his relationship with God. In verse 10, Adam says, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” What had previously been an invitation to intimate communion with God now touched off a need to hide. Fear and shame overcame the love Adam had for God. And we are no different. When we disobey, we introduce distance into our relationship with God. We don’t want to see Him. We don’t want to hear from Him. We don’t even want to be around His people. We have a hardened heart.
How do we soften a heart hardened by disobedience?
Recognize that your heart is hardened. We have to understand we have a problem before we can take any measure to fix it. (1 John 1:9)
Repent. This is not simply feeling sorry for doing wrong. It must include a course correction. Our lives must change and there should evidence of it. (Acts 26:20)
Renew your relationship with God. The wonder in all of this is that God’s heart remains tender toward us. James gives us a model for restoring the relationship from our end.
Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
James 4:7-8
- Submission (that is, obey God)
- Resistance (resist the temptation to disobey)
- Draw near (it’s harder to disobey when we are in close communion with God)
- Cleanse your hands (make sure our actions reflect our commitment to God)
- Purify your hearts (Do all we can, but make room for the Holy Spirit to direct the operation)
Adam’s hardness happened quickly. Our hearts harden just as quickly, but then they continue to callous over time. The longer we let it go, the more difficult and even painful it can be to soften it again. Disobedience is not the only thing that can cause hardness. Next week, we’ll look at something else that can harden our hearts toward God.