What do we think of when we hear the phrase ‘harden heart’? Our impression of a hardened heart is one that is cold and stubborn. Hearts are made of flesh so the phenomenon of a hardened heart is not something normal. What causes a heart to be hardened? We know it’s not because there’s a problem with the word of God or the Holy Spirit. Rather, it is Man who chooses to harden his heart. Sometimes we feel sad when we hear someone say, “This is who I am. Don’t try to change me; accept me for who I am.” It’s not that their unaware of their state but that they’re unwilling.

What can cause a person’s heart to be hardened? We take a look at some Biblical examples.

1. Being ignorant to the word of God
   Mark 8:14-21
   The context of this incident was that Jesus had performed the miracle of feeding 4000 with 7 loaves. The disciples had not taken bread. When Jesus said, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”, the disciples thought that Jesus was rebuking them for not bringing bread. Actually Jesus was warning them of the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod who mixed politics with faith. They had forgotten about Jesus’ miracle with the 5 loaves and 2 fishes to feed 5000, and the recent 7 loaves to feed 4000.

Some people harden their hearts because they don’t understand the word of God. This is why after preaching and explaining to some who do not believe in the Lord, they still cannot accept. They cannot understand the essence of the salvation of God, and hold firm to their beliefs. Not just people not from church but also early members were like that. They prayed in front of a cup of water and then gave it to the sick, believing that praying over it would render the cup of water powers to heal. Miraculously, some people really were healed. They attributed it to the cup of water and questioned how it could not be. But according to the Bible, we know this is wrong. Our faith is built upon the Lord Jesus alone, and not on anything material.

When our understanding is not complete, when we were ignorant, God would likely be merciful toward us. But if we already understand and know, we cannot continue doing the wrong thing.

1. Sin can cause our hearts to harden
   Heb 3:13
   Some people have been hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Sin is like a callous. When we haven’t partaken in any hard labour, our hands would get painful easily. The skin would peel and bleed. But when we continue to partake in hard labour with our hands, a layer of dead skin starts to form on our palms and we feel less pain.

If we continue to sin, our hearts will also be hardened. When we first do something wrong, our hearts will start to rebuke us. For example when we tell a lie, even if it’s a white lie, we go red. Because we know even if it’s a white lie, it’s still wrong. But after we lie a few times, we start to think: “God will have mercy on me. It’s not like I’m doing something evil.”

Over time, we no longer feel guilty when we lie, because our hearts have start to callous. We tell ourselves and make the following excuses: “I’m lying to achieve a greater purpose. I commit this lesser evil to avoid committing a greater evil.”

But as Man continues to sin, he will be blind to things he initially saw as wrong, because his heart has been hardened.

1 Sam 28:8
Saul needed to battle the Philistines, but he was greatly afraid because God had left him and didn’t speak to him anymore. Prophet Samuel had passed away also; he had no one to turn to anymore. At this point of time, he did something he himself forbade earlier (because it was against the law of God); he went to see a medium.

When someone continuously sins, we see he’s willing to do things he was initially against. The problem with Saul was that he always prioritised the voice of man over that of God.

When the people told Saul they wanted to reserve the best of the livestock, Saul heeded their voice instead of listening to what God had commanded. Again, Saul knew he wasn’t allowed to offer sacrifices because he wasn’t a prophet. But when the people were anxious and urged him to offer as the battle was near, he needed their voice.

In these verses we see similarly. Saul had forbade the people to seek mediums, yet he now sought a medium. He would rather heed the voice of an evil spirit instead of humbling himself before God.

A person who keeps sinning will have many callouses on his heart. He starts to feel numb towards it. He drowns deeper and deeper, and goes against God.

1. Because of unbelief
   Psa 95:8
   When the Israelites came to the place Meribah, they had no water. So they started to murmur against Moses. They complained against him, “Have you brought us out of Egypt to kill us?” They were on the verge of stoning Moses.

From this verse, we see the people did this because of unbelief. What did they not believe? They didn’t believe the intentions of God for them were good.

Moses has prayed to God and God made the water sweet in Marah. This incident should’ve been fresh in their heads. But when they reached Meribah, they again doubted whether the intentions of God we’re good.

Of course their journey wasn’t easy. But God did not mean for the journey to be easy. According to what God said at Meribah, God meant to test the people. He wanted them to turn to Him for help. But whenever they met a new problem, they murmured and wanted to stone Moses instead of recalling God’s grace. Because of their unbelief again and again, their hearts became hardened.

Psa 81:7
At every point of time, God tested them. It was His intention that whenever they called out to Him, He would listen and deliver them. But instead of doing that, they doubted God at everything juncture and felt God was out to kill them. Because of their unbelief, God gave them over to their stubborn hearts.

The same thing happened when they arrived in Canaan. When they saw how the people were like giants, they didn’t believe in how God’s good intentions again.

The Israelites were people who were blur; they often tread on the wrong paths. Perhaps some of us get lost often, even when following the GPS.

God has already instructed us in the path we ought to walk in. In the wilderness the Lord used the pillar of fire and cloud to instruct them in the way they should walk. But even though He led them in such a way, they still tread the wrong path.

Will we be such Christians? We wake up to work or go to school daily, but are we aware of where our faith is walking. When we meet with an obstacle, do we murmur, “Why did You lead me here God?”

1 Cor 10:1-4
The spiritual Rock followed Israel. When the people murmured against God in Meribah, God instructed Moses to use his rod to strike the rock. It gave forth water sufficient to fill 2 million people. These verses tell us that rock was Jesus. For our sakes, He was struck that we might drink of that water.

Despite the hardness of our hearts, God still has mercy to give us something to drink. Let’s not take this for granted. Turn back and repent while there’s still the chance. If we continue to not heed and harden our hearts, God will allow it to be hardened. That’s the last reason why our hearts get hardened.

1. God allows our heart to get hardened
   Exo 4:21
   God gave a prophecy that He would harden Pharaoh’s heart. The purpose was to punish Him that the glory of God may be manifest. We may say, “If God wants to harden the hearts of men, what power do we have?” It’s as if we’re saying our hearts are soft and God makes it hard. But that’s not the case. In Exo 4, 7, 8, we see time and again it is Pharaoh who hardens his own heart. Every time when a plague demonstrated the power of God, Pharaoh would repent a bit. But when the plague was withdrawn, Pharaoh would harden his heart and retract his ‘repentance’. It goes to show his heart was already hardened, it’s not God who hardened it. Rather, God allowed him to harden his heart. (Exo 9:12) This was God’s judgement upon Pharaoh. Since he was bent on hardening his heart, God allowed it; God ‘hardened’ his heart.

2 Thess 2:10-11
How is it possible that God sends delusion that people would believe the lie? Shouldn’t He send the truth?

If we read carefully, these people had already forsaken the truth. They rejected the truth so God sent a great delusion. This isn’t someone who seeking sincerely to understand the word of God and then God goes and deludes him. These people REJECT the word of God.

It’s not that God wants them to perish. These people had already rejected the truth of God. So God hardened their hearts and didn’t enable their hearts to be able to see.

We must all be careful. Let’s not think it’s okay if our hearts are a little hardened.

What should we do if we realise our hearts are a bit hardened and not very willing to listen?
Eze 36:26
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”
Let us ask this of God - to give us a heart willing to listen and obey. We ask God to write His law on our hearts and not just on tablets of stone.

The 10 commandments were first written on stone. Some people interpret wrongly that the laws are a set of rules we have to obey. But the purpose of the law is to see the Lord Jesus. So we ask god to write His law on our hearts of flesh. Then we would be able to naturally obey the law of God.

If students studies for the sake of studying and just memorises it, it’s something dead. But if he truly internalises the content, it becomes alive to him.

Heb 3:13
We need brothers and sisters to help us. We may not realise our hearts are hardened. But when brothers and sisters encourage us, it serves as a reminder. Whilst we have the chance, let us not stop in gathering for services and continue to work hard.
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