Hardened Hearts

In yesterday’s offering, we listened to Ezekiel, God’s prophet, speak these words to God’s people. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36: 26. It is from this text that we hear from the mouth of God Himself, that the heart of His people was stony, and He needed to change such a heart. It is from this text also, we deduce that a stony heart is a hardened heart.

Paul, in speaking to the believers, those who have given their hearts to Jesus, says that they are not to walk as the people of the world walk. They walk, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their hearts. Ephesians 4: 18. It means that if we are no longer living, Christ Jesus, the Way, we are in utter Spiritual darkness, with ever hardening hearts.

Do you recall what Jesus’ response was to His disciples, who asked Him why He spoke to the people in parables? In explaining it all to them, He clearly stated that He chose to speak in parables, because seeing they don’t see, and hearing they don’t hear, neither do they understand. Then Jesus went on to show that in these non-seeing and non-hearing people, prophecy is fulfilled. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive: for the heart of this people has grown dull. Matthew 13: 14 – 15a.  Jesus has seen and has shown, by His very teaching and speaking, that hearts are growing dull, or hard.

Jesus is dead serious about the heart being hardened, for He knows that, he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity. Proverbs 28:14b. Listen carefully to Jesus’ stinging, wake-up words to His own beloved Twelve, when He spoke to them, warning them to take heed and beware of the leaven of Herod and the Pharisees. Obviously, they had not a clue about what their Master’s words meant and proceeded to reason among themselves, most ignorantly and erroneously.

Jesus, aware of their folly, did not spare the rod of correction in the least. In fact, He let it loose with some tough love. Will you hear the words of Jesus to His beloved disciples, with hearing ears of understanding? But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? Mark 8: 17 – 18. Jesus wants not one of us to entertain, accommodate or take on the character of a hardened heart.

We are strongly warned to be faithful. Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness. Hebrews 3: 7 - 8. Trials and testing can cause unbelief, and cumulative doubting, a sure recipe for hearts to grow hard.

As we continue to be made more aware of the heart, specifically the hardened heart, keep ever in the forefront of your mind that all who will worship Jehovah, must worship Him with all our heart. By faith, we believe and accept that true and proper worship, is heart worship. This is our reasonable service, in light of our Lord’s generous, unfailing, ever-quickening mercies to us. If the heart is the centre, the core of the matter, then a heart that is dull, deceived and in the ignorance of darkness, will never be able to worship God in Spirit and in Truth. Additionally, such a heart won’t and can’t understand others, who revere and respect Father God as LORD and want to worship Him as He worships with them. Our final two days are super exciting and super frightening as we examine a hardened heart.

Holy Spirit take each heart, that feeds in this offering and cleanse and wash and make all new, for Jesus’ sake. Amen!