Proverbs 28:14 says, “Happy is the man who is always reverent, But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.” A hardened heart has turned away from God. It is a willful decision and the only way it can be corrected is with a willful decision to turn back to God.
A good example of a hardened heart is Pharaoh. In Exodus 5:1-2, Pharaoh began with a heart opposed to God. With each plague, Pharaoh made a choice to further harden his heart. Although the Bible says that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart (Exodus 7:13; 9:12; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10; 14:8), Pharaoh was the one who decided to reject God’s will. Each plague from God gave him the opportunity of softening or hardening his heart, but he rejected the opportunity.
After the Israelites were delivered, they hardened their heart (1 Samuel 6:6; Psalm 95:7-11; Jeremiah 7:25-26). The Hebrew writer detailed the process (3:1-4:16). Paul said the same was true of Israel in reacting to Christ (Romans 11:7-12). The solution to the hardened heart is in Hebrews 4:12-13. The Bible is designed to make us compare ourselves against the truth. A similar thought is found in Acts 2:47, where when those at Pentecost were faced with their sin, they repented and obeyed, and were saved. The same sun that softens wax, hardens clay. What will be your response to truth? Will you harden your heart?
Kyle Campbell
