Hardened

I’m going to step out on a limb and assume that all of you believe that people are capable of hardening their hearts toward God. Am I right? You know in your knower, don’t you, that folks are able to rebel against their Maker. You know it in part, because you sense in your own heart a tendency to throw off divine constraint.

Only constant vigilance and God’s help keeps me from wandering off into a life of sin. And quite frankly, I’m pretty sure it’s 99% God’s help that keeps me from wickedness. My vigilance is only as good as the power behind it, the Holy Spirit within me. So maybe – no, make that probably – no, make that definitely, it’s 100% God’s doing. I am only able to live a godly life, a life that brings glory to God, because of his mercy.

You understand what I’m saying don’t you? You know it to be true of yourself? But for the grace of God, you’d be a mess. We’re all in the same boat...the same sinking boat.

So, you agree with me, right? People are most definitely capable of hardening their hearts against God.

Now, I don’t know what to assume on my next point. I’m guessing we’ll have less consensus. Many have never considered this point of doctrine and rebel against it the first time they hear it. They just don’t like the feel of it. Others knock it because they think it does away with man’s free will. They want to be more in charge of their destiny. A few actually agree with it and can’t understand why others don’t. They sometimes judge others as spiritually ignorant.

Curious, aren't you? I’m going to make you wait. I’ll ask the question after we've taken a look at a story from the Old Testament.

Pharaoh, king of Egypt, was a stubborn man. You can see it from the moment Moses and Aaron arrive in his throne room with God’s message. "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Let my people go...’"

The king sniffs his disdain. "Who is the Lord, that I should obey him? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go."

Immediately following this first encounter, Pharaoh makes his slaves’ labor harder, ordering them to get their own straw for brick-making while demanding the same quota. When the foremen complain, the king is unbending. "Lazy, that’s what you are – lazy!" he says. "Now get to work!"

Moses is not the most popular fellow after this. All he’s done in coming back to Egypt is stir up trouble. The people are not happy. But God has a plan. He is concerned for his people. He remembers his promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He is ready to release their descendants from bondage and give them the land he had promised.

God is always faithful to his word. Never forget that. Always faithful.

So Moses and Aaron go back to the king. Aaron throws down his staff and it becomes a snake. Pretty impressive. But the magicians in Pharaoh’s court do the same thing by their secret arts. They throw down their staffs. Snakes everywhere! Aaron’s snake swallows up all the rest. But Pharaoh’s heart hardens – he won’t listen to God.

See? Just as we all thought. People can harden their hearts.

The next morning, Moses and Aaron meet the king on the banks of the Nile. "Let my people go," they shout, giving the ruler a piece of God’s mind. Then they strike the river and it turns to blood. The people can't find clean water to drink. The fish in the water die. The whole country stinks.

I don’t know how, but the Egyptian magicians come through again. They duplicate this plague. The king’s heart hardens more.

A week later, God sends his two-some to the king again. "Let my people go!" His command has not changed. He is not in the least fickle. "If you refuse," God warns, "I will fill your land with frogs. They’ll inundate your palace. They’ll jump on your bed. The whole place will be hopping."
Okay, that was a bit of a paraphrase, but you get the idea. I can see the king smiling a "do-your-worst" grin. He has no intention of giving in. His heart is granite.

So Aaron stretches out his hand over the land and the amphibious assault begins. (I’ll wait while you get the joke.)

Crazy thing. The Egyptians duplicate this one, too, compounding the problem. There are already too many frogs and they conjure up more. Makes me laugh every time I read it.

So there are frogs everywhere. Pharaoh is tired of them. He calls Moses and Aaron. "Pray to the Lord," he pleads. "Tell him to take away the frogs. I’ll let your people go."

Moses and Aaron pray. The frogs all die. The people pile them in heaps. The land reeks again. So does Pharaoh’s attitude. It changes. He gets the relief he wants and he hardens his heart. There’s a pattern here. You’re catching it right?

Gnats are next. Aaron strikes the ground with his staff and the dust everywhere in the land turns into the pesky pests. The Egyptian magicians meet their match on this one. They can't make more gnats appear. They warn Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God," but he refuses to listen.

Why won't he listen? You know why. Pharaoh’s heart is hard.

The Lord sends flies on the land. Swarms of flies pour into the king’s palace and into the homes of his officials. The land is ruined by them. But not one fly buzzes in Goshen, the land where Israel lives. God is showing his power.

Pharaoh calls Moses and Aaron in again. "Go," he says. "Sacrifice to the Lord here in the land."
"Won’t work," the brothers say.

"Okay," Pharaoh responds, "go to the desert. Just pray for me."

Who wants to guess what happens next? Moses and Aaron call on God. The flies leave. Not one fly remains. Pharaoh hardens his heart.

God’s call comes to the man again. "Let my people go so that they may worship me. If you refuse, your livestock are history. All your horses and donkeys and camels and cattle and sheep and goats are going to die."

It happens just as the Lord warned. And again, God makes a distinction between the people of Egypt and his chosen ones. Not one cow dies in Israel’s corrals. Not one sheep. Not one goat. Not a single animal.

Pharaoh gets the report, but his heart is unyielding.

Let’s stop for a second. We’re five plagues in. Blood. Frogs. Gnats. Flies. Livestock. Pharaoh continually hardens his heart. Take a look at these verses from Exodus 7, 8 and 9 – 7:22, 8:15, 8:19, 8:32 and 9:7. I've hinted at all these before, but I want you to see them word-for-word before we go on to plague six. Take a moment to read what God’s word says.

Let’s get back to the story. I’m going to give this one to you just as the Bible has it.

"Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Take handfuls of soot from a furnace and have Moses toss it into the air in the presence of Pharaoh. It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on men and animals throughout the land.’

"So they took soot from a furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on men and animals. The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them and on all the Egyptians.

"But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said to Moses." (Exodus 9:8-12, NIV)

Did you catch the difference here? Every other time Pharaoh hardened his heart toward God. It says it time and time again. You just read the verses.

Now it says, and I quote, "...the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart..."

That, my friends, is a frightening statement. It startles me. What about you?

We’re about ready for my second question now, but let me read a few more verses. God sends hail on the land. It beats down all the plants. Strips the trees of their leaves. 9:34, "When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he sinned again: he and his officials hardened their hearts." That’s the last time you’re going to see that phrase. God sends locusts. They devour what little vegetation the hail left. 10:20, "But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go." God turns out the lights. Darkness that can be felt falls on all the land of Egypt. 10:27, "But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was not willing to let them go." One more verse, though there are more. As God predicts the plague of the firstborn males, the Bible says this. 11:10, "Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go out of his country."

Now we’re ready for my second question. You remember the first? Are people capable of hardening their hearts toward God? We all agreed on that one. Yes, they can.

Now let me ask you this: Is God capable of hardening the hearts of men toward himself? If you've been awake as you've read for the past six or seven minutes, you know the answer to that one. Dare I say it? God can and does harden the hearts of men toward himself.

That’s tough to stomach, isn't it? It disturbs me. Except for my complete devotion to God and his word, I’d be tempted to ignore this awful truth, bury it. I don’t want to know that God has that kind of power. I want to maintain my belief that I’m in control. "Free will!" I scream. "What about free will? I’m not just a puppet!"

That’s actually true. I can say, "God can harden men’s hearts," and, "Man has free will," in the same breath.

Pharaoh exercised his free will. Five times God called him to obedience. Five times Pharaoh chose to ignore God.

Do not accuse God of capriciousness. He is anything but inconsistent. "He is patient with you," 1 Peter 3:9 says, "not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."

Pharaoh benefited from God’s mercy for a time. God was patient with him. Only after he refused his command repeatedly did God step in and harden the man’s heart.

Now, let’s talk personal application. You and I have the same free will Pharaoh did. When God gives you a command, you have a choice. You can obey or not obey. You can listen or not listen. You can soften your heart or harden it. So, listen to me. If God has told you to do something, do not refuse him. Listen and obey. Keep your heart soft toward God. This will ward off his awful hardening. If you do not harden your heart, he will not harden it for you. He will instead, show mercy.

This applies to the matter of salvation and to every other matter of obedience following it. If you believe, you will find mercy and forgiveness. If you refuse to believe, you will find hardness of heart. You will be condemned. If you choose to obey God, you will find mercy and help. If you refuse to obey, you will find hardness of heart. You will be condemned.

How is your heart? Is it soft toward God? Are you listening to his voice? How quick are you to obey?

And then there’s this further application. Let’s say you see someone with a hard heart toward God. A friend who expresses hatred toward God and will not believe. An acquaintance whose pattern of sin is obvious.

Can you tell whether they’re the ones doing the hardening? Can you tell when God has taken over? You can’t, can you?

So here’s what you do when you see hardness overtaking a friend. Pray for them! Pray for them like there’s no tomorrow. Pray that God would have mercy on them. Pray that God would give them the strength and will to soften their heart toward him.

Can you do that? Can you keep praying until God says stop? Until you’re sure it’s God’s hardening work in their heart?

Friends, listen to me. God is merciful. He will not condemn those who believe on Jesus. "Whoever believes in him is not condemned..." (John 3:18a, NIV)

But God is just also. He will condemn those who refuse him. "...whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son." (John 3:18b, NIV)

Romans 9:18 says, "God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden."

That’s true in God’s relationship with you. So repent. Allow him to choose mercy toward you. It’s true of God’s relationship with all those you know and love. So pray. Ask him to choose mercy toward your friends.

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