What does it mean to have your heart hardened? Can Adonai make our hearts hard or soft? This week's Torah Portion, Bo בֹּא (Come), suggests that He can. In fact, the scriptures found in this week's lesson flat out tell us that:
"Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these signs of mine among them,'" Exodus 10:1
This beckons the next question: How can Pharaoh be judged for an action he is being manipulated to do? This is a fair question and line of thinking. If the Almighty can harden our hearts to accomplish His will, how can the person involved be expected to be judged for their actions? This paradox causes many people's faith to waver, and without further understanding, it is a reasonable response. It seems unfair and cruel for Adonai to "make" Pharaoh act in a way that will end up in his downfall and eventual death. To better understand this we can look at our present realities. We see people whose minds are so insensitive to God that they lose any sense of danger and lack care about the consequences of their lifestyle actions. This behavior is becoming more and more prevalent in modern society. Today we see young people perform heinous acts of sexual immorality without an ounce of shame. We see hatred and violence everywhere and the consequences becoming less and less aggressive under the guise of understanding, love, and acceptance. The scriptures warn us that living without believing in the Creator can lead us to a life of depravity:
"Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen." Romans 1:24-25 (read the entire chapter for context)
All Gentiles or people who have not surrendered to Yeshua (Jesus) already have a heart of stone. This lack of knowledge about God and his Torah keeps their minds numb to sin. Therefore we are warned to not live like they do because we run the risk of becoming equally callous to disobedience to Adonai:
"So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed." Ephesians 4:17-21
There is a sickness in the world since the fall of Adam and Eve, and this sickness causes the heart to harden over time. They make sin trivial because of the lack of belief in the LORD. Consequently, they perform these actions as if they are completely normal. Adonai knew this and has sent us the remedy. The cure for a heart of stone is Yeshua.
"I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws." Ezekiel 36:25-27
Every single human being has a heart that is made of stone and needs the redeeming blood of Yeshua to overcome its natural inclination to sin. We see the solution revealed in the prophetic verses of Ezekiel I shared above. First Adonai will cleanse them (Gentiles) with "water" (water is a symbol for Torah, His Word - see Ephesians 5:26). Then He will transform them into new creatures (one with a heart of flesh - see 2 Corinthians 5:17). Lastly, He will put His Holy Spirit in them so that they may continue to be sensitive to sinful behavior, understand His Word, and live righteously (see Romans 8:11). I say "they" or "them" because this redemption has already transformed me and my target audience (believers in Christ). I too experienced and lived with a heart of stone before I surrendered to Christ.
The redemptive work of the cross fulfilled Ezekiel's prophecy and will cause all who believe to receive a new heart of flesh. A new nature that is contrary to humanity's natural desires. A heart that is hyper-sensitive to sin and a heart that wants to align with the will of Adonai. Now that we understand this, let's go back to the original question: Can Adonai harden our hearts? Once again the answer is yes, but our focus should shift towards the why and how. Why did Pharaoh's heart harden and how did God accomplish it? Let me give you a proverb that will help you better understand this phenomenon:
"The same sun that melts butter also hardens clay." Charles Spurgeon circa 1900
The scriptures reveal that everyone's heart without Yeshua or knowledge of the Living God is made of stone. A stone that is hardened over time due to life's hardships and the desire to sin (do what is contrary to His Torah). In the sermon Spurgeon uses this proverb he goes on to explain that the sun represents Adonai. It is immutable, constant, and powerful, and allows life to exist on earth by sustaining it. The sun doesn't discriminate nor does it change for anything or anyone. The interaction between the sun and other elements doesn't make the sun unfair or evil. Every element exposed to the sun will react in different ways according to its makeup. In the illustration, the butter is anyone who has received the Spirit of Adonai and has been transformed into a new creature. The clay represents everyone else. Exposure to Adonai's message, attributes, or challenges will cause a proud heart to harden and a humble heart to melt. That is exactly what happened with Pharaoh. God knew that as soon as Moses made demands on behalf of Adonai it would cause Pharaoh's heart to harden. God knew the elements that ruled Pharaoh's life. He knew Pharaoh was proud and that he believed to be a deity himself. He knew that surrendering to a subservient person (Moses) would be nearly impossible for Pharaoh to accept.
The reality is that Adonai did the same thing He does to every human being. He revealed Himself. Adonai does the same to all of us and we choose how we respond. We have the free will to either accept or reject Him. Many people, unfortunately, harden their hearts when exposed to Yeshua and God's plan of salvation. My plead to anyone who reads this blog is that you do not harden your heart and receive Yeshua into your heart. A plea He also makes in Revelation 3 verse 20:
"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come into him and will sup with him, and he with me." Revelation 3:20
"As has just been said: 'Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.'" Hebrews 3:15 quoting Psalm 95:7-8
Let's begin our week with thanksgiving and joy. For all who have received Him, rejoice. Guard your hearts above all and do not let it be hardened again by smothering the Spirit because of evil desires. Do not allow life's hardships and disappointment to become a stumbling block, Pray and help one another as we sojourn in this temporary world. We need each other to overcome and remain victorious until Christ's imminent return. Please let me know if I can help you in any way to walk forward and reach the end of our walk. Shalom Ve'Shavuah Tov my beloved family.
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