Harden Not Your Hearts Hebrews 3:8

The writer of Hebrews used the “faithfulness” of Moses “in his house, as a servant” to demonstrate how this promoted the gospel of Jesus Christ which was to come, and because of this in chapter three and verse eight of Hebrews exhorts his readers, “harden not your hearts” where we read:

Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:

The verse begins, “Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation,...” The writer began with the words, “Harden not” which means “do no make hard, render obstinate and stubborn” “your hearts” which refers to “the reader's center of all physical and spiritual life”, “as in the provocation” which means “the rebellious irritation”. The Hebrew writer referred to a time when the children of Israel “hardened” their “hearts” and “rebelled” against God.

The verse goes on to say, “ ...in the day of temptation in the wilderness:.” The writer continues, “in the day” or “the time period or age” “of temptation” which means “attempt, trial and proving” “in the wilderness” which refers to “the solitary, lonely, desolate and uninhabited desert through which the children of Israel traveled for forty years”. The “time period” the writer used was while Israel “wandered” in the wilderness for forty years after leaving Egypt with Moses.

When we think through these words in Hebrews, we understand the writer's exhortation not to be “stubborn” and “rebellious” like Israel when they wandered in the wilderness. Pride, arrogance, lack of humility, and unwillingness to alter or change is one of the greatest deterrents to people accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. The exhortation here is not to be “hard hearted”, and yet, so many are. Hopefully reading the words of the Hebrew writer and the superiority of Jesus to all things will soften hearts and finish rebellious ways. The grace and salvation of God is readily available for all who will not be as the Israelites who wandered through life in the desert in rebellion.

Next time we see the writer share the Holy Spirit's example, “when your fathers tempted me”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.