The heart is the engine of life. The great Augustine of Hippo once said: “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.”
The heart is a linking point between man and God; which could be broken or hardened. Man, sometimes, allows himself to be the product of his environment and experience, rather than shaping his experience by God’s word, he is taken off balance by life’s challenges. Pope Francis commenting on this nature of man said: “In the face of so many wounds that hurt us and could lead to hardness of heart, we are called to dive into the sea of prayer, which is the sea of the boundless love of God, in order to experience His tenderness.”
The topic before us has two distinct issues: Harden and Heart. The 95th Psalm is one of a series of Psalms, which the Israelites sang together as they went up to the temple in Jerusalem to worship. The series begins with the 93rd Psalm and concludes with the 100th Psalm. Each of these demonstrates and gives exhortation on how to worship. They are not only magnificent poetry, but are also instructions on what worship is and how it should be done.
The Psalm shows there are acts unacceptable by God, which the Israelites exhibited; an act which made them not to enter God’s rest as the people of God. Sin shuts people out of God’s rest. Man through sin is sentenced to continuous labour, but yielding to God through the heart of obedience brings rest and peace. Beneath the surface of this scripture, we must realise that our labour is not forever, God has promised us ‘a rest.’
What Does It Mean To Harden?
Through the scripture ‘Harden’ occurs most frequently in the phrase “to harden the heart,” or “the neck.” This hardening of men’s hearts is attributed both to God and to men themselves, for instance, with reference to the hearts of Pharaoh and the Egyptians; Exodus 4:21: “I will harden his heart,” which means to make strong. And in Exodus 7:13: “And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart,” which means Pharaoh’s heart was made strong;” Exodus 7:22; 8:19; 9:12; 10:20,27 etc.; Exodus 14:17, “I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians,” when you compare this with Joshua 11:20; which is “to be heavy,” “to make hard” (Exodus 7:3); “heavy,” “slow,” “hard,” not easily moved (Exodus 10:1).
When the hardening is attributed to man’s own act as seen in Exodus 8:15: “He hardened his heart, and hearkened not,” Exodus 8:32, “Pharaoh hardened his heart” Exodus 9:7, 34; 1 Samuel 6:6.
The “hardening” of men’s hearts by God is in the way of punishment, but it is always a consequence of their own self-hardening. In Pharaoh’s case we read that “he hardened his heart” against the appeal to free the Israelites; so hardening himself, he became always more confirmed in his obstinacy, till he brought the final doom upon himself and the Egyptian nation. This is how sin is made to become its own punishment. It was not confined to Pharaoh and the Egyptians nor does it belong to the past only. In Job 9:4, the Bible said: “Who hath hardened himself against him, and prospered?”
To “Harden” could also be in the sense of “to fortify one’s self” (make one’s self hard) as seen in Job 6:10 “I would harden myself in sorrow,” (KJV) and the Revised Version (British and American) put it this way: “Let me exult in pain, with a margin” “harden myself”.
In Proverbs 21:29 “harden” has the meaning of “boldness,” “defiance” or “shamelessness” it also mean “to strengthen one’s countenance,” “A wicked man hardeneth his face;” it also mean “stubborn” (Exodus 7:14; 9:7, margin “heavy”); “hardenest” (Isaiah 63:17); “made stiff” (Jeremiah 7:26; 19:15); for “is hardened” (Job 39:16, “dealeth hardly,”.
The Anatomy Of Human Heart
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)
The heart is the most important organ in the body. It is the central pump and powerhouse that circulates blood and provides oxygen and energy to all the cells. It is truly an amazing organ. Your heart beats about 100,000 times per day and about 35 million times per year. The human heart will beat more than 2.5 billion times during an average lifetime! Cardiology is the branch of medicine that deals with diseases and abnormalities of the human heart. In the Bible the heart is mentioned 987 times and almost all of these refer to our spiritual heart. The Great Commandment is to love God with all our hearts (Mat 22:37-38).
Human Heart As Seen In The Bible
1. Has feelings and emotions (Mk 7:21-23; Jn 14:1, 16:6)
2. Has desires, motivations and passions (Mk 7:21-23)
3. Thoughts, imaginations, and intentions (Mat 9:3-4)
4. Reasoning and perception (Mk 2:6-8; Lk 3:15)
5. Attitude and character (Col 3:22)
6. The will (Eph 6:6)
7. Law of God is written there (Rom 2:12-16)
8. The Holy Spirit is there if a person is saved (Rom 5:5, 2 Cor 1:21-22)
9. Has knowledge of God and the desire for eternity (Ecc 3:11; Rom 1:19-21)
Function Of The Heart
The heart is complex and responsible for everything that we do, feel, and say; it is the place of saving faith, conviction and repentance (Acts 2:37, 1John3:18-21). It is through it we receive God’s word (Matt 13:19) and our words originates from the heart (Matt. 12:34-35).
Mirror Of Hardened Heart
When the heart is hardened it commits its will and mind against the claims of God and humanity. It yields to disobedient, self-will, and stubbornness against godly and human government.
The ways men harden their heart is shown as listed:
1. When man rebels and insist on rebellion
2. When man become prejudiced against God
3. When man is prejudiced against the church, the workers and the truth
4. Men harden their hearts through pride
5. Men harden their hearts when they chose to please men rather than God
6. Men harden their hearts through an unwillingness to confess and make restitution where they have wronged their neighbours.
7. Men harden their hearts by yielding to their temper
8. Men harden their heart when they feed their appetite against God’s word
9. Men harden their hearts through the fear of man
10. Men harden their heart in obedience to public sentiment
11. Men harden their hearts by indulging in erroneous views about God and his government
14. Men harden their hearts by withholding confidence in God
15. Men harden their hearts by holding fast to their selfish ambition
Dangers Of A Hardened Heart
1. It is dangerous, because it prevents conversion and conviction.
2. It is dangerous, because it can become a habit that you see nothing wrong with the wrong
3. It is dangerous because it can hinder you from entering God’s rest
4. It will make you an enemy of God and a problem to the governess of God’s Church
Conclusively, if there is a man to avoid and pray for, it is the man with a hardened heart against God.
• The Ven. Stephen Wolemonwu is the Rector, Ibru Ecumenical Centre, Agbarha-Otor
