“Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, and saw My works” (Hebrews 3:7-9 HCSB).
Even after God delivered the people of Old Testament Israel from their Egyptian taskmasters, provided for their physical and material needs throughout their wilderness journey, and promised to establish them within a land that was “…flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 3:8), here is how the people of that era chose to respond…
“…But our ancestors acted arrogantly. They were stubborn and wouldn’t obey your commandments. They refused to obey, and didn’t remember the wonders that you accomplished in their midst. They acted arrogantly and decided to return to their slavery in Egypt….” (Nehemiah 9:16-17 CEB).
So, according to Hebrews 3:7-9, it is important to avoid hardening oneself in a similar manner each day. This brings us to the idea of “hardening our hearts” as found in the passage quoted above.
This word “heart” is represented by the word kardia in the original language of this passage. It also forms the basis for our modern-day word “cardiac.” Kardia refers to our innermost being in a physical, spiritual, or emotional sense. Much like the compacted soil of a pathway or an impenetrable piece of sunbaked clay, a spiritually indifferent person may reach a point where he or she becomes hardened to the things of God.
One source illustrates this danger with the following observation: “People’s hearts are hardened by continuing in sin, procrastination, and by the gradual atrophy of spiritual perception brought on by the practice of disobedience. People may go a little at a time, further and further into sin, until finally they become hardened and confirmed in their rebellion against God.” (1)
That mindset will inevitably lead to the same kind of fate experienced by the ancient Israelites. As the Old Testament book of Proverbs reminds us, “Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity” (Proverbs 28:14 ESV). If we fail to give heed to that counsel, “God furnishes no guarantee that He will disabuse sinners of error if they really prefer error to the truth.” (2)
Fortunately, the following chapter of Hebrews will remind us that nothing can insulate the human heart from the penetrating effect of God’s Word (Hebrews 4:12). Therefore, we should be diligent to anchor our relationship with Christ through prayer, reading the Scriptures daily, and worshiping regularly with the people of God (see Acts 2:42).
(1) Coffman, James Burton. “Commentary on Hebrews 3”. “Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible”. https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/bcc/hebrews-3.html. Abilene Christian University Press, Abilene, Texas, USA. 1983-1999.
(2) Archer, G. L. (1982). New International Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties (p. 410). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.