{"id":1416,"date":"2020-04-13T08:00:18","date_gmt":"2020-04-13T12:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lardinais.gtmproject.com\/?p=1416"},"modified":"2020-03-30T12:12:55","modified_gmt":"2020-03-30T16:12:55","slug":"st-hard-hearts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hannahscupboard.com\/st-hard-hearts\/","title":{"rendered":"Does God Harden Hearts?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Question<\/b><\/p>\n

In Deuteronomy 2, King Sihon\u2019s spirit was hardened by the Lord. God also hardened Pharaoh\u2019s heart. Why does he harden the spirit or heart?<\/p>\n

— FM from Searcy, Arkansas<\/p>\n

\n
\n
The Answer<\/b>
\n<\/span>Part 1: Inevitable Result
\nPart 2: New Testament Hardening<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

Inevitable Result (Part 1)<\/h2>\n

It doesn\u2019t seem right does it? It seems to contradict what we know about God\u2019s mercy and love \u2013 even God\u2019s perfect justice. If he hardens someone\u2019s heart then are they really responsible for their wrongdoing?<\/p>\n

In the case of Sihon, he was the Amorite king of the city of Heshbon. The Israelites had entered the wilderness and were seeking passage through the land. It is interesting to note that God told them not to provoke or harass two others peoples: \u201cthe sons of Esau who live in Seir\u2026because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession\u201d and Moab \u201cbecause I have given Ar to the sons of Lot as a possession.\u201d<\/strong> (Deuteronomy 2:5 & 9)<\/p>\n

But for Sihon and the Amorite people he represented, God was ready to settle a score. You see, the Amorites were hardly blameless before God. They were already a hardened and rebellious people and God had actually let them alone for hundreds of years. They had plenty of time to repent.<\/p>\n

In fact, the Lord told Abraham long before what was going to happen to the Amorites. \u201c\u2019Then in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity<\/em> of the Amorite is not yet complete.\u201d<\/strong> (Genesis 15:16) The truth is that God only completed a hardening of heart that they had already begun themselves through abominations and idol worship. (See 1 Kings 21:26)<\/p>\n

The same can be said of Pharaoh. He repeatedly hardened his own heart. \u201cYet Pharaoh\u2019s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord said.\u201d<\/strong> (Exodus 7:13) This happened several times and finally God finished the job. \u201cAnd the Lord hardened Pharaoh\u2019s heart.\u201d <\/strong>(Exodus 9:12)<\/p>\n

So is God unfair? No way. Actually he is long suffering \u2013 much more so than most of us would likely be.<\/p>\n

\n

New Testament Hardening (Part 2)<\/h2>\n

Hardening of hearts wasn\u2019t only for the Old Testament. We have some instances of it in the New Testament also. While the Israelites observed God use it to their own advantage before, they unfortunately finally experienced it being directed at themselves.<\/p>\n

Paul reveals in Romans 11:25: \u201cFor I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening<\/em> has happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in.\u201d<\/strong> The time will come when this partial hardening will be lifted and then \u201cand thus all Israel will be saved.\u201d<\/strong> (Verse 26)<\/p>\n

Finally, a warning to us all because we are all capable of a hard heart. The root of hardening is not God but ourselves. The good news is that there is a way to avoid going down that path.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called \u2018Today,\u2019 lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin<\/em>.\u201d<\/strong> (Hebrews 3:13) Sin deceives us and consequently causes a hardening. Resisting sin like the plague prevents it and keeps our heart nice and soft, just the way God likes to find it when he peeks in on us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Question In Deuteronomy 2, King Sihon\u2019s spirit was hardened by the Lord. God also hardened Pharaoh\u2019s heart. Why does he harden the spirit or heart? — FM from Searcy, Arkansas The Answer Part 1: Inevitable Result Part 2: New Testament Hardening Inevitable Result (Part 1) It doesn\u2019t seem right does it? It seems to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":380,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[10],"yoast_head":"\nDoes God Harden Hearts? - Hannah's Cupboard<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hannahscupboard.com\/st-hard-hearts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Does God Harden Hearts? - Hannah's Cupboard\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Question In Deuteronomy 2, King Sihon\u2019s spirit was hardened by the Lord. 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