Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith,
Today if ye will hear His voice,
harden not your hearts, as in the day
of redemption in the wilderness:
when your fathers tempted me,
proved me, and saw my works
forty years. Wherefore I was grieved
with that generation, and said, they
do alway err in their heart; and they
have not known My ways. So I swore
in My wrath, they shall not enter
into my rest).
Hebrews 3:7-11
This question by the Holy Spirit is a question for us today: "Will you hear His voice?" Will you hear the voice of God? This hearing the voice of God is not what some who attend Churches and preaching of some new revelation spoken to someone, no, it is hearing the words of God as found in Scripture. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17) and not by some supposed revelation that cannot be be examined or proved. Hearing is an active work and to not hear is also an active exercise. To not purposely hear is to become apathetic or to follow what you want to hear, to listen to someone who tickles the ears making a person feel as though they have heard the Spirit of God. The Greek word for "if" is subjunctive, that is you might hear and you might not, and the choice is yours to hear or not to hear; but if you do not hear then you will harden your heart. To harden your heart is to purposely avoid hearing for whatever reason you assert and to harden your heart is to be far from Spiritual health. The Greek word for harden is where we get the English word "sclerotic" as in sclerosis of the arteries, and even in muscle tissue. Sclerosis of the muscles occurs from lack of exercise, or movement as in a stroke victim where their arms or legs, or both over time due to lack of movement become sclerotic. This sclerosis is a change in the muscle tissue and that change is where this tissue becomes fibrous tissue as in multiple sclerosis. Sclerosis can occur when the adrenal glands due to stress exude adrenaline, and cortisol, causing two problems: the adrenaline over time will harden the wall of the arteries, and in time the body will no longer be affected by the over stimulation of cortisol. Both adrenaline and cortisol are important for our life and when kept in control produce health, but is overuse or non-use that life becomes unhealthful.
The Greek word translated provocation has the meaning of making something bitter, to be amiss, to be from something causing provocation. Provocation is to be provoked, or something that provokes, by inciting, or by some instigation, to be angered, or irritated. The example being used by the writer of Hebrews is to show that the Hebrews after being led out of Egypt became angry, and incited, to become bitter as they traversed the desert and could not see where they were going or why they had to have such a hard time to get to wherever they were going. The Hebrews were so bitter over this that they were now tempted to go back to Egypt a place where they, even though persecuted badly seemed better than their present condition. The English word "proved" means to be as in the Greek word, to test, and this test an experience that was testing their character, their will caused them to question the validity of why they had left Egypt in the first place. This testing was whether or not this flee from Egypt was of God or was just of man. This grieved God and by their provocation that led them to no longer trust in God, God then allowed them to travel in the desert forty years. The old people died, and only the young were allowed to enter into the land where God was leading. Those who provoked God to this anger never entered into His rest.
Are you allowing your heart to be hardened, to become sclerotic? Are you questioning God and see only the good times of the past, those times when you were not concerned with what is right before God, those times where you were happy even in your sins. Are you allowing apathy, a lack of exercising your faith, and Authentic Christian Faith so that your heart becomes so hard that you turn away from the truth? Are you turning to some sort of prescription that is not proven to be of God but makes you feel as though you are spiritually healthy, that you are doing what God sees as of His will? The writer of Hebrews continues: "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God" (Hebrews 3:12). This hardening of heart is to allow the heart you to become an unbeliever, one looking for truth, but as the song goes: "looking for love (truth) in all the wrong places."
To not allow laziness, apathy, or to be looking for "truth" in wrong places is to remain in a right relationship with Jesus Christ. This right relationship only remain healthful if you stand firm for what God inspired men to write and that inspiration is found in God word, the Bible. If you do not believe that then you are hardening your heart against God who has revealed Himself and what He requires of His children. If this hardening occurs then you will not enter into His rest. Yes, the road of truth is hard, filled with many trials, but, and this is important, we have the Holy Spirit to guide us if we choose, (the "if" that is subjunctive, to choose one way or the other), the right path and walk, exercise faith, in the path that God has ordained for you to walk. Proved today who you will serve, God or man!
The slothful man roasted not
that which he took in hunting:
but the substance of a diligent man
is precious.
Proverbs 12:27
Do not allow sclerosis
Richard L. Crumb
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