{"id":13921,"date":"2026-01-29T07:49:01","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T12:49:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/?post_type=oyb&p=13921"},"modified":"2026-01-29T07:49:02","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T12:49:02","slug":"what-leads-to-a-hardened-heart","status":"publish","type":"oyb","link":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/oyb\/what-leads-to-a-hardened-heart","title":{"rendered":"WHAT LEADS TO A HARDENED HEART?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\u201cSo the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people of Israel go, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses\u201d (Exodus 9:35 ESV).<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

By the time we reach this verse, Pharaoh had seen plague after plague and still refused to let God\u2019s people go. Moses recorded that \u201cPharaoh\u2019s heart was hardened.\u201d That simple, passive summary carries deep meaning. Throughout the story, Pharaoh had repeatedly hardened his own heart. He heard God\u2019s command. He saw God\u2019s power. Yet he kept saying no. Now we see the progression: God confirmed Pharaoh in the stubbornness he had already chosen. This was not God hardening a soft or willing heart. It was a judicial act, much like Romans 1 where God \u201cgave them over.\u201d Pharaoh resisted so long that God allowed his rebellion to be set like stone. At the same time, this happened \u201cjust as the LORD had spoken,\u201d reminding Israel that God was still sovereign. Even Pharaoh\u2019s refusal did not frustrate God\u2019s plan. One scholar compared it this way: the same sun that melts wax hardens clay. The difference is not in the sun, but in the substance it shines upon. God\u2019s revelation softens some hearts, but Pharaoh\u2019s heart only grew harder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hebrews 3:15 warns us, \u201cToday, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.\u201d Pharaoh\u2019s story shows us how a heart becomes hard. It rarely happens in a single moment. It happens layer by layer, every time we say no to God\u2019s Word or ignore the prompting of His Spirit. The more we resist, the less sensitive we become. We must respond quickly and humbly when God speaks. We must confess sin instead of excusing it, obey promptly instead of delaying, and stay tender before the Lord. Otherwise, we drift toward the very condition we fear. What leads to a hardened heart? Saying no to God again and again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PRAYER<\/strong>: Dear Father, keep our hearts soft and responsive to You. Help us to recognize Your voice and obey without delay. Convict us quickly when we resist You, and give us humble, willing spirits. Do not let us grow calloused through repeated disobedience. Make us tender to Your Word and sensitive to Your Spirit. In Jesus\u2019 name, amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cSo the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people of Israel go, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses\u201d (Exodus 9:35 ESV). By the time we reach this verse, Pharaoh had seen plague after plague and still refused to let God\u2019s people go. Moses recorded that \u201cPharaoh\u2019s heart was<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"scripture-book":[1269],"scripture-chapter":[1342],"oyb_day":[1555],"location":[],"class_list":["post-13921","oyb","type-oyb","status-publish","hentry","scripture-book-exodus","scripture-chapter-1342","oyb_day-january-29"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb\/13921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/oyb"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13921"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-book","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-book?post=13921"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-chapter","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-chapter?post=13921"},{"taxonomy":"oyb_day","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb_day?post=13921"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=13921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}