Because his heart was hard, Pharaoh refused to let the people leave, just as the LORD had predicted through Moses. — Exodus 9:35 (NIV)
I just did a quick calculation and if I’m right, my heart has beat more than 3 billion times since I was born. I have a strong heart, a stout heart, a persevering heart.
Even though we know a great deal more about our physiology than our ancestors did, we still talk about our hearts as if they drive our emotions rather than our blood. We say we’re heart-broken, heart-sick, lonely-hearted, faint-hearted. On the other side of the emotional spectrum, we might be strong-hearted, cold-hearted, or even, as in Pharaoh’s case, hard-hearted.
Pharaoh was obstinate. He was stubborn. He was determined not to give in to God’s messenger, Moses. He wouldn’t back down. He was convinced that he could outwit or outlast God.
I’ve been there myself. Maybe you have, too. I’ve doggedly pursued what I wanted while shutting my ears to God’s insistent whispers to stop, turn around, to humble my heart and return to his side. And then, when I repented, I discovered (once again) God’s merciful heart of grace and forgiveness. And in that repentance, as I submitted to God’s correcting work in my life, he has softened my hard heart.
I was curious about that phrase used in Exodus, “his heart was hard” or “he hardened his heart.” The Hebrew word for harden in that instance is châzaq (kaw-zak). It means to be obstinate, to restrain or bind oneself to something and to refuse to waver. We see that quality in Pharaoh, and if we’re honest, we can probably look at moments in the past, or perhaps today, where we have bound ourselves to an attitude or belief or course of action in such a way that we refuse to back down, we refuse to listen to reason.
Interestingly, though, that word châzaq has another meaning, a more hopeful meaning.
“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do.” — Joshua 1:7 (NLT)
To be strong of heart is to be obstinate in a good way, and there in Joshua’s exhortation to the Israelites, as they were about to enter the promised land, is that word, châzaq. In this case, it means determined, committed, faithful in the face of trials and setbacks. It means to bind your heart to God, to hold on to Jesus and never let go.
We all have a spiritual heart condition, whether we recognize it or not. One of the things you’ll notice if you read the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life is that he speaks frequently about the state of the heart. In the Beatitudes, he says “blessed are the pure-hearted.” He warns about our priorities when he says, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” To people looking for an external sign of their inner health he says, “the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” To those wondering what God asks of us he says, “love the Lord your God with all your heart.”
The condition of my heart greatly influences my attitudes about everything I do and everyone I encounter, which is why the work of God begins with our hearts. The one constant in the Bible from beginning to end is that God wants to draw our hearts to him so that he can fill our hearts with love, kindness, joy, peace, forgiveness, humility, all which have the power to transform our attitudes and our relationships to others, which is why David famously prays in the Psalms…
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. — Psalm 51:10 (NIV)
You have a heart condition. Is your heart healthy? Is it sick? Is it troubled? Do you have the feeling you might need the help of a specialist — in particular, the one who created you? If life isn’t working for you, why not step away from whatever you’ve bound yourself to and open your heart to Jesus?
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