What does "gave them up to their stubborn hearts" reveal about human free will? Setting the Scene Psalm 81:12: “So I gave them up to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.” The verse sits in a psalm where God recalls His deliverance of Israel, laments their refusal to listen, and describes the consequence: He releases them to the path they insist on walking. The Meaning of “Gave Them Up” • “Gave them up” is judicial, not apathetic. • It pictures God removing protective restraints and allowing people to experience the outcome of their chosen rebellion. • The action is deliberate—God’s sovereign choice to honor the human choice. • It is not God inducing evil but permitting the sinner’s own desires to run their full course. What We Learn About Human Free Will • Free will is real and respected. God does not coerce obedience; He invites and warns. • Our wills can become “stubborn”—hardened, entrenched, resistant to God’s voice. • When we persistently reject God, He may confirm our decision by letting us have what we want, showing that our freedom carries genuine consequences. • Freedom is therefore two-edged: the ability to choose God’s way or to insist on our own, with corresponding outcomes. • Divine sovereignty and human freedom operate together: God rules over all, yet He allows authentic human choice within His rule. Divine Patience and Judicial Abandonment • God’s patience precedes His giving-up (cf. Romans 2:4). Rejection is never His first move. • Repeated refusal leads to judicial abandonment (cf. Romans 1:24, 26, 28 “God gave them over…”). • This abandonment is reversible only by repentance; God stands ready to receive the contrite (Psalm 81:13-14). Related Scriptures • Acts 7:42: “But God turned away and gave them over to worship the host of heaven.” • Hosea 4:17: “Ephraim is joined to idols; leave him alone!” • Deuteronomy 30:19: “I have set before you life and death… choose life.” • Proverbs 29:1: persistent hardening leads to sudden, irreparable ruin. • John 5:40: “Yet you refuse to come to Me to have life.” • Revelation 3:20: Christ still knocks, honoring the door-latch on the human side. • Philippians 2:12-13: believers work out salvation, yet God works in them—free agency empowered by grace. Application for Believers Today • Listen early: prompt obedience keeps the heart soft. • Treasure conviction; it signals God’s protective restraint. • Guard against incremental stubbornness—small repeated “no’s” become a hardened posture. • Intercede for the wayward: God may yet soften hearts before the “giving up” point. • Celebrate grace: in Christ, God welcomes all who turn back, proving His ultimate desire is redemption, not abandonment. |
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