Connect Jeremiah 5:3 with Hebrews 3:15 on hardening hearts against God's voice. Setting the Stage: Two Passages, One Warning Jeremiah 5:3—“O LORD, do Your eyes not look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain; You finished them, but they refused to accept discipline. They made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent.” Hebrews 3:15—“As it has been said: ‘Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.’” Jeremiah 5:3 — A Nation Unmoved by Correction • God searched for truth among His people, yet found stubborn resistance. • Reproof came—through droughts, foreign pressures, prophetic words—still they “felt no pain.” • Result: faces “harder than stone,” an image of deliberate, settled refusal to repent. Hebrews 3:15 — The Call to Hear Today • Drawn from Psalm 95, the writer pleads with believers: every “today” is another chance to listen. • Hardened hearts in the wilderness led to forty years of discipline (Hebrews 3:17). • The same pattern threatens any generation that treats God’s word as negotiable. Thread That Binds: What Does It Mean to Harden the Heart? • It is progressive—small dismissals solidify into fixed resistance (Romans 2:5). • It is self-inflicted—God allows the heart to follow its chosen path (Exodus 9:12 paired with v. 34). • It deadens spiritual sensitivity—truth no longer stings, warnings no longer stir. Why Does a Hardened Heart Form? • Familiarity without obedience—hearing sermons, reading Scripture, yet sidelining application (James 1:22). • Presuming on grace—trusting national heritage, church membership, or past experience (Jeremiah 7:4). • Clinging to cherished sins—idolatry of comfort, power, or self-rule (Ezekiel 14:3). Warning Signs to Watch For – Diminished conviction over sin. – Cynicism toward biblical authority. – Irritation when confronted by godly counsel. – Selective hearing: embracing promises, avoiding commands. God’s Desired Response to His Voice • Softening: “I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26). • Confession: owning sin instead of excusing it (1 John 1:9). • Obedience: immediate, practical steps of faith (Luke 6:46-49). Living Tender-hearted Today • Daily Scripture intake with yielded will—read to submit, not merely to know. • Quick repentance—keep short accounts with God. • Community accountability—invite trusted believers to speak truth in love (Hebrews 10:24-25). • Pray for a teachable spirit—David’s “Search me, O God” (Psalm 139:23-24). Additional Scriptures Echoing the Theme Proverbs 28:14; Zechariah 7:11-12; Acts 7:51; Revelation 2:7. |
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