Definition and Overview:
Hardening, in a biblical context, refers to the process by which an individual's heart becomes resistant or unresponsive to God's will, commands, or truth. This concept is often associated with a deliberate or divinely permitted insensitivity to spiritual matters, resulting in disobedience or rebellion against God.

Biblical Instances:

1. Pharaoh's Heart:
One of the most notable examples of hardening in the Bible is the account of Pharaoh during the Exodus narrative. The Book of Exodus repeatedly mentions that Pharaoh's heart was hardened, preventing him from releasing the Israelites from slavery. This hardening is described in various ways: as an act of Pharaoh himself, as a result of God's intervention, and as a natural consequence of his own choices.
· "But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I will multiply My signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, Pharaoh will not listen to you." (Exodus 7:3-4)

2. Israel's Rebellion:
The Israelites, during their wilderness journey, also experienced hardening of heart. Despite witnessing God's miracles and provision, they frequently doubted and disobeyed Him. This hardening is often attributed to their unbelief and stubbornness.
· "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the wilderness." (Hebrews 3:7-8)

3. New Testament References:
In the New Testament, hardening is addressed in the context of spiritual blindness and resistance to the Gospel. Jesus and the apostles encountered individuals and groups whose hearts were hardened, preventing them from accepting the truth of Christ's message.
· "For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes." (Matthew 13:15)

Theological Implications:

1. Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility:
The concept of hardening raises questions about the interplay between divine sovereignty and human responsibility. While God is sometimes depicted as actively hardening hearts, individuals are also held accountable for their own choices and resistance to God.

2. Judicial Hardening:
Some theologians interpret hardening as a form of divine judgment, where God permits or causes a person to become further entrenched in their rebellion as a consequence of their persistent unbelief. This is seen as a sobering reminder of the seriousness of rejecting God's truth.

3. Call to Repentance:
Despite the reality of hardening, Scripture consistently calls individuals to repentance and softening of heart. The Bible emphasizes the importance of remaining open and responsive to God's voice, warning against the dangers of a hardened heart.

Practical Application:

1. Self-Examination:
Believers are encouraged to examine their own hearts for signs of hardening, such as indifference to God's Word, persistent sin, or a lack of compassion. Regular self-reflection and prayer are vital in maintaining a receptive heart.

2. Intercession for Others:
Christians are called to pray for those who exhibit hardened hearts, asking God to soften them and open their eyes to the truth of the Gospel. Intercessory prayer is a powerful tool in spiritual warfare against hardening.

3. Proclamation of the Gospel:
The reality of hardening underscores the urgency of evangelism. Believers are tasked with sharing the Gospel message, trusting that God can break through even the hardest of hearts with His love and truth.1. (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Harden.

2. (n.) Making hard or harder.

3. (n.) That which hardens, as a material used for converting the surface of iron into steel.

JUDICIAL HARDENING

See HARDEN.

4457. porosis -- a covering with a callous, fig. blindness
... Word Origin from poroo Definition a covering with a callous, fig. blindness NASB
Word Usage hardening (1), hardness (2). callousness, blindness, hardness. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4457.htm - 7k

Temporary Hardening.
... LOVE. XXXIV. Temporary Hardening. ... ""Isaiah 63:17. That there is a hardening of heart
which culminates in the sin against the Holy Spirit can not be denied. ...
/.../kuyper/the work of the holy spirit/xxxiv temporary hardening.htm

The Hardening of Nations.
... Second Chapter. LOVE. XXXV. The Hardening of Nations. "The election hath
obtained it, and the rest were hardened."" Romans 11:7. St. ...
/.../kuyper/the work of the holy spirit/xxxv the hardening of nations.htm

The Hardening in the Sacred Scripture.
... The Hardening in the Sacred Scripture. ... The Scripture teaches positively that the
hardening and "darkening of their foolish heart" is a divine, intentional act. ...
/.../kuyper/the work of the holy spirit/xxxiii the hardening in the.htm

The Hardening Operation of Love.
... LOVE. XXXI. The Hardening Operation of Love. ... Not every effect, however, of the divine
operation, destructive to the sinner, is in itself a hardening of heart. ...
/.../kuyper/the work of the holy spirit/xxxi the hardening operation of.htm

The Love which Withers.
... The idea of hardening is so awful that, with all its unsanctified pity and natural
religion, the human heart rejects it as a horrible thought. ...
/.../kuyper/the work of the holy spirit/xxxii the love which withers.htm

The Work of the Holy Spirit
... XXX. Organically One. XXXI. The Hardening Operation of Love. XXXII. ... XXXIII. The
Hardening in the Sacred Scripture. XXXIV. Temporary Hardening. XXXV. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kuyper/the work of the holy spirit/

The Apostolic Love.
... It is singular that the hardening, in its most awful manifestation, finds its exponent
not in Jeremiah, the stern preacher of repentance, nor in St. ...
/.../kuyper/the work of the holy spirit/xxxvi the apostolic love.htm

New Teaching in Parables' - the Parables to the People by the Lake ...
... teaching vouchsafed to them and the Parables spoken to the people, that the designed
effect of the latter was judicial: to complete that hardening which, in ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xxiii new teaching in.htm

The Anger and Grief of Jesus
... And mark the reason for both; 'the hardness,' or as you will see, if you use the
Revised Version, 'the hardening' of their hearts"a process which He saw ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture d/the anger and grief of.htm

A Last Merciful Warning
... So then, even if we are to suppose that it means that there was a direct hardening
action by God on the man's heart, such action was not first, but subsequent ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/a last merciful warning.htm

Kiln (5 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) A large stove or oven; a furnace of brick or stone, or a heated chamber,
for the purpose of hardening, burning, or drying anything; as, a kiln for ...
/k/kiln.htm - 8k

Backslide
... Thus in the first part we already find predicted the hardening of the heart of Pharaoh,
the miracles of Yahweh and the demonstrations of His power down to the ...
/b/backslide.htm - 88k

Fullness (31 Occurrences)
... salvation. Romans 11:25, "A hardening. hath befallen Israel, until the
fullness of the Gentiles be come in." Romans 13:10, "Love. ...
/f/fullness.htm - 22k

Anger (387 Occurrences)
... Such an indignation is attributed to Jesus when it is said that He "looked round
about on them with anger, being grieved at the hardening of their heart" (Mark ...
/a/anger.htm - 54k

Hardening (6 Occurrences)
... steel. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. JUDICIAL HARDENING. See HARDEN.
Multi-Version Concordance Hardening (6 Occurrences). Mark ...
/h/hardening.htm - 8k

Harden (22 Occurrences)
... har'-d'-n (chazaq, qashah; skleruno): (1) "Harden" occurs most frequently in the
phrase "to harden the heart," or "the neck." This hardening of men's hearts is ...
/h/harden.htm - 19k

Hardens (7 Occurrences)
... is cracked again. (See NAS RSV). Job 38:38 In the hardening of dust into
hardness, And clods cleave together? (See NAS). Proverbs 21 ...
/h/hardens.htm - 8k

Uninformed (4 Occurrences)
... 11:25 For I don't desire you to be ignorant, brothers, of this mystery, so that
you won't be wise in your own conceits, that a partial hardening has happened ...
/u/uninformed.htm - 7k

Lees (3 Occurrences)
... Jeremiah 48:11). The effect of wealthy undisturbed ease on the ungodly
is hardening. They become stupidly secure (Comp. Psalm 55 ...
/l/lees.htm - 8k

Grieved (87 Occurrences)
... Mark 3:5 When he had looked around at them with anger, being grieved at the hardening
of their hearts, he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He ...
/g/grieved.htm - 32k

Why did God harden Pharaoh's heart? | GotQuestions.org

What does it mean to guard your heart? | GotQuestions.org

Why was Pharaoh so resistant to Moses' pleas to “let my people go”? | GotQuestions.org

Hardening: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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