Hard Heart Prov. 28:14 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

Prov 28:14 says, “… but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.”  You don’t want a hard heart and you really don’t want the mischief that follows.  A hard heart comes from:

Sin and Disobedience – Rom 2:1-16 – Rom 2:5 refers to “thy hardness and impenitent heart.”  This hard heart comes from disobedience [Rom 2:8, do not obey the truth; obey unrighteousness] and sin [Rom 2:1, doeth the same things; Rom 2:12 have sinned].  When your heart gets hard from sin and disobedience you fall into mischief because of the consequences of reaping what you have sown [Gal 6:7-8].  And then you fall into judgment before God [Rom 2:5, 16]. If you are in sin and disobedience, turn away from them now.

The Lord – Jn 12:40 – see Jn 12:37-42.  Individual Jews have not been hardened because the chief rulers believed, Paul believed, the disciples believed, etc.  This must be a corporate hardening [Is 6:9-12].   Israel was continually involved in sin and disobedience [Is 1-5] and so the Lord hardened their hearts.  In the future, he will remove this hardness and save the entire nation [Rom 11:25-27 and Heb 8:10-13].  The mischief they fell into includes the destruction and captivity by the Assyrians and the Chaldeans, the destruction by the Romans, the Jewish pogroms, WWI, WWII, and eventually they’ll see the worst of the mischief at the hands of the antichrist.  In Ex 4:21, we see that the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart which he did to show his power [Ex 9:16].  According to Prov 21:1, God can turn the heart of a king any way he wants. The higher powers are there because of God [Rom 13:1].  Pharaoh was perfect for God’s purposes because he hardened his own heart, too [Ex 8:15, 19, 32].  He fell into the compound mischief of the destruction of his country, the death of the firstborn and their eventual drowning in the Red Sea [Ex 14:8, 17, 28].  They were destroyed.  And you will be to if the Lord ever hardens your heart.

Unbelief – Heb 3:15-19 – these verses pertain to lost folks.  Their mischief is that they wind up in hell.  Mk 16:14 is for saved folks; the disciples believed not.  The mischief that follows when you don’t believe God’s words as a saved man is that you don’t benefit from these words and you often run contrary to God.  Men who don’t believe God’s words often become corrupters and get into trouble because they don’t believe what would have kept them out of trouble.

Pride and Rebellion – 2 Chr 36:11-13 – Zedekiah wouldn’t humble himself to the preaching of God’s words and he rebelled against the Lord and the king.  The mischief that follows pride and rebellion against the Lord and the king is calamity [Prov 24:21-22].  Zedekiah was captured, witnessed the slaying of his sons and then had his eyes put out [2 Ki 25:7].  Want some of this?

Lack of compassion – Deut 15:7-8 – “thou shalt not harden thine heart, not shut thine hand from thy poor brother.”  We see something similar in the New Testament.  Taking care of brothers in need is the result of love [1 Jn 4:20-21; 3:17-18].  Prov 19:17 shows you that the Lord blesses your gift.  Not taking care of a brother when you are able to do so results from a hard heart.  A person with a hard heart falls into mischief.  He will cry himself and not be heard [Prov 21:13]. Missions giving is a great way to demonstrate your compassion for those in need.   How about you?

Conclusion: don’t let your heart become hard by getting into these things.  You will escape the mischief that follows.