He Hardeneth His Neck Prov. 29:1 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
A Hardened Neck
Pharaoh had a hardened neck against the Lord. In Ex 5:2, Pharaoh didn’t know the Lord so he asked, “who is the Lord that I should obey his voice to let Israel go?” He could have known the Lord if he had wanted to. Moses knew him and knew how to tell Pharaoh about him [Ex 3-4]. But Pharaoh was adamant and hardened his neck against Moses’ reproofs. He said, “I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.” That settled it. When God began to perform the miraculous plagues in Egypt, Pharaoh hardened his heart against the Lord [Ex 7:23, 8:15, 8:19, 8:32, 9:7]. He did this several times.
It was Pharaoh’s choice whether to believe God and the miracles or whether to refuse to obey and harden his heart. Once he chose to reject the truth and reject the Lord, then his troubles only grew worse. Here’s what happens to people who repeatedly reject the Lord and the truth.
When People Have A Hardened Neck:
God hardens their hearts
Read Ex 9:12. 9:34, 10:1, 10:20, 10:27, 11:10, 14:8. At first, you are hard-hearted against the Lord. But then, the Lord steps in and hardens your heart, as he stepped in and hardened Pharaoh’s heart, until he had performed all the plagues. He even hardened the Egyptians’ hearts so that he could show them that he is the Lord [Ex 14:17-18].
God turns them over to a reprobate mind
Read Rom 1:28. The problem starts with holding the truth in unrighteousness [Rom 1:18]. And then the problem grows worse with refusing to know God, like Pharaoh did [Rom 1:19-21]. And then the problem worsens from a failure to glorify God and give him thanks [Rom 1:21]. And then the problem is further worsened by changing the truth of God into a lie [Rom 1:25]. You see, the truth reproves. And when people are reproved by the truth and refuse it, then God can turn them over to a reprobate mind. At this point, all hell breaks loose [Rom 1:29-32]. A hardened neck against the Lord leads to a destroyed life.
God sends them strong delusion
Read 2 Thes 2:10-12. When you refuse to love the truth that you might be saved, when you believe not the truth, and when you have pleasure in unrighteousness, God sends strong delusion. You end up believing a lie. You can see this delusion has already started and it is going to be full-blown after the rapture.
God derides their hardened neck
Read Ps 2:1-4, Prov 1:24-26. When you make fun of God and turn your back on his counsel and his words, you will see a side of God that you never knew existed. When you finally realize that you need him and that he is, indeed, real and not the fairy tale you thought he was, the Lord will laugh and have you in derision [that means he will ridicule you]. God said, “I will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh.”
God destroys them
Read Prov 29:1. This is exactly what happened to Pharaoh, what happened to Egypt, and what happened to Israel when they rejected Jesus. This is what will suddenly happen to you if you harden your heart against the Lord. Don’t have a hardened neck against the Lord.
Conclusion
Don’t harden your neck against God. Turn from your wickedness and turn to the Lord.