Read Hebrews 3:12–19
Today’s Scripture: See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily … so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. Hebrews 3:12–13
The heart of every problem is a problem in the heart. The people of Israel
erred in their hearts—their hearts wandered from God and His Word.
They also had hearts of unbelief; they did not believe that God would give them victory in Canaan. They had seen God perform great signs in Egypt, yet they doubted He was adequate for the challenge of Canaan (Heb. 3:7–11, 16–19).
When a person has an erring and disbelieving heart, the result will also be a hard heart. This is a heart that is insensitive to the Word and work of God.
So hard was the heart of Israel that the people even wanted to return to
Egypt (Num. 14:1–4)! Imagine wanting to exchange their freedom under
God for slavery in Egypt! Of course, all this history spoke to the hearts of
the readers of this letter, because they were in danger of “going back”
themselves.
Believers who doubt God’s Word and rebel against Him do not miss
heaven, but they do miss out on the blessing of their inheritance today, and they must suffer the chastening of God.
Something to Ponder
When was the last time your heart was “hardened by sin’s deceitfulness”?