6/30/19
Tom Lowe
Lesson #12 [IC3a]: Israel in the Wilderness (HEBREWS 3:6b-11)
Context: The context is the exodus from Egypt and the Israelites’ experience of unbelief in the wilderness. Because of their neglect to hear God’s message they delayed at the border. Because the people went backward in unbelief, instead of foreword in faith, they missed their inheritance and died in the wilderness.
Text (NIV)
?6b “. . . And we are His house, if we hold firmly?to our confidence and the hope of which we boast.
7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear His voice,
8 do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the wilderness,
9 where your fathers tested and tried Me, and for forty years saw My works.
10 Therefore I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known My ways.’
11 So I swore on oath in My anger, ‘They shall never enter My rest.’”
Introduction:
I would like to begin this lesson a little differently. First, I will ask you some questions about past lessons to see if I am doing a good job of teaching and you are doing a good job of listening. And then I have a few questions from today’s lesson which will be answered in our Bible study.
Past
Today
In what ways did the writer of Hebrews affirm that Jesus and Moses were alike? (Heb. 3:2-
What does it mean to you to be part of the “house” which through inheritance belongs to Jesus?
In what matters did the writer of Hebrews affirm that Jesus was superior to Moses? (Heb. 3:2-6)
How should you feel and act because of your inheritance?
Over what House was Moses faithful in the Old Testament? (Heb. 3:2, 5; Num.12:7)
What determines whether someone who hears the gospel actually enters God’s rest? (Heb. 4:1-3)
Over what House was Jesus faithful in the New Testament? (Heb. 3:2, 5; Num. 12:7)
How can reliance on God’s Word make your life more restful and peaceful?
Commentary:
(Heb. 3:6bR1) “. . . And we are His house, if we hold firmly?to our confidenceR3 and the hope of which we boast.
“. . . And we are His house,”
?We Christians are His Church [house] and family; he is our Father, Governor, and Head. We are now His Church [house], and we will continue to be His Church [house], and we will be acknowledged by Him if we maintain our Christian profession, that liberty of access to God, which we now have, and the rejoicing of the hope, i.e. of eternal life, which we will receive at the resurrection of the dead.
“if we hold firmly?to our confidence and the hope of which we boast.”
The word, which is rendered here as “confidence,” and which signifies freedom of speech, liberty of access, etc., seems to be used to indicate an important Christian privilege. Under the Old Testament no man was permitted to draw near to God: even the very mountain on which God published His laws must not be touched by man or beast; and only the high priest was permitted to enter the holy of holies, and he could do so only once a year, on the great day of atonement; and even then he must have the blood of the victim to appease the Divine justice. Under the Christian dispensation the way to the holiest places is now open to all those who have faith in Jesus; and we have liberty of access, even to the holiest places, by the blood of Jesus. Having such access unto God, by such a Mediator, we may obtain all that grace which is necessary to fit us for eternal glory; and, having the witness of His Spirit in our heart, we have a well grounded hope of endless happiness, and revel in the enjoyment of that hope [of our hope]. But if we do not retain the grace, we will not inherit the glory. Since all the good things we desire lie in our hopes, we ought to “hold firmly” to our hopes and get ready to rejoice, as though our hopes were already realized.
A leading object of this Epistle is to guard those to whom it was addressed against the danger of apostasyR2. Hence, this is introduced on all suitable occasions, and the apostle here says, that the only evidence which they could have that they belonged to the family of Christ, would be that they held fast the “confidence” which they had unto the end. If they did not do that, it would demonstrate that they never belonged to His family, for evidence of having belonged to his household was to be furnished only by perseverance to the end.
His point is clear: Jesus is faithful to God. We demonstrate that we are the people He has chosen if we also prove to be faithful. This calls for courage in a hostile world. It demands that we “hold firmly” to our hope of being the people whom Jesus does not blush to call His brothers and sisters - “For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren” (Heb. 2:11 (KJV).
The expression “hold firmly” refers to our continuation in faith which is proof of its reality in our lives. The passage is not saying that you have to continue, to hold on, in order to be saved, rather, the fact that you do continue, you do hold on and are faithful to the Lord, is an evidence, a proof, that you are saved. The writer is not saying that we, as Christians, must keep ourselves saved. Rather, the writer is affirming that those who hold firmly to their confidence and hope are proving that they are truly born again.
Christ is not a servant. To the whole household or family of God He sustains the same relation which a son and heir in a family does to the household. That relation is far different from that of a servant. Moses was the latter; Christ was the former. To God He sustained the relation of a Son, and recognized Him as His Father, and sought in all things to do His will; but over the whole family of God - the entire Church of all dispensations - He was like a son over the affairs of a family. Compared with the condition of a servant, Christ is as much superior to Moses as a son and heir is to the condition of a servant. A servant owns nothing; is heir to nothing; has no authority, and no right to control anything, and is himself wholly at the will of another. A son is the heir of all; has a potential right to all; and is looked up to by all with respect. But the idea here is not merely that Christ is a son; it is that as a son He is placed over all the arrangements of the household, and is one to whom all is entrusted as if it were his own.
(Heb. 3:7) Therefore, as the Holy SpiritR4 says: “TodayR5, if you hear [obediently] His voice [of grace],
Verses 7-11 could have been quoted from Psalm 95:7-11, with some slight modifications. Psalm 95 shows that God created a rest for His faithful followers to enter (3:11). But the Israelites, who were repeatedly unfaithful in their Exodus journey, were excluded from entering into it (3:16-19). Yet that rest was part of God’s creation, and it remains for those who are faithful to Him to enter (4:1-6).
“Therefore,” take warning from the fate of Israel, “as the Holy Spirit says.” In view of the fact that the author of the Christian dispensation (Jesus Christ) has a rank far superior to that of Moses, because Christ has claims on us far greater than those which Moses had, let us give our attention to what He says and dread His displeasure. The words quoted are found in Psalm 95:7-11. There David exhorts his brethren to learn a lesson from Israel in the wilderness, and not to provoke God. The directive given here is, “To-day [at that very time, now], if you will hear his voice.” God wishes us to hear Him today, and every day, forever?today, not tomorrow.
“As the Holy Spirit says” in Psalms 95:7-11. This is more than enough proof that, in the estimation of the author of this epistle, the writer of this Psalm was inspired. The Holy Spirit speaks through the word which he has revealed. The apostle quotes this passage, and applies it to those whom he addressed, because the warning was as pertinent and important under the Christian dispensation as it was under the Jewish. The danger of hardening the heart by neglecting to hear his voice was as great, and the consequences would be as fearful and alarming. We should regard the solemn warnings in the Old Testament against sin, and against the danger of apostasy, as being addressed to us by the Holy Spirit. They are as applicable to us as they were to those to whom they were at first addressed; and we need all the influence of such appeals, to keep us from apostasyR2.
Dear readers, take a warning from the fate of Israel, “as the Holy Spirit says.” The words quoted are found in Psalm 95:7-11. There David urges his brethren to learn a lesson from Israel in the wilderness, and do not provoke God. To-day, and forever, God wishes us to hear Him, to-day, not to-morrow.
“Today.”
Now; at present. At the very time when the command is addressed to you. It is not to be put off till tomorrow. All God's commands relate to the present - to this day - to the passing moment. He gives us no commands about the future, he does not require us to repent; and to turn to Him to-morrow, or ten years from now. The reasons are obvious.
Duty pertains to the present. It is our duty to turn from sin, and to love Him now.
We do not know if we shall live another day. A command, therefore, could not extend to that time, unless it were accompanied with a revelation that we should live till then-and God does not choose to give such a revelation. Everyone, therefore, should feel that whatever commands God addresses to him are addressed to him now. Whatever guilt he incurs by neglecting those commands is incurred now. For the present neglect and disobedience each one is to answer - and each one must give account to God for what he does TODAY.
[if you hear] Just in case you are willing to listen to God, listen now, and do not put it off until some future time - for there is much to be gained by a willingness to hear the voice of God. A willingness to learn is usually the precursor of great attainments in knowledge. A willingness to reform is usually the precursor of reformation. Get a man willing to break his habits of profaneness or intemperance, and usually all the rest is easy. The great difficulty in the mind of a sinner is in his will. He is unwilling to hear the voice of God; unwilling that He should reign over him; unwilling now to focus on religious matters. As long as this unwillingness lasts he will make no efforts, and he sees, or creates, a thousand difficulties which stand in the way of his becoming a Christian. But when that unwillingness is overcome, and he is of a mind to engage in the work of religion, difficulties vanish, and the work of salvation becomes easy.
“His voice.”
The voice of God speaking to us
in His written word;
in the preached gospel;
in our own consciences;
in the events of His Providence;
in the warnings issued by our relatives and friends. Whatever conveys to us the truth of God, or is adapted to impress that on us, may be regarded as “His voice” speaking to us. He speaks to us every day in some of these ways; and every day, therefore, he may implore us not to harden our hearts.
8 do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the wilderness,
?“do not harden your hearts”
This phrase, “do not harden your hearts,” is most often used when referring to man's own act of hardening; but it is frequently applied when referring to God's act (Rom. 9:18R11). When man is spoken of as the agent in hardening, the phrase is usually, "harden his neck," or "back" (Ne. 9:17)R10.
God’s command is “do not harden your hearts”—which you will do, without fail, if you will not hear His voice. There are 2 things a person can do that will harden his heart.
(1.) The very refusal to listen to Him tends to harden it. And
(2.) In order to resist the appeals of God, men must resort to the means of voluntarily hardening the heart. This they do by setting themselves against the truth; by the excuses which they offer for not becoming Christians; by plunging into sin in order to avoid willful misunderstanding; and by direct resistance of the Holy Ghost. To harden the heart is to reach such a state that God's voice makes no impression. The Hebrew of the Psalm says Like Meribah. The meaning is “Harden not your hearts as our fathers did at Meribah.” See the account in Ex. 17:1-7. See also Num. 27:14, where Kadesh Meribah is named. Both may be referred to. No inconsiderable part of the efforts of sinners consists in endeavoring to produce insensibility in their minds to the truth and the appeals of God. Do not render the heart insensible to the Divine voice and rebuke. A hard heart is that where the conscience is seared and insensible; where truth makes no impression; where no religious effect is produced by afflictions; where preaching is listened to without interest; and where the mind is unaffected by the appeals of friends. The idea here is that a refusal to listen to the voice of God is connected with a hardening of the heart. It is in two ways. The Hebrew of the Psalm says Like Meribah. The meaning is “Harden not your hearts as our fathers did at Meribah.” See the account in Ex. 17:1-7. See also Num 27:14, where Kadesh Meribah is named. Both may be referred to as The Day of temptation or Day of Provocation.R9 Nu 20:1-13 and De 33:8 mention a second similar occasion in the wilderness of Sin, near Kadesh, also called Meribah. ?
“As in the provocation.”
“ Literally, in the embittering”
Then it means that which embitters or provokes the mind-as disobedience. Here it refers to what they did to embitter the mind of God against them; that is, to the course of conduct which was adopted to provoke Him to wrath.
The hardening of the heart is the mechanism that ignites all other sins. The sins of others, especially of our relatives, should be warnings to us. All sin, especially sin committed by God's professing, privileged people, not only provokes God, but it grieves Him as well. God is reluctant to destroy anyone for their sin; He waits longer than He needs to, in order to be gracious to them. But sin, which has persisted for a long time, will make God's wrath discover itself in destroying the impenitent; there is no resting under the wrath of God. "Take heed:" all who would get safely to heaven must look about them; if once we allow ourselves to distrust God, we may soon desert him. Let those that think they stand, take heed lest they fall.
“The term ProvocationR9,” signifies intensity, and the meaning is to make bitter; the exasperation, or bitter provocation. We will review how Israel provoked God first in the wilderness of Sin (Pelusium), when they complained due to a lack of bread, and had the manna given to them (Ex. 16:4). From the wilderness of Sin they journeyed to Rephidim, where they provoked God for a second time because water was in short supply and they complained insolently saying, “Is the Lord God among us or not?” (Ex. 17:2-9). On account of this, the place was called Massah and Meribah. (See 1 Cor. 10:4). From Rephidim they went into the wilderness of Sinai, where they received the law, in the beginning of the third year from their coming out of Egypt. Here they provoked God again, by making the golden calf (Ex. 32:10). After the law was given they were commanded to go directly to Canaan, and take possession of the Promised Land (Deut. 1:6, 7). God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, “Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount: turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all the places close to it, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, and unto the great river, the river Euphrates. The Israelites, having received this order, departed from Horeb, and went forward three days' journey (Num. 10:33), till they came to Taberah (Num. 11:3), where they provoked God for the fourth time, by complaining because they didn’t have meat to eat; and for that sin were smitten with a very great plague (Num. 11:33); this place was called Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who lusted. From Kibroth-hattaavah they went to Hazeroth (Numbers 11:35), and from there into the wilderness of Paran (Num. 12:16, to a place called Kadesh (Numbers 13:26). Their journey from Horeb to Kadesh is described by Moses in Deuteronomy 1:19-21. And when we departed from Horeb, we went through that entire great and terrible wilderness, which you saw on the way to the mountain of the Amorites, as the Lord our God commanded us; and, we came to Kadesh-barnea. And I said unto you, Ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorites, which the Lord our God doth give unto us. Behold, the Lord thy God hath set the land before thee; go up and possess it. But the people proposed to Moses to send spies, to bring them an account of the land, and of its inhabitants (Deut. 1:22). These spies, after forty days, returned to Kadesh; and, except for Caleb and Joshua, they all agreed to bring an evil report of the land and people (Num. 13:25-32); whereby the people were so discouraged that they refused to enter the land they were promised. Instead, they proposed to appoint a leader, and return to Egypt (Num. 14:4). Therefore, having shown an absolute disbelief in God's promises, and an utter distrust of His power, He swore that not one of that generation would enter Canaan, except for Caleb and Joshua, but instead, they would all die in the wilderness (Num. 14:20; Deut. 1:34, 35). He ordered them to turn, and go immediately into the wilderness, by way of the Red Sea. Moses informs us that the Israelites settled in the wilderness where they dwelt for thirty-eight years (Deut. 2:14); until all the men of war were dead and gone from among the nation, which is precisely what the Lord said would happen.
Although the Israelites provoked God to wrath in the wilderness, from the day they came out of the land of Egypt until their arrival in Canaan, as Moses predicted (Deuteronomy 9:7). Their greatest provocation, the provocation in which they showed the greatest degree of evil disposition, undoubtedly was their refusing to go into Canaan from Kadesh. It was therefore very properly termed “their bitter provocation and the day of temptation” because of its significance to Israel and because it was the oath of God that excluded them from His rest in Canaan. To distinguish this from the provocation at Rephidim, it is called “Meribah-Kadesh" (Deut. 32:51).
“In the day of temptation.”
In the time of temptation-the word day being used here, as it is often, to denote an indefinite period, or time in general. The word temptation here refers to the various provocations by which they tried the patience of God. They rebelled against Him; they did that which put the Divine patience and forbearance to a trial. It does not mean that they tempted God to do evil, but that His long-suffering was tested by their sins.
“In the wilderness.”
The desert through which they passed. The Israelite journeyings are commonly spoken of as “wilderness wanderings,” because they took the people through some areas that were known as wilderness. Although a wilderness may have desert areas, it has grassy upland plains, oasis springs, and vegetation, such as flowers, shrubs and trees that can support a surprising variety of animal life.
(Heb. 3:9) where your fathers tested and tried Me, and for forty years saw My works.”
“where your fathers tested (tempted) and tried (proved) Me”
The oldest manuscripts read, "tempted (Me) in the way of testing," that is, testing me to prove whether I was able and willing to help them [that is, how much complaining and sin I would endure], though they did not believe that I am.
“and for forty years saw My works.”
They saw My works of providing miraculous help and executing vengeance for forty years, without being led by them to repentance, and the whole time during which they were journeying from Egypt to the Promised Land. God said that He was grieved during the same "forty years" because the Israelites were tempting Him with their unbelief, despite their seeing God's miraculous works. It would be forty years between the first preaching of the Gospel and Jerusalem's impending overthrow; exactly the number of years as Israel's stay in the wilderness, and the same time it took for Israel to fill up the full measure of their guilt and for the rebels to be overthrown?This all took place during the same forty years.
“and for forty years”
This may mean, either that they saw his works for forty years or that they tempted him for forty years. The sense is not materially affected, whichever interpretation is preferred.
“saw My works.”
That is, my miracles, or my interpositions in their behalf. They saw the wonders at the Red Sea, the descent on Mount Sinai, the supply of manna, etc.; and yet, while seeing those works, they rebelled. Even while sinners look on the doings of God, and are surrounded by the proofs of his power and goodness, they rebel, and provoke him to anger. Men sin when God is filling their houses with plenty; when he opens his hand daily to supply their wants; when they behold the manifestations of his goodness on the sea and on the land; and even in the midst of all the blessings of redemption they provoke him to wrath.
(Heb. 3:10) Therefore, I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known My ways.’
“Therefore, I was angry (“grieved,” “disgusted.”) with that generation,”
God represents Himself as the Father of this great Jewish family, for whose comfort and support he had made every necessary provision, and to whom he had given every proof of tenderness and fatherly affection; and because, they disobeyed him, and lived in such a way that they could not help but be miserable, therefore he represents himself as grieved and exceedingly displeased with them. Not simply by making mistakes, but their hearts are wrong.
The word grieved, here means that He was offended by them, or that he was indignant at them (Eph. 4:30).
“Their hearts are always going astray,”
Their affections are set on earthly things, and they do not acknowledge that my ways are right—holy, just, and good. They are radically evil; and they are evil, continually. They have every proof, of my power and goodness. They might have been saved, but they would not obey Me. God was grieved on this account. Now, can we suppose that it would have grieved him if, by a decree of his own, he had rendered their salvation impossible.
Their long trial of forty years had been sufficient to show that it was a characteristic of the people that they were disposed to wander from God. Forty years are enough to show what their character is. They had seen His works; they had been called to obey Him; they had received His law; and yet their conduct, during that time, had shown that they were not disposed to obey him. A man who has lived in sin forty years; who during all that time has rebelled against God, and disregarded all his appeals; who has lived for himself, and not for his Maker, has shown what his character is. Longer time is unnecessary; and if God should then cut him down, and consign him to hell, he could not be blamed for doing it. A man who during forty years will live in sin, and resist all the appeals of God, shows what is in his heart; and no injustice is done if then he is summoned before God, and he swears that he shall not enter into his rest.
?“And they have not known my ways.”
They have been rebellious. They have not been acquainted with the true God; or they have not approved of My actions. They did not known practically and believingly the ways in which I would have had them go, in order to reach My rest (Ex 18:20). The word know is often used, in the Scriptures, in the sense of approving, or loving (Matthew 7:23).
Since to-morrow is not ours, we must make improvements today and every day. And there are none, even the strongest of the flock, who do not need help from other Christians. Neither is there any so low and despised, that they do not care about their standing in the faith, and their safety. Sin has so many ways and colors, that we need more eyes than our own. Sin appears reasonable, but is vile; it appears pleasant, but is destructive; it promises much, but performs nothing. The deceitfulness of sin hardens the soul; one sin allowed makes way for another; and every act of sin bolsters the habit. Let everyone beware of sin.
?
?
(Heb. 3:11), So I swore an oath in My anger “They shall never enter My rest.’”
“So I swore an oath in My anger (wrath),”
A figure of speech which means that God, indignant at their unbelief and sin, declared they should not enter Canaan (Num. 14:20-35) - the oath of God preceded the forty years. God is often represented in the Scriptures as swearing-and usually as swearing by himself, or by his own existence. Of course this is figurative, and denotes a strong affirmation, or a settled and determined purpose. An oath with us implies the strongest affirmation, or the expression of the most settled and determined purpose of mind. The meaning here is that they showed themselves to be so headstrong and wicked that He solemnly resolved that they should never enter into the land of Canaan.
“They shall never enter My rest.’”
It is called "my rest" here; meaning that it was rest which God had provided, or such as he enjoyed. The particular rest referred to here was that of the land of Canaan, but which was undoubtedly regarded as emblematic of the "rest" in heaven. Into that rest God solemnly said they should never enter. They had been rebellious. All the means of reclaiming them had failed. God had warned and entreated them; he had caused his mercies to pass before them, and had visited them with judgments in vain; and he now declares, that for all their rebellion they should be excluded from the Promised Land. God speaks here like a man would. Men are affected with feelings of indignation in such circumstances, and God makes use of language which expresses such feelings. But we are to understand it in a manner consistent with His character, and we are not to suppose that He is affected with the same emotions which agitate the bosoms of men. The meaning is that He formed and expressed a deliberate and solemn purpose that they should never enter into the Promised Land. Whether this rest refers here to heaven, and whether the meaning is that God would exclude them from that blessed world, will be more appropriately considered in the next chapter. The particular idea is, that they were to be excluded from the Promised Land, and that they should fall in the wilderness. No one can doubt, also, that their conduct had been such as to show that the great body of them were unfit to enter into heaven. Canaan, during the time that the Israelites were in bondage, was promised as a land of rest. On the weary journey in the wilderness it was still looked upon as the rest. To prohibit from entering the rest was then to prohibit from entering Canaan. It is, however, a type of heaven, the land of eternal rest. Canaan, was primarily their rest after wandering in the wilderness: still, even when in it, they never fully enjoyed rest; whence it followed that the threat extended farther than the exclusion of the unbelieving from the literal land of rest, and that the rest promised to the believing in its full blessedness was, and is, yet future: Ps 25:13 Ps 37:9, 11, 22, 29, and Christ's own beatitude (Mt 5:5) all accord with this, Heb 3:9.
Special notes and Scripture
[R1} See Lesson #11 for commentary on verse 6, part a.
[R2} Apostasy:?an act of refusing to continue to follow, obey, or recognize a religious faith.
[R3} The confidence -?The word used here originally means “the liberty of speaking boldly and without restraint;” then it means boldness or confidence in general. It is not like the timid hope of the Pagan, and the dreams and conjectures of the philosopher; it is not that which gives way at every breath of opposition; it is bold, firm, and manly. It is life.
[R4} Holy Ghost saith - by the inspired Psalmist; so that the words of the Psalmist are the words of God Himself.
[R5} To-day - Now; at present. At the very time when the command is addressed to you. It is not to be put off till tomorrow. All God's commands relate to the present-to this day-to the passing moment. He gives us no commands about the future, he does not require us to repent; and to turn to him to-morrow, or ten years later. The reasons are obvious.
Duty pertains to the present. It is our duty to turn from sin, and to love him now.
We do not know that we will live another day. A command, therefore, could not extend to that time, unless it were accompanied with a revelation that we will live until then-and God does not choose to give such a revelation. Everyone, therefore, should feel that whatever commands God addresses to him are addressed to him now. Whatever guilt he incurs by neglecting those commands is incurred now. Each of us is to answer for the present neglect and disobedience and each one of us must give an accounting to God for what he does TODAY.
[R6} "Where," namely, in the wilderness.
[R7} “His voice.” The voice of God speaking to us
in his written word;
in the preached gospel;
in our own consciences;
in the events of his Providence;
in the admonitions of our relatives and friends. Whatever conveys to us the truth of God, or is adapted to impress that on us, may be regarded as his voice speaking to us. He thus speaks to us every day in some of these ways; and every day, therefore, he may entreat us not to harden our hearts.
[R8} 16?For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. Shape?HYPERLINK "bkmk://35473/"17?But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? Shape?HYPERLINK "bkmk://35474/"18?And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? Shape?HYPERLINK "bkmk://35475/"19?So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. (Heb 3:16-19 KJV)
[R9} provocation . . . temptation
[R10} “They would not listen, and did not remember the miracles you did among them. Instead, they became stubborn and appointed a leader to return them to their slavery. “But you are a God of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and rich in gracious love; therefore you did not abandon them” (Nehemiah 9:17).
[R11] “Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth” (Romans 9:18). Whom he will he hardeneth. This is not stated in what the Scripture said to Pharaoh, but is a conclusion to which the apostle had arrived, in view of the case of Pharaoh. The word hardeneth means only to harden in the manner specified in the case of Pharaoh. It does not mean to exert a positive influence, but to leave a sinner to his own course, and to place him in circumstances where his character will be developed. (John 12:40). It implies, however, an act of sovereignty on the part of God in thus leaving him to his chosen Course, and in not putting forth that influence by which he could be saved from death. Why this is, the apostle does not state. We should, however, not dispute a fact well-established fact; and should have sufficient confidence in God to believe that it is in accordance with infinite wisdom and rectitude.
