Have You Ever Had God Speak to Your Heart?

Have you ever had God speak to your heart about an issue, maybe multiple times, yet you keep thinking you’ll deal with it or make it right later? That gentle nudge, that conviction in your spirit, perhaps about a habit you need to break, a relationship you need to mend, or a step of faith you need to take. It's easy to brush it off, isn't it? "I'll handle it tomorrow," we tell ourselves. "When things calm down, or when I'm stronger." But what if I told you that every time you ignore His urging, your heart may be hardening towards the Lord? And by delaying to submit to His will, you are risking your ability to obey Him in the future concerning that very matter?

It's a sobering thought, one rooted deeply in Scripture. The Bible warns us that we may not always have the opportunity we assume is ours. Procrastination in spiritual matters isn't just a bad habit; it's a dangerous game that can lead to spiritual stagnation or worse. In this blog post, we'll dive into Hebrews 3:15, exegeting the passage and its context, highlighting key words and phrases from the original Greek language, and explaining them using the English Standard Version (ESV) of the Bible. We'll explore how this verse connects to broader biblical themes, like the wilderness wanderings of Israel, the temptations of Jesus, and the deceitfulness of sin. Along the way, we'll draw on insights from commentators such as Charles Spurgeon and William Newell to unpack the profound spiritual truths presented here. By the end, my prayer is that you'll be encouraged to respond to God's voice today, before it's too late.

A Warning from History

To understand Hebrews 3:15, we must first grasp the broader context of Hebrews chapter 3. The Book of Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians who faced persecution and were tempted to revert to Judaism. The author urges them to persevere in faith, holding Jesus as superior to angels, Moses, and the old covenant. In Chapter 3, the focus shifts to Jesus as greater than Moses, who led Israel out of Egypt but was unable to bring them into full rest due to their unbelief.

Hebrews 3:7-11 quotes Psalm 95:7-11, recounting Israel's rebellion in the wilderness. The ESV renders it this way: "Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, 'Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years. Therefore, I was provoked with that generation, and said, "They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways." As I swore in my wrath, "They shall not enter my rest."'" 

This sets the stage for verses 12-15, where the author applies this Old Testament lesson to New Testament believers. Hebrews 3:12-15 (ESV) states: "Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today,' that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said, 'Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.'"

Here, Hebrews 3:15 repeats the quote from Psalm 95 to emphasize urgency. The verse isn't standalone; it's a capstone to the warning. The author is saying, "Don't be like that wilderness generation who heard God's voice but hardened their hearts through unbelief and sin. Respond today!"

Exegeting Hebrews 3:15

Let's exegete Hebrews 3:15 phrase by phrase, starting with the original Greek to uncover nuances that deepen our understanding. The Greek text reads: "Σήμερον ἐὰν τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ ἀκούσητε, μὴ σκληρύνητε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν ὡς ἐν τῷ παραπικρασμῷ." (Sēmeron ean tēs phōnēs autou akousēte, mē sklērynēte tas kardias hymōn hōs en tō parapikrasmō.)

"Today" (Σήμερον Sēmeron): This adverb means "this very day" or "now." In the context of Psalm 95 and Hebrews, it carries a sense of immediacy. It's not about a vague future; it's a call to action in the present moment. The author of Hebrews uses it three times in this chapter (vv. 7, 13, 15) to stress that the window for response is open now, but it won't be forever. As commentator William Newell notes, this underscores that unbelief isn't just a passive state, it's an active refusal in the here and now.

"If you hear his voice" (ἐὰν τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ ἀκούσητε ean tēs phōnēs autou akousēte): The conditional "if" (ean) implies possibility but not certainty, God speaks, but we must choose to listen. "Hear" (akousēte) is from akouō, which means not just auditory hearing but perceiving and responding. It's the same root as in Jesus' parables: "He who has ears to hear, let him hear" (Matthew 13:9). "Voice" (phōnēs) refers to God's revelation, whether through Scripture, the Holy Spirit, or circumstances. In the wilderness, Israel heard God's voice through miracles and Moses, yet they rebelled. Today, God speaks to us primarily through His Word and the conviction of the Spirit (Hebrews 1:1-2; John 16:8).

"Do not harden your hearts" (μὴ σκληρύνητε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν mē sklērynēte tas kardias hymōn): This is the imperative command. "Harden" (sklērynēte) comes from sklēros, meaning "to make hard, stubborn, or unyielding." It's the root of our English word "sclerosis," like in arteriosclerosis, hardening of the arteries. Spiritually, it describes a heart that becomes calloused to God's truth. "Hearts" (kardias) is kardia, the seat of emotions, will, and intellect in biblical thought. Not a physical organ, but the core of our being (Proverbs 4:23). The negation "do not" (mē) is a strong prohibition: Stop this! We harden our own hearts through repeated ignoring of God's voice, as the context warns.

"As in the rebellion" (ὡς ἐν τῷ παραπικρασμῷ hōs en tō parapikrasmō): "Rebellion" translates parapikrasmos, meaning "provocation" or "embitterment." It refers to the incident at Meribah (Exodus 17:1-7), where Israel tested God by demanding water, essentially putting Him on trial. The name Meribah means "quarreling," and Massah means "testing." This ties back to Deuteronomy 6:16 (ESV): "You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah." The wilderness generation's unbelief led to 40 years of wandering, and they never entered God's rest, the Promised Land.

This exegesis reveals Hebrews 3:15 as a urgent plea: God's voice is speaking today, don't repeat Israel's mistake by hardening your heart through unbelief and rebellion. The consequence? Missing out on God's rest, which in Hebrews symbolizes both earthly blessings and eternal salvation (Hebrews 4:1-11).

Testing God and the Deceitfulness of Sin

The theme of hardening hearts echoes throughout Scripture. In Psalm 95 (ESV), the source of the quote, we read: "Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work. For forty years I loathed that generation and said, 'They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways.' Therefore I swore in my wrath, 'They shall not enter my rest.'" (Psalm 95:6-11).

In the Hebrew of Psalm 95, "harden" is from taqshiy'u (from qashah), meaning "to be stiff-necked or stubborn." "Hearts" is levav, the inner man. The psalm contrasts worship (vv. 1-7a) with warning (vv. 7b-11), showing that true worship involves obedient response.

God views delay in submission as testing Him. As Deuteronomy 6:16 warns, we shouldn't put God to the test. Jesus echoed this in Matthew 4:7 (ESV) during His temptation: "Jesus said to him, 'Again it is written, "You shall not put the Lord your God to the test."'" Satan tempted Jesus to jump from the temple, presuming on God's protection, essentially testing if God would keep His word. Jesus refused, quoting Deuteronomy to affirm obedience over presumption.

We do the same when we dabble in sin, thinking, "I can stop anytime." But Proverbs 5:22 (ESV) cautions: "The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is held fast in the cords of his sin." "Ensnare" (lakad) implies being captured like in a trap. Sin binds us progressively. Psalm 40:12 (ESV) laments: "For evils have encompassed me beyond number; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head; my heart fails me." Here, sins "overtake" (nasag), overwhelming like a flood.

Galatians 6:7-8 (ESV) adds: "Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life." Sowing to the flesh leads to destruction, spiritual hardening.

The Nature of Unbelief is an Evil Heart

Returning to Hebrews 3:12: "Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God." Unbelief (apistia in Greek) is more than doubt; it's willful refusal to trust. As Newell puts it: "Unbelief is not inability to understand, but unwillingness to trust… it is the will, not the intelligence, that is involved."

Spurgeon elaborates powerfully: "The great sin of not believing in the Lord Jesus Christ is often spoken of very lightly and in a very trifling spirit, as though it were scarcely any sin at all; yet, according to my text, and, indeed, according to the whole tenor of the Scriptures, unbelief is the giving of God the lie, and what can be worse?" He continues: "Hearken, O unbeliever, you have said, ‘I cannot believe,’ but it would be more honest if you had said, ‘I will not believe.’ The mischief lies there. Your unbelief is your fault, not your misfortune. It is a disease, but it is also a crime: it is a terrible source of misery to you, but it is justly so, for it is an atrocious offense against the God of truth."

Spurgeon illustrates: "Did I not hear someone say, ‘Ah, sir, I have been trying to believe for years.’ Terrible words! They make the case still worse. Imagine that after I had made a statement, a man should declare that he did not believe me, in fact, he could not believe me though he would like to do so. I should feel aggrieved certainly; but it would make matters worse if he added, ‘In fact, I have been for years trying to believe you, and I cannot do it.’ What does he mean by that? What can he mean but that I am so incorrigibly false, and such a confirmed liar, that though he would like to give me some credit, he really cannot do it? With all the effort he can make in my favour, he finds it quite beyond his power to believe me? Now, a man who says, ‘I have been trying to believe in God,’ in reality says just that with regard to the Most High."

This "evil heart of unbelief" leads to "departing from the living God" (apostēnai apo theou zōntos). "Living God" emphasizes His vitality and reality, He's not a dead idol but the active, relational Creator. Unbelief separates us from this life-giving source.

Exhort One Another Daily

Hebrews 3:13 counters isolation: "But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today,' that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." "Exhort" (parakaleite) means to encourage, urge, or comfort; it's the verb form of Paraclete, the title of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16). We need community to combat hardening.

"Lest any of you be hardened" repeats the warning. "Deceitfulness" (apatē) of sin means deception or trickery. Sin lies: It promises freedom but delivers bondage. As the text notes, "Unbelief and sin are deceitful because when we don’t believe God, we don’t stop believing, we simply start believing in a lie." Sin deceives in its approach, promises, labels, and excuses.

One survey, mentioned in commentaries (though dated), found that over 70% of churchgoers believed one can be a good Christian without attending church. But Hebrews disagrees; fellowship prevents hardening. Spurgeon urges: "You are to watch over your brethren, to exhort one another daily, especially you who are officers of the church, or who are elderly and experienced. Be upon the watch lest any of your brethren in the church should gradually backslide, or lest any in the congregation should harden into a condition of settled unbelief, and perish in their sin."

Partakers of Christ Holding Firm to the End

Hebrews 3:14 offers hope: "For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end." "Share" (metochoi) means partakers or partners. We're united with Christ in His obedience, suffering, death, resurrection, victory, plan, power, intercession, work, glory, and destiny. This union is like a stone to its foundation, a vine to its branches, or a wife to her husband.

But it's conditional on perseverance: "if we hold... firm to the end." This isn't works-based salvation but evidence of genuine faith (James 2:26). True believers endure, empowered by grace.

Hope for the Hardened: It's Not Too Late, Yet

If you're in this situation, where heart hardening and sin ensnare, is there hope? Absolutely! Hebrews 3:7-8 (ESV): "Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: 'Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.'" The "today" is still open.

Turn to God like David: "Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me! O Lord, make haste to help me!" (Psalm 40:13 ESV). Remember, "The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love" (Psalm 145:8 ESV).

Jesus empathizes: "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15 ESV). He understands your struggles.

Confess: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9 ESV).

Don't Harden Your Heart

We often blame circumstances or others for our hard hearts, but Scripture says we harden them ourselves. That hidden sin? It seems harmless, but it desensitizes you to God's voice. Distance grows; danger mounts.

Don't risk it. This moment, while your heart is soft, make things right. Pray: Consider the cost. The good things God has planned (Jeremiah 29:11) could be jeopardized, like Israel's missed Promised Land.

Beware: Don't be like the wilderness generation. Respond to God's voice today. Your eternal rest depends on it.