Are you familiar with the monkey trap? Apparently you can catch monkeys the following way. You put out a prize that can only be attained by reaching through a small hole. The monkey reaches through an takes hold of the prize. After grasping the prize, the monkey’s hand will not longer fit through the hole, so the monkey cannot get his hand out. The only way to freedom is to let go of the desired object. When unwilling to do so, the monkey is caught.
12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 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. 14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. 15 As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
Hebrews 3:12-15 (ESV)
Sin is always crouching at the door. We all sin. We all deny the extent to which we sin, but we sin. Why is this so hard? Why does sin have such a hold on us? I do not know the answer to these questions, but I do know the remedy. The remedy is Christ. We are forgiven and the power of sin is broken because of Him, because of His death on the cross. What is the problem? We don’t experience freedom from sin in the way we would want. Why? There are probably a plethora of reasons. For this conversation we will consider the message of the writer of Hebrews.
Hebrews reminds us that we must cultivate the soil of our hearts. We must take care to keep our hearts malleable before the Lord rather than letting them harden. Our hearts harden when we hold on to and protect our sin. Have you experienced this? Something happens or is said. You get your hackles up, get angry, and harden you heart. Or, you pursue and possess something you want. It can be a thing, and attitude, or a behavior. You protect and bury it in order to retain it. When this is repeated over and over it becomes very damaging. We do not experience the good life. We are selfish, materialist, lustful, bitter, unbending, and unteachable. I have been in this boat before. What does it take to get out of it? First, the Lord is speaking. He has written it all down for us in His Word. He talks to us. We know when He wants us to behave differently. We are left with the choice to either harden our hearts against Him or to listen and respond in obedience and repentance.
The writer of Hebrews also reminds us that we can help each other. Our friends are with us during times of struggle. We are thankful and know how much they share our load. But we need people in our lives who know us, with whom we can be transparent. We need someone who loves us enough to be willing to call out our sin. We should exhort one another every day. We should be encouraging each other to put aside the evil and unbelief that creeps in.
“Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your heart as in the rebellion.”
Lord,
Tune my ears to Your voice. Grant me grace and mercy. Forgive the evil unbelief I have given a foothold in my heart. Soften my heart. Lead me near. Give me believing friends for mutual encouragement; me for them and them for me. Turn my heart to you in thanksgiving and worship. Renew me today.
Amen