Psalm 95:8 says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness.” This verse comes within a larger passage in Psalm 95 that calls God’s people to worship and obey Him. The specific exhortation not to harden one’s heart is a warning against repeating the rebellion and disbelief of the Israelites after they left Egypt.
During the wilderness wanderings, the Israelites faced many tests of faith. On two occasions at places called Meribah and Massah, the people complained and quarreled against God and Moses because of lack of water (see Exodus 17:1-7 and Numbers 20:1-13). God miraculously provided water from a rock, but the people’s constant grumbling and doubting of God even after seeing His wondrous works revealed the hardness of their hearts. So Psalm 95 reminds God’s people not to be stubborn, rebellious, or unbelieving like their ancestors, but to listen and respond obediently when they hear God’s voice.
Hardening one’s heart essentially means becoming stubborn, resistant, or defiant against God. It’s refusing to accept God’s commands, listen to His voice, acknowledge His power and provision, or believe His promises. A hardened heart is closed off from being shaped, convicted, or moved by God’s Spirit. On the other hand, having a soft, pliable heart represents being responsive, receptive, and obedient to God’s guidance. So this verse is a call for God’s people in every generation to cultivate soft hearts that are sensitive and submitted to Him, not hardened hearts of rebellion and unbelief.
1. The historical background – The wilderness wanderings
To fully understand this verse, we need to look at the historical context of the wilderness wanderings after the Exodus from Egypt. After being freed from slavery, the Israelites spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness before entering the Promised Land (Numbers 14:33-34). During this time, God was testing and humbling them, teaching them to trust and follow Him (Deuteronomy 8:2). Yet they frequently complained, doubted, and rebelled against Him and Moses their leader:
- Exodus 15:23-24 – They grumbled about bitter waters at Marah
- Exodus 16:1-3 – They grumbled about lack of food
- Exodus 17:1-4 – They quarreled and tested God about lack of water at Rephidim/Massah/Meribah
- Numbers 11:1-6 – They complained about hardships and lack of food
- Numbers 14:1-4 – They grumbled about entering Canaan and wanted to go back to Egypt
- Numbers 16:41-50 – They grumbled against Moses after Korah’s rebellion
- Numbers 20:2-5 – They quarreled again about lack of water at Kadesh/Meribah
Despite God’s miraculous provisions and deliverances, the Israelites’ hearts were hard and resistant toward Him. Psalm 95:8 references two specific incidents that epitomized this rebellious heart attitude – Exodus 17:1-7 and Numbers 20:1-13.
Exodus 17:1-7
Soon after being freed from Egypt, the people camped at Rephidim and there was no water to drink. They quarreled with Moses, complaining that he brought them out of Egypt to kill them and their livestock with thirst. Moses cried out to God asking what to do. God told Moses to strike a rock with his staff, and water gushed out to meet the people’s needs. Moses called the place Massah (testing) and Meribah (quarreling) because the people tested and quarreled with God saying “Is the LORD among us or not?” Even though God had just miraculously delivered them from Egypt through the Red Sea, they still doubted God’s presence and provision for them.
Numbers 20:1-13
About 40 years later, a very similar scenario occurred when the Israelites were camped at Kadesh. Once again, there was no water and the people assembled to quarrel against Moses and Aaron. They wished they had died in the wilderness like their brethren. Moses and Aaron sought God’s help, and He instructed Moses to speak to a rock to bring forth water. However, Moses disobeyed by striking the rock twice with his staff. Water still gushed out, but God rebuked Moses for not trusting Him enough to obey His precise instructions. Moses named that place also Meribah since the people strove with God by doubting His presence.
So Psalm 95:8 references Meribah and Massah as epitomes of the Israelites’ faithless, stubborn hearts in the wilderness. God miraculously provided for them over and over, yet they constantly complained, doubted, quarreled, and tested Him rather than trusting and obeying Him.
2. The call to worship and obey
Psalm 95 is a call to worship and obey God, with verses 1-7 inviting God’s people to praise Him as Creator and Shepherd, while verses 8-11 warn against unbelief and rebellion. The psalmist reminds God’s people of His mighty power and constant care for them, so they should respond with sincere worship, joyful songs, gratitude, and obedience (Psalm 95:1-7).
Then verse 8 gives the warning not to be stubborn and rebellious like the wilderness generation who hardened their hearts against God at Meribah and Massah. Though they saw God’s miracles and experienced His provision, they still grumbled, complained, doubted, and tested God repeatedly, revealing their hard hearts. So the psalmist exhorts his listeners not to be like their ancestors but to willingly and obediently listen to God’s voice.
The following verses (9-11) remind them of the consequences of hardening one’s heart – God prohibited that generation from entering His rest in the Promised Land because of their unbelief. This serves as a sober warning against unbelief leading to disobedience. The psalmist seeks to motivate his audience to soft, receptive hearts by remembering both God’s great mercy and His righteous judgment.
3. Heeding God’s voice
“Today, if you hear his voice” implies that God continually speaks to His people, and they must cultivate soft hearts to keep listening and responding. Throughout Israel’s history, God spoke through:
- His commands, laws, decrees (Deuteronomy 4:10)
- His Spirit (Nehemiah 9:30)
- Prophets (Jeremiah 7:25-26)
- Visions, dreams (Numbers 12:6)
- His word (Psalm 147:19)
Similarly today, God speaks primarily through the Bible, His Spirit, and biblically-sound teaching. We must train our hearts to keep hearing and obeying His voice instead of hardening our hearts in defiance or complacency.
4. A hard heart
A hard, stubborn heart is unyielding and resistant toward God. Hardness of heart is one of the most serious spiritual conditions because a hard heart separates us from God and leaves us unreceptive to His grace. Signs of a hardened heart include:
- Rebelling against God and rejecting His commands
- Doubting or Ignoring God’s power, wisdom, love
- Presumption and pride
- Self-reliance rather than relying on God
- Ingratitude for God’s blessings
- Legalism and hypocrisy
- Unbelief and false beliefs
A hard heart leads to a hard life – one dominated by futility, anxiety, emptiness, and separation from God. As Psalm 95 makes clear, a hard heart can also lead to God’s judgment and discipline. But the most tragic aspect is that a hard heart deafens us to God’s voice and hardens us to His Spirit, preventing us from receiving His grace and enjoying close fellowship with Him.
5. Cultivating a soft heart
Since a hard heart is so dangerous and deceptive, how can we keep our hearts soft, receptive, and responsive to God’s voice? Here are some key practices:
- Humility – Recognizing our need for God and submitting to His lordship. James 4:6-7 says God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
- Teachability – Being open to instruction and correction from God’s Word and Spirit. Don’t be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness (Hebrews 3:13).
- Gratitude – Thanking God continually for His awesome love and mighty deeds cultivates a responsive heart.
- Repentance – Regularly examining our hearts and repenting from sin prevents us from hardening our hearts in disobedience.
- Spiritual disciplines – Bible reading, prayer, fellowship, and worship soften our hearts to God’s presence and truth.
- Obedience – Saying ‘yes’ to God’s voice and commands keeps our hearts pliable and responsive.
The Israelites’ example in the wilderness and in subsequent generations highlights the destructiveness of hardening one’s heart against God. By God’s grace, may we learn from their mistakes. When we hear God’s voice today through His Word and Spirit, may He find our hearts soft and receptive to obey His commands, believe His promises, and rely fully on His mighty power and love.