SABBATH
THOUGHTS FOR YOUR WEEK
Do You Look on the Heart?
When God was choosing a king to replace Saul, He sent
Samuel to the house of Jesse to pick one of Jesse’s sons. Samuel wanted to
choose the first born son but God told him, “…look not on his countenance, or on
the height of his stature…for man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks
on the heart” (1Sam. 16:7). David was a man after God's own heart (1 Sam.
13:14). Jeremiah pleaded with the people to circumcise the "foreskin of
your heart" (Jer. 4:4).
God sometimes tests us to know fully what is in our hearts.
While God can read our mind and our heart, there are situations in which He Himself
wants to know just where we stand (2 Chron. 32:31).
The word translated “heart” is the Hebrew word
“lebab (lay-bawb)” which means the inner man, mind, will, understanding,
resolution and determination. There is a second Hebrew word (“leb”) which
has identically the same meaning.
There are many influences of the heart (mind). Wine
makes it glad and food strengthens it (Psa. 104:15). We know that when a person's
blood sugar is low, food revives energy and the mind works better. Students who stay
up all night "cramming" for exams often eat constantly during that time.
We are to trust God with all our heart and not to lean
solely to our own understanding (Prov. 3:5; 4:4). Here we are told that the only One
where we can put our entire trust is GOD. We should never lean solely to our own
understanding. Our perceptions are often fallible as are our memories. It
would be the height of folly to lean solely to our own understanding without getting
feedback from others and council from others.
The Bible describes the heart in many ways. It talks
of a “deceived heart”, a “foolish heart”, “anguish of
heart”, “blindness of heart” (Isa. 44:20; Rom. 1:21; 2Cor.2:4; Eph. 4:18).
The mind can be blind to new knowledge and information. Our minds can be deceived
and even become foolish regardless of our IQ.
There is even a mention of an “evil heart of
unbelief” (Heb. 3:12). A sin, like a crime, is punished based on the “Mens
Rae” or criminal mind. In the books of the Law, mention is made of a sin
that was done in ignorance or by accident as opposed to one that is done
“presumptuously” or by will.
We are told that we are to have a pure heart (Matt. 5:8;
1Tim. 1:5). A pure heart is one in which there is no criminal or sinful intent.
A person, by pulls of the flesh or other temptations, may yield to them in a sinful
way. This is different from a person who plans and determines evil such as criminals
do.
A heart can be open or closed. Paul said his heart
was wide open to the Corinthians (2Cor. 6:11). Remember, the Bible is really
talking about the mind. To open one’s heart is to open one’s mind
regarding another and to be able to receive new and accurate information. But
some people close their "heart" even to those they used to love. One
offence and there is no more chance with them -- you're simply out of their lives. I
have seen people abandon all contact with their son or daughter because that person did
something "wrong" in their sight. Where is the open heart? Their
heart (mind) is hardened in that it will not take in new information and like a computer
is supposed to do -- update itself.
In Part 2 we will continue to explore what you do with your
heart and just how important the heart is to God and in our human relationships.
-- David L. Antion