Introduction
This is the second of, now potentially, five new research papers arising from my recent heart attack and consequent bypass operation. The first paper is to be found at Physicians. Both these experiences have left their mark on me, both physically and spiritually. This paper is looking at what the Bible has to say about the heart. I expect that there is much on the subject but that the bulk of the references will be referring to the spiritual rather than physical heart as per my earlier paper: Mind, Heart and Spirit. So, let us see if the scriptures meet my expectations in this regard.
Love of God
There are many instances in the Bible where God requires us to seek or worship Him with ‘all our heart’. This is established right from the start in the Law of Moses:
5 and thou shalt love Jehovah thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be upon thy heart; (Deuteronomy 6 ASV)
2 and shalt return unto Jehovah thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul; (Deuteronomy 30 ASV)
10 For you shall listen to the voice of Jehovah your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in the book of this Law. For you shall turn back toward Jehovah your God, with all your heart and with all your soul.
11 For this command which I am commanding you today [is] not too wonderful for you, nor [is] it too far off.
12 It [is] not in the heavens [that you should] say, Who shall go up into the heavens for us, and bring it to us, and cause us to hear it, that we may do it?
13 And it [is] not beyond the sea [that you should] say, Who shall cross over for us to the region beyond the sea and take it for us, and cause us to hear it, that we may do it?
14 For the Word [is] very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it. (Deuteronomy 30 GLT)
And clearly confirmed by our Saviour:
36 Teacher, which [is the] great commandment in the Law?
37 And Jesus said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." [Deut. 6:5] (Matthew 22 GLT)
30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this [is] the first commandment.
31 And the second [is] like, [namely] this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love [his] neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. (Mark 12 KJV)
Jeremiah tells us that if we seek God with all our heart we shall find Him:
13 And ye shall seek me, and find [me], when ye shall search for me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29 KJV)
Joel confirms this message in terms of God’s forgiveness if we turn to Him from our sinful ways:
12 Yet even now turn to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning, declares Jehovah.
13 Yea, tear your heart, and not your robes; and turn to Jehovah your God. For He [is] gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and He pities concerning the evil. (Joel 2 GLT)
David promised to give thanks and praise to Jehovah ‘with all his heart':
1 [To the chief musician, To die for the Son. A Psalm of David.] I will give thanks, O Jehovah, with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonderful acts; (Psalms 9 GLT)
11 Teach me thy way, O Jehovah; I will walk in thy truth: Unite my heart to fear thy name.
12 I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with my whole heart; And I will glorify thy name for evermore. (Psalms 86 ASV)
David also tells us that those who seek out God ‘with their whole heart’ will be blessed:
2 Blessed [are] they that keep his testimonies, [and that] seek him with the whole heart. (Psalms 119 KJV)
And later in that same Psalm, David confirms that he has sought God’s help in keeping His commandments, his spiritual heart being the instrument of achieving this:
10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.
11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. (Psalms 119 KJV)
Solomon entreats his children to trust in God with ‘all their hearts’:
1 My son, forget not my law; But let thy heart keep my commandments:
2 For length of days, and years of life, And peace, will they add to thee.
3 Let not kindness and truth forsake thee: Bind them about thy neck; Write them upon the tablet of thy heart:
4 So shalt thou find favor and good understanding In the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in Jehovah with all thy heart, And lean not upon thine own understanding: (Proverbs 3 ASV)
Joshua did likewise with the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh:
5 Only take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded you, to love Jehovah your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul. (Joshua 22 ASV)
Unfortunately, on his death bed, Joshua had to remind the children of Israel that, ‘in all their hearts’, they had done evil as well as good in their worship and would suffer the evil and the good from God in due recompense:
14 And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which Jehovah your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, not one thing hath failed thereof.
15 And it shall come to pass, that as all the good things are come upon you of which Jehovah your God spake unto you, so will Jehovah bring upon you all the evil things, until he have destroyed you from off this good land which Jehovah your God hath given you. (Joshua 23 ASV)
Samuel also had to remind the children of Israel to turn away from their wicked ways and serve Jehovah ‘with all their heart’. Given Jehovah’s love for His people, He would continue to bless them should they mend their ways:
20 And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not; ye have indeed done all this evil; yet turn not aside from following Jehovah, but serve Jehovah with all your heart:
21 and turn ye not aside; for [then would ye go] after vain things which cannot profit nor deliver, for they are vain.
22 For Jehovah will not forsake his people for his great name's sake, because it hath pleased Jehovah to make you a people unto himself.
23 Moreover as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against Jehovah in ceasing to pray for you: but I will instruct you in the good and the right way.
24 Only fear Jehovah, and serve him in truth with all your heart; for consider how great things he hath done for you. (1 Samuel 12 ASV)
The Good Spiritual Heart
Samuel sets the scene, by confirming that God is not impressed by one’s outward appearance but by the spiritual heart condition of a righteous man:
7 But Jehovah said to Samuel: Do not look at his appearance and at the height of his stature, for I have rejected him. For not the way man sees [is the way God sees], because mere man sees what appears to the eyes; but as for Jehovah, he sees what the heart is. (1 Samuel 16 NWT)
Peter in his first epistle confirms this point:
3 Whose adorning let it not be that outward [adorning] of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;
4 But [let it be] the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, [even the ornament] of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. (1 Peter 3 KJV)
Furthermore, the Gospels tell us that one’s reward in heaven comes from the treasure of a good heart not from one’s worldly possessions:
19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Matthew 6 KJV)
33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Luke 12 KJV)
This is a message first given by King David:
8 Trust in him at all times; [ye] people, pour out your heart before him: God [is] a refuge for us. Selah.
9 Surely men of low degree [are] vanity, [and] men of high degree [are] a lie: to be laid in the balance, they [are] altogether [lighter] than vanity.
10 Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart [upon them]. (Psalms 62 KJV)
Prior to this, in God’s giving of the Law to the children of Israel, He warned against any future king of Israel having multiple wives or great riches to turn his heart away from God. Worryingly it was his many wives that turned the heart of the previously wise and faithful King Solomon. God obviously saw this coming. This should be a warning to any faithful man should he be turned by the desires of this world:
17 Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold. (Deuteronomy 17 KJV)
And it is Matthew who gave us the famous verse that speaks for itself:
8 Blessed [are] the pure in heart: for they shall see God. (Matthew 5 KJV)
The purity of heart being of major importance to God is confirmed by Paul in his first letter to Timothy:
5 But the end of the charge is love out of a pure heart and a good conscience and faith unfeigned: (1 Timothy 1 ASV)
This was pre-figured by David:
4 The clean of hands, and pure of heart, Who hath not lifted up to vanity his soul, Nor hath sworn to deceit.
5 He beareth away a blessing from Jehovah, Righteousness from the God of his salvation. (Psalms 24 YLT)
Asaph confirms that to be the case for those of a pure heart:
1 [A Psalm of Asaph.] Truly God [is] good to Israel, to those who are of a pure heart. (Psalms 73 GLT)
And then we have this multi-layered verse from the pen of King Solomon:
11 He that loveth pureness of heart, [for] the grace of his lips the king [shall be] his friend. (Proverbs 22 KJV)
One who is pure in heart will express himself in a manner that demonstrates that very quality. But who is the king in the above verse? Well, it could mean King Solomon himself or, perhaps, any other earthly king responding positively to the words of a pure-hearted subject. In a greater meaning the king could be representative of Christ or Jehovah Himself.
Paul tells us that even those of a true heart need the heart to be washed clean spiritually through a physical baptism in water:
22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. (Hebrews 10 KJV)
Moses previously told us to number our days so that we waste no time in gaining a wise heart before our time on this planet runs out:
12 So teach [us] to number our days, that we may apply [our] hearts unto wisdom. (Psalms 90 KJV)
The wise King Solomon began his striving for wisdom shortly after taking his father’s place as king over the children of Israel. He recognised that David had a righteous heart and had been treated accordingly by God. Solomon prayed for an understanding heart which God thereby granted him since he had requested wisdom over worldly riches:
6 And Solomon said, Thou hast showed unto thy servant David my father great lovingkindness, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great lovingkindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
7 And now, O Jehovah my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child; I know not how to go out or come in.
8 And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.
9 Give thy servant therefore an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge this thy great people?
10 And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.
11 And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life, neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies, but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern justice;
12 behold, I have done according to thy word: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there hath been none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. (1 Kings 3 ASV)
In those days it seems that God’s wisdom was highly valued. A pity the very opposite seems to be the case today!! This verse confirms that God can confer His wisdom into the hearts of those who chose to accept that gift. It also confirms that wisdom is in the spiritual heart and therefore not the mind. Wisdom is more to do with what sort of person one is spiritually rather than a logical thought process which would follow from the heart’s motivation:
24 And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. (1 Kings 10 KJV)
There are two messages on the heart from King Solomon in these following verses. Firstly, the man with a vainly proud heart condition will not find salvation. Secondly, Solomon confirms his (and God’s) notion that a truly wise heart will strive after truth and the knowledge of God’s ways:
12 Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour [is] humility.
13 He that answereth a matter before he heareth [it], it [is] folly and shame unto him.
14 The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?
15 The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge. (Proverbs 18 KJV)
For those ones lacking in wisdom or understanding, Solomon implores that they strive for those qualities:
5 O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart. (Proverbs 8 KJV)
Solomon explained that a wise heart will listen to and accept God’s commandments, whereas a talkative fool only listens to his own nonsense and will suffer the consequences:
8 The wise in heart will receive commandments: but a prating fool shall fall. (Proverbs 10 KJV)
23 A prudent man concealeth knowledge: but the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness. (Proverbs 12 KJV)
33 Wisdom resteth in the heart of him that hath understanding: but [that which is] in the midst of fools is made known. (Proverbs 14 KJV)
14 The heart of the understanding one seeks knowledge, but the mouth of fools feeds on folly. (Proverbs 15 GLT)
To further support that notion, Paul tells us that true faith is demonstrated both by a good spiritual heart condition and by the words that we utter to confirm that faith to others:
8 But what does it say? "The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the Word of faith which we proclaim) [Deuteronomy 30:12-14].
9 Because if you confess [the] Lord Jesus with your mouth, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from [the] dead, you will be saved.
10 For with [the] heart [one] believes unto righteousness, and with [the] mouth [one] confesses unto salvation. (Romans 10 GLT)
As is his want, Jay Green always provides a cross-reference in his Bible translation when a scripture is repeated, usually between Testaments. In this case, we see reference to the Book of Deuteronomy, from verse 8 above, in the context of God's castigating the children of Israel for following foreign gods:
14 But the word [is] very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. (Deuteronomy 30 KJV)
King David asked God for a righteous heart within a renewed spirit (check out my Mind, Heart and Spirit paper):
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. (Psalms 51 KJV)
And once he had learned God’s ways, he would give his thanks with a righteous heart:
7 I will give thanks unto thee with uprightness of heart, When I learn thy righteous judgments. (Psalms 119 ASV)
And continue in the ways of the Lord:
111 Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they [are] the rejoicing of my heart.
112 I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes alway, [even unto] the end. (Psalms 119 KJV)
More generally, David tells us that the righteous ones have God’s Laws written into their hearts and will consequently keep to the path set by Him:
31 The law of his God [is] in his heart; none of his steps shall slide. (Psalms 37 KJV)
King Solomon describes God’s Laws to be bound on his sons’ fingers, as required by the wearing of phylacteries but, more importantly, to keep them written on their spiritual hearts:
3 Bind them upon thy fingers; Write them upon the tablet of thy heart. (Proverbs 7 ASV)
More tellingly, the Prophet Jeremiah quotes Jehovah’s own prophecy in promising a New Covenant to be brought about by the sacrifice Jesus would make for all mankind. No longer will the Jewish nation require the physical scrolls of Law; the New Jerusalem will have the Law written in their hearts:
33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith Jehovah: I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people: (Jeremiah 31 ASV)
This was a prophecy that Paul provided a reminder of to the Hebrew congregation gaining that promise of a New Covenant:
10 For this [is] the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: (Hebrews 8 KJV)
Interestingly we are told that Mary, the mother of Jesus, pondered upon the spreading of the words of the shepherds. It is not entirely clear to me what this verse is trying to tell us. Perhaps those words are causing Mary to think about her role in the coming of the New Covenant:
19 But Mary kept all these sayings, pondering them in her heart. (Luke 2 ASV)
And then we have David’s prayer made famous, since it is repeated regularly in the Church of England Sunday service, requesting of Jehovah that the words we utter and our heart-felt thoughts are acceptable to Him:
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in thy sight, O Jehovah, my rock, and my redeemer. (Psalms 19 ASV)
David promised those with faith in God that He would strengthen their hearts, perhaps both spiritually and physically, as He has mine:
14 Wait for Jehovah: Be strong, And let thy heart take courage; Yea, wait thou for Jehovah. (Psalms 27 ASV)
24 Be strong, and He will make your heart stronger, all you who hope in Jehovah. (Psalms 31 GLT)
David’s heart and flesh are spiritual and physical respectively in the following verses since the heart cannot literally cry out but the mouth can. Also, a man who gains his strength from Jehovah will find the path to God emblazoned in his spiritual heart:
2 My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of Jehovah; My heart and my flesh cry out unto the living God.
3 Yea, the sparrow hath found her a house, And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, Even thine altars, O Jehovah of hosts, My King, and my God.
4 Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: They will be still praising thee. [Selah]
5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; In whose heart are the highways [to Zion]. (Psalms 84 ASV)
And we have a similar promise in a Psalm of Asaph. This verse appears to refer to both the fleshly and spiritual heart:
26 My flesh and my heart faileth: [but] God [is] the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. (Psalms 73 KJV):
David’s son, Hezekiah, continued in the same faithful ways as his father in ruling Israel. This resulted in many of his people being described as ‘willing hearted’:
31 And Hezekiah answered and said, Now you have consecrated your hand to Jehovah; come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the house of Jehovah. And the congregation brought in sacrifices and thank offerings, and every willing hearted one [brought] burnt offerings. (2 Chronicles 29 GLT)
This ‘willing heartedness’ was prefigured early on in Moses’ leadership of the children of Israel:
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering. (Exodus 25 KJV)
In terms of willingness, we also had the children of Israel having the heart to work at rebuilding the wall in Jerusalem:
6 So we built the wall, and all the wall was joined together to the half of it. For the people had a heart to work. (Nehemiah 4 GLT)
Paul confirms the importance of this attitude by telling us that one who carries out God’s work with a willing heart will find favour in the Lord:
6 But this [I say,] He that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he that soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
7 [Let] each man [do] according as he hath purposed in his heart: not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9 ASV)
To the righteous ones of Israel, David prays that God will grant them all the desires of their heart:
4 He will give you according to your heart and [He will] fulfill all your plans. (Psalms 20 GLT)
4 Delight thyself also in Jehovah; And he will give thee the desires of thy heart. (Psalms 37 ASV)
In answer to David’s righteousness, God relents from His further punishment of the sinful nation of Israel by renewing their sinful heart with a righteous one. Despite referring to their spiritual heart, their fleshly heart is used as a metaphor here since I cannot imagine that God would give all the children of Israel a physical heart transplant (or even a heart bypass)! Indeed, this is clearly intended to be a spiritual transplant:
26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 36 KJV)
Put another way, God is the healer of those of a broken heart should they be willing for His aid as covered in my previous paper on Physicians. The first of these verses is clearly referring to the spiritual heart whereas the second verse could well be referring to both as in my recent medical case:
18 Jehovah is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, And saveth such as are of a contrite spirit. (Psalms 34 ASV)
3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. (Psalms 147 KJV)
Even the faithful David acknowledged his many iniquities that caused him a failing heart on occasion. However he knew, by keeping to his praise of God, that Jehovah would overlook those iniquities for his salvation:
8 I delight to do thy will, O my God; Yea, thy law is within my heart.
9 I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great assembly; Lo, I will not refrain my lips, O Jehovah, thou knowest.
10 I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation; I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great assembly.
11 Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Jehovah; Let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.
12 For innumerable evils have compassed me about; Mine iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up; They are more than the hairs of my head; And my heart hath failed me. (Psalms 40 ASV)
Likewise Job, failing in his old age, felt that the wisdom gained through his years on Earth had put his bad heart condition behind him:
11 My days are past, my purposes are broken off, [even] the thoughts of my heart. (Job 17 KJV)
In similar vein, David tells us that man’s most valued sacrifice to God is of a broken but contrite heart. A weak heart that acknowledges its failings will be seen as righteous by God:
17 The sacrifices of God [are] a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. (Psalms 51 KJV)
Then we have more wise words from King Solomon. Here he is telling his children to keep his wisdom in their hearts and to live their lives accordingly. Whilst these verses do make mention of one’s physical health, clearly this is referring to their spiritual hearts since Solomon is linking a healthy spiritual heart to a healthy body. From my recent experience, this is something that today’s medical profession fully appreciate in that a happy inner demeanour inevitably reflects itself onto a healthy body:
1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, And lay up my commandments with thee;
2 So as to incline thine ear unto wisdom, And apply thy heart to understanding; (Proverbs 2 ASV)
20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
22 For they [are] life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it [are] the issues of life. (Proverbs 4 KJV)
26 My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways. (Proverbs 23 KJV)
This point is succinctly put by Solomon in a later chapter of Proverbs but with even more meaning. A good spiritual heart shows itself in the righteous behaviour of its owner:
19 As face [reflects] face in the water, so the heart of man [reflects] a man. (Proverbs 27 GLT)
More than a century later, the Prophet Daniel tells us of a visitation he had from the angel Michael, when he was clearly told that his understanding and humble heart had caused God to hear and respond to his prayers:
12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. (Daniel 10 KJV)
Returning to the writings of King Solomon, we are told that a genuinely God-given happy spirit is beneficial for one’s physical health as we saw in my previous paper on Physicians:
22 A merry heart doeth good [like] a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. (Proverbs 17 KJV)
Clearly, Solomon was joyful if his children showed wisdom of heart:
15 My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine. (Proverbs 23 KJV)
David tells us that following God’s ways will make us joyful in our hearts:
8 The precepts of Jehovah are right, rejoicing the heart: The commandment of Jehovah is pure, enlightening the eyes. (Psalms 19 ASV)
However, even the faithful King David had his moments when he felt that God had left him. But, in the end, he knew that Jehovah would come through for him. Some considerable comfort for the rest of us I think, when we all have our doubts:
1 To the Overseer. -- A Psalm of David. Till when, O Jehovah, Dost Thou forget me? -- for ever? Till when dost Thou hide Thy face from me?
2 Till when do I set counsels in my soul? Sorrow in my heart daily? Till when is mine enemy exalted over me?
3 Look attentively; Answer me, O Jehovah, my God, Enlighten mine eyes, lest I sleep in death,
4 Lest mine enemy say, 'I overcame him,' Mine adversaries joy when I am moved.
5 And I, in Thy kindness I have trusted, Rejoice doth my heart in Thy salvation. (Psalms 13 YLT)
Jesus promised He would leave His peace with His disciples, a peace that would calm their spiritual hearts:
1 Let not your heart be troubled: believe in God, believe also in me. (John 14 ASV)
27 'Peace I leave to you; my peace I give to you, not according as the world doth give do I give to you; let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid; (John 14 YLT)
And another well-known verse, this time from the hand of Paul, promising that God’s peace will protect our hearts from evil thoughts:
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4 ASV)
Jesus told Peter, and the other disciples, that those with no doubt in their faithful hearts could achieve the seemingly impossible. Despite a faithful heart this would likely not be achievable by any mortal man since we all have doubts about the unseen:
23 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that what he saith cometh to pass; he shall have it. (Mark 11 ASV)
Job, in his response to his questioning by Bildad the Shuhite, reminds us that man is made in God’s image. So, God also has a spiritual heart but His is the wisest one:
4 [He is] wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened [himself] against him, and hath prospered? (Job 9 KJV)
For the record, I have just gone through my earlier paper on Job and I think there are many lessons to be learned from that piece of research that are applicable to the current paper and even more so to the next paper in this prospective series of five.
The Bad Spiritual Heart
Sticking to the spiritual heart, we can understand that there are bad hearts as well as good hearts. God’s Law recognised this and hence His curse on those following other gods:
18 lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from Jehovah our God, to go to serve the gods of those nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood;
19 and it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart, to destroy the moist with the dry.
20 Jehovah will not pardon him, but then the anger of Jehovah and his jealousy will smoke against that man, and all the curse that is written in this book shall lie upon him, and Jehovah will blot out his name from under heaven. (Deuteronomy 29 ASV)
In that regard we see, from the writings of the Prophet Jeremiah, that the tribes of Judah betrayed God through their idol worship. Their sinful ways were caused through the rebellious motivation of their spiritual hearts:
1 The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, [and] with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the tablet of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars;
2 whilst their children remember their altars and their Asherim by the green trees upon the high hills.
3 O my mountain in the field, I will give thy substance and all thy treasures for a spoil, [and] thy high places, because of sin, throughout all thy borders.
4 And thou, even of thyself, shalt discontinue from thy heritage that I gave thee; and I will cause thee to serve thine enemies in the land which thou knowest not: for ye have kindled a fire in mine anger which shall burn for ever.
5 Thus saith Jehovah: Cursed is the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from Jehovah. (Jeremiah 17 ASV)
Paul obviously felt he needed to warn the Hebrew congregation against following their forbears in their bad behaviour, caused by the hardening of their hearts against Jehovah in the wilderness:
8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.
10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in [their] heart; and they have not known my ways.
11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)
12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
15 While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. (Hebrews 3 KJV)
The sinful ways of mankind in worshipping false idols and carrying out lustful acts of the flesh from the evil intent of their hearts is reiterated by Paul to the congregation in Rome:
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified [him] not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: (Romans 1 KJV)
Going back to Jeremiah Chapter 17, verse 9 has a general translation issue which I must pick up on since there appears to be no single English translation that has the perfectly correct representation of the original Hebrew in my understanding. I provide the Septuagint translation of Sir Lancelot Brenton, which appears to be the only correct translation of the second half of verse 9, although not correct in the first half. I also provide the Green’s Literal Translation, which is typical of other translations, for a comparison, which gets the first half correct but not the second half:
9 The heart [is] deceitful above all things, and it is incurable; who can know it? (GLT)
9 The heart is deep beyond all things, and it is the man, and who can know him? (LXXb)
9עָקֹב הַלֵּב מִכֹּל, וְאָנֻשׁ הוּא; מִי, יֵדָעֶנּוּ. (WLC)
10 I, Jehovah, search the heart, [I] try the reins, even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings. (Jeremiah 17 GLT)
10 I the Lord try the hearts, and prove the reins, to give to every one according to his ways, and according to the fruits of his devices. (Jeremiah 17 LXXb)
10אֲנִי יְהוָה חֹקֵר לֵב, בֹּחֵן כְּלָיוֹת: וְלָתֵת לְאִישׁ כִּדְרָכָו, כִּפְרִי מַעֲלָלָיו. (Jeremiah 17 WLC)
So, let us have a look at the actual Hebrew words that seem to have been mis-translated for reasons that I know not. The Hebrew word ‘עָקֹב’ is best translated as ‘deceitful’ as per the Green’s version rather than ‘deep’ in the Septuagint. Similarly, the Hebrew word ‘וְאָנֻשׁ’ is best translated as ‘man’ as per the Septuagint rather than ‘incurable’ in the Green’s version. How such a general mistranslation can be made is beyond me. I can only think that the translators put in the sense that they thought was appropriate rather than looking at the literal translation of the Hebrew text. I happen to think that the more literal translation conveys a much more appropriate message. Verse 10, thankfully, looks reasonably well translated in both the above versions.
So, after that unexpected detour, let us have a look at the JLW translation so we can try to see what the Good Book is actually telling us:
9 The heart [is] deceitful above all things, and it is the man, and who can know him?
10 I, Jehovah, search the heart, [I] try the reins, even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings. (Jeremiah 17 JLW)
We are being told that the heart of man can be far from righteous and that the spiritual heart condition determines the nature of the man. The unrighteous heart is unknowable by other men but is well known by God as are man’s works.
Interestingly the Hebrew word ‘כְּלָיוֹת’ in verse 10 above is correctly translated as ‘reins’ aka ‘kidneys’. So here we seem to be seeing that God knows both the spiritual and physical state of a man’s health. Of this I am personally certain. While I was still in hospital, following my operation, I contracted a kidney problem. It appears that the kidneys are closely connected to the heart and react badly when there is a trauma to the heart. Hence the connection between the two organs referenced in Verse 10.
While David’s heart is nothing but righteous, he interestingly also asked God to test and purify his heart and kidneys. Sounds a little like the test that I have just been through (the subject of one of the next papers in this series of now five!):
2 Examine me, Oh Jehovah, and put me to the test; Refine my kidneys and my heart. (Psalms 26 NWT)
Solomon was not without making judgement upon the evil-hearted, Shimei being such an example as one who had cursed his father, David:
44 The king said moreover to Shimei, Thou knowest all the wickedness which thy heart is privy to, that thou didst to David my father: therefore Jehovah shall return thy wickedness upon thine own head. (1 Kings 2 ASV)
More generally, he warns us not to follow the ways of evil-hearted mankind:
1 Be not thou envious against evil men; Neither desire to be with them:
2 For their heart studieth oppression, And their lips talk of mischief. (Proverbs 24 ASV)
Matthew makes it crystal clear that the heart can be the root of all evil thoughts and deeds if it is not brought under control by faith in God:
18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: (Matthew 15 KJV)
Jesus warns the disciples that the multitude is largely unreceptive to His messages. This sounds rather like the Lords’ Witnesses understandings being ignored or rejected by the bulk of mankind today. However, Jesus holds out the hope that He will be able to reach their sensibilities and thereby heal their closed hearts. (Check out the section entitled 'The Heart is Our Modem Connection into God’s Matrix' in my Mind, Heart and Spirit paper):
15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and [their] ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with [their] eyes, and hear with [their] ears, and should understand with [their] heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. (Matthew 13 KJV)
Even the evil-hearted can draw near to God to cleanse their hearts if the will is there:
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse [your] hands, [ye] sinners; and purify [your] hearts, [ye] double minded. (James 4 KJV)
Now I found this following verse to be rather interesting. The phrase ‘hardening of hearts’ would normally be directed at unrighteous ones that have no faith in God. In this case, however, this verse is directed at Jesus’ disciples. Despite their faithful following of the Saviour, they still did not comprehend the full significance of who He was or understand His powers and their source. So, there was still a sense of disbelief even though they felt compelled to be His followers:
52 For they did not understand about [the miracle of] the loaves, for their hearts were hardened. (Mark 6 GLT)
Not dissimilarly, Eliphaz’ comments upon righteous Job’s complaints to God, tell him to accept God’s Laws into his heart. This is, no doubt, to protect that righteousness rather than turn away from evil:
22 Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart. (Job 22 KJV)
We can wrap up this section with these verses from the Gospels aimed at both good and evil men of all nations. A good heart brings forth good deeds whereas an evil heart will bring forth only evil:
34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. (Matthew 12 KJV)
45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. (Luke 6 KJV)
Affairs of the Heart
A paper on the heart would not be complete without mention of the heart’s place in the matter of human love affairs. However, I do not think the Bible has too much to say on this subject particularly since the New Testament advises against marriage except where a strong need is present. However, the Song of Solomon certainly does wax lyrical on the topic of a married couple’s relationship.
The following verse from that Book describes the love within a marriage as being sealed in the heart. This clearly must be the spiritual heart which most of mankind accepts probably without really thinking of the full implications of that assumption. The seal on the arm likely refers to the wedding band that both husband and wife wear to display their marriage vows. That love is described in very strong terms here as is the risk of jealousy in an unfaithful relationship. Certainly, in life, one sees both extremes of marriage from the strong bond there can and should be, between a husband and his wife. Compare this to the unhappiness caused by an adulterous relationship and the effect it has on both spouses as well as any children that they may have spawned:
6 Set me as a seal upon thy heart, As a seal upon thine arm: For love is strong as death; Jealousy is cruel as Sheol; The flashes thereof are flashes of fire, A very flame of Jehovah. (Song of Solomon 8 ASV)
Then, rather more specifically, we have the case of Shechem falling in love with Dinah and ‘speaking to her heart’ which presumably refers to the subtle art of seduction. He was guilty of both being a gentile and taking her out of wedlock, for which her family were none too happy:
3 And his soul clung to Dinah, the daughter of Jacob. And he loved the girl, and spoke to the heart of the girl.
4 And Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, Take this girl for me for a wife. (Genesis 34 GLT)
I was not too sure in which section of this paper I should place this next verse but I finally concluded that it represented an affair of the heart since it does not represent a physical sin in this system of things. Whilst it may be an unholy desire, a desire is not in itself sinful unless that temptation is given into by the physical act' (Check out my earlier paper Fleshly Desire):
28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. (Matthew 5 KJV)
And, as if to prove my point, the Law requires Jews to wear garments with tassels to remind them not to follow their own hearts and eyes. So, to have desires in the heart or eyes is not against the Law but to follow those desires is sinful:
39 and it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of Jehovah, and do them; and that ye follow not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to play the harlot; (Numbers 15 ASV)
The Seat of Emotions
The spiritual heart is not just open to love but all manner of other human emotions including fear as demonstrated by the sons of Jacob in their dealings with Joseph:
28 And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, [it is] even in my sack: and their heart failed [them], and they were afraid, saying one to another, What [is] this [that] God hath done unto us? (Genesis 42 KJV)
Similarly, the Children of Israel feared in their hearts the ‘giants’ living in the land that they would have to conquer albeit with God’s help:
28 Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people [is] greater and taller than we; the cities [are] great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there. (Deuteronomy 1 KJV)
Similarly, the Children of Israel’s hearts melted upon the initial small defeat at the hands of the Canaanites:
5 And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them [from] before the gate [even] unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water. (Joshua 7 KJV)
Fear in the heart seems to be a constantly recurring emotional theme. Here we have God’s anger at the children of Israel to whom He prophesied the diaspora whereby the Jews would be scattered amongst the gentile nations. He promised to put fear in their hearts resulting from this punishment:
36 And upon them that are left [alive] of you I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth. (Leviticus 26 KJV)
65 And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, and there shall be no rest for the sole of thy foot: but Jehovah will give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and pining of soul;
66 and thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear night and day, and shalt have no assurance of thy life.
67 In the morning thou shalt say, Would it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would it were morning! for the fear of thy heart which thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. (Deuteronomy 28 ASV)
And again we have the greatest fear of the heart possible. God’s warning that He will destroy Babylon both literally, in biblical times, and in the greater meaning for the end of days that is still to come, amen:
6 Wail ye; for the day of Jehovah is at hand; as destruction from the Almighty shall it come.
7 Therefore shall all hands be feeble, and every heart of man shall melt: (Isaiah 13 ASV)
More fear, this time being expressed by Rahab in describing the fear of the incumbent inhabitants of Jerico who had heard of what Jehovah had done to the Egyptians and Amorites on behalf of the children of Israel:
11 And as soon as we had heard it, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more spirit in any man, because of you: for Jehovah your God, he is God in heaven above, and on earth beneath. (Joshua 2 ASV)
And more of the same. Here Eli was fearful of heart since the Philistines had defeated the children of Israel in battle and had captured the ark of the covenant which had been guarded by Eli’s two sons:
13 And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told [it], all the city cried out. (1 Samuel 4 KJV)
In contrast, even when surrounded by his enemies, David had no fear in his heart due to his faith in God to protect him and His people in battle:
3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this [will] I [be] confident. (Psalms 27 KJV)
This time we have a request from David that no-one show fear of heart before he went to fight Goliath the Philistine:
32 And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. (1 Samuel 17 KJV)
Even the heart of a nation can be fearful. Although it sounds figurative, I think this is really just a plural expression for all of a nation’s citizens, in this case the Egyptians:
1 The burden of Egypt. Behold, Jehovah rideth upon a swift cloud, and cometh unto Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall tremble at his presence; and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it. (Isaiah 19 ASV)
And then we have a very special example of the fear of the heart. Why special? Well, Psalm 22 is prophesying the physical death of Jesus. Describing His heart as being like wax, and thereby being made molten, this is describing Jesus’ fear of his prospective painful death on the cross as well as, no doubt, the strain on His physical heart from being crucified:
14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. (Psalms 22 KJV)
In this next verse, Abigail is trying to prevent David from killing her husband needlessly. ‘Stumbling of the heart’ is an interesting expression. I think this is meaning that she would not wish David to have a feeling of uncertainty or perhaps even remorse of having made a mistake, if he were to carry out this act:
31 that this shall not be for a cause of staggering, or of stumbling of heart to my lord, either to shed blood for nothing, or [that] my lord saved himself. And may Jehovah do good to my lord, and you remember your handmaid. (1 Samuel 25 GLT)
Further on in this same account we have two extremes of emotion of the heart from Nabal. Firstly, that of merriment caused by his drunken state. Upon his sobering up the following day, Abigail informed him of David’s threat to kill him, following which his ‘heart died within him and he became as a stone’. Given that he had not actually physically died at that stage, it is not entirely obvious to me what this actually meant. I can only think that he went into some form of cardiac or spiritual shock that effectively rendered him unconscious or catatonic before God caused his actual death:
36 And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken: wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light.
37 And it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, that his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.
38 And it came to pass about ten days after, that Jehovah smote Nabal, so that he died. (1 Samuel 25 ASV)
Similarly to the above account we, unsurprisingly, have a linkage between the spiritual and the physical heart. An emotional effect within the spiritual heart can cause an effect in the physical heart. Here the fear within the spiritual heart appears to have caused heart palpitations in the physical heart:
4 My heart fluttereth, horror hath affrighted me; the twilight that I desired hath been turned into trembling unto me. (Isaiah 21 ASV)
Saul seems to have had a similar experience on seeing the encampment of the Philistines:
5 And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled. (1 Samuel 28 KJV)
And David’s physical heart was also likely pained through the fear of his spiritual heart:
4 My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me. (Psalms 55 KJV)
Next up we have the emotion of the sadness of heart:
2 Wherefore the king said unto me, Why [is] thy countenance sad, seeing thou [art] not sick? this [is] nothing [else] but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid, (Nehemiah 2 KJV)
And to counter this sadness we have a cheery heart through the imbibing of wine. This is the spiritual heart; the effect of alcohol upon the physical heart is that it increases the rate at which it beats. Bread sustains the life of man and therefore his physical heart although we know that man does not live by bread alone:
15 And wine cheers the heart of man; oil makes [his] face shine, and bread sustains the heart of man. (Psalms 104 GLT)
The physical application of ointment or perfume also bring joy to the spiritual heart as does the good spiritual words of a friend:
9 Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so [doth] the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel. (Proverbs 27 KJV)
God, Himself, tells Moses that his brother Aaron will be glad of heart to see him:
14 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, [Is] not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. (Exodus 4 KJV)
The physical gifts from God also give gladness to the spiritual heart as well as food to sustain the physical heart:
17 And yet He left not himself without witness, in that he did good and gave you from heaven rains and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness. (Acts 14 ASV)
And a wise son will make his father’s heart glad:
11 My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him that reproacheth me. (Proverbs 27 KJV)
I think we are all familiar with the expression of ‘taking something to heart’. This can involve any emotion dictated by the nature of the ‘something’ although it most usually relates to bad news of one sort or another. In this case King David was advised by Jonadab not to take all his sons’ deaths to heart, since that had not been the case and ‘only’ Amnon had been killed. One can imagine that both anger and sadness were the emotions involved. However, I would have thought that the death of one son would have been enough to spark off these feelings of the heart albeit not to the same degree:
33 Now therefore let not my lord the king take the thing to his heart, to think that all the king's sons are dead: for Amnon only is dead. (2 Samuel 13 KJV)
Now all this relates to Absalom's ordering of the killing of his half-brother Amnon, both of whom therefore were sons of David (also see later section below, 'The Physical Heart', on this unfolding story). So, first off, David’s heart must have had mixed emotions since one of his sons caused another to be killed. There seems to be many references to the heart throughout this whole account; Amnon’s heart being merry with wine is mentioned thereby making him susceptible to the killing. Now Joab perceived that David’s heart was inclined ‘towards’ Absalom. However, it is not clear to me whether this was in a positive or negative sense given the circumstances. Either way we have either emotion of love or anger prospectively filling David’s spiritual heart towards Absalom:
28 Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, Mark ye now when Amnon's heart is merry with wine, and when I say unto you, Smite Amnon; then kill him, fear not: have not I commanded you? be courageous, and be valiant.
29 And the servants of Absalom did unto Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king's sons arose, and every man gat him up upon his mule, and fled. (2 Samuel 13 KJV)
1 Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart [was] toward Absalom. (2 Samuel 14 KJV)
To finish this section off, we can observe that one’s wishes and desires stem from the spiritual heart as Jonathan’s armour-bearer observed:
7 And his armourbearer said unto him, Do all that [is] in thine heart: turn thee; behold, I [am] with thee according to thy heart. (1 Samuel 14 KJV)
God’s Discernment
As previously observed, God is the reader of our spiritual hearts (Check out the section entitled 'The Heart is Our Modem Connection into God’s Matrix' in my Mind, Heart and Spirit paper). This became evident at an early stage in mankind’s history. The evil that mankind wrought in that age led God to destroy unrighteous mankind through the flood. Also we find, ironically, that man was made in God’s image in that both men and God have a spiritual heart as previously commented on in this paper:
5 And Jehovah saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And it repented Jehovah that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. (Genesis 6 ASV)
He can discern between the good and the bad spirits within us. Whilst there are shades of grey for all of our characters, God will decide which of us are worthy of salvation from this life:
12 For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4 KJV)
As if in anticipation, Job invites God to judge if his heart has strayed from a righteous path:
6 let me be weighed in a just balance so that God may know my integrity.
7 If my step has turned aside out of the way, or my heart has walked after my eyes, and if any blot has held fast to my hands,
8 let me sow, and let another eat; and let my harvests be rooted out.
9 If my heart has been enticed by a woman; or I have laid wait at my neighbor's door, (Job 31 GLT)
It is for man to be responsible for his own heart condition and behaviour whereas Jehovah will make His judgement upon the intent of s man’s heart very clear:
1 Of man {are} arrangements of the heart, And from Jehovah an answer of the tongue. (Proverbs 16 YLT)
21 Many purposes [are] in a man's heart, but the counsel of Jehovah shall stand. (Proverbs 19 GLT)
Interestingly, Solomon considers that a man with God-given discernment can also determine a man’s true heart condition, albeit with careful weighing of the man’s actions and words:
5 Counsel in the heart of man [is like] deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out. (Proverbs 20 KJV)
The apostle John, in his first letter to his faithful congregation, confirms to them that their heart condition is known by God. If the faithful have a less than faithful heart, the owner of that heart will know that and so does God. If our hearts confirm our good faith to ourselves then we will have faith that God also knows that for our salvation:
19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, [then] have we confidence toward God. (1 John 3 KJV)
Furthermore Paul, in his letter to the congregation in Rome, states that the gentiles, who did not have the Law of Moses, when righteous must have had the Law written in their hearts. This would have been borne out by their consciences and thoughts which only they themselves and God would know:
14 (for when Gentiles that have not the law do by nature the things of the law, these, not having the law, are the law unto themselves;
15 in that they show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness therewith, and their thoughts one with another accusing or else excusing [them]); (Romans 2 ASV)
Jesus also was given the gift of knowing men’s heart condition:
4 And Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said: Why are you thinking wicked things in your hearts? (Matthew 9 NWT)
Solomon compares the refining processes for gold and silver with God’s ability to discern any impurities within a man’s heart:
3 The refining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold; But Jehovah trieth the hearts. (Proverbs 17 ASV)
There are two different messages from Solomon in these next two verses. First off, God will affect the hearts of earthly leaders to ensure they meet His requirements of them. Secondly, regardless of a man’s view of his own behaviour, God will, nonetheless form His own view of that man’s heart condition:
1 The king's heart is in the hand of Jehovah as the watercourses: He turneth it whithersoever he will.
2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes; But Jehovah weigheth the hearts. (Proverbs 21 ASV)
In the days when the children of Israel were scattered among the gentile nations and sinned by following their false gods, Jehovah vowed to change the hearts of them that were willing to return to Him. Those that were not willing would face the dire consequences. Again, a judgement from God based on their heart condition:
19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh;
20 that they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.
21 But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will bring their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord Jehovah. (Ezekiel 11 ASV)
For an old man such as I, the following verses from Solomon ring very true. I am sure we all enjoy the vitality and newness of life that comes in our former years. However, God warns us that can come with the risk of not paying adequate attention to the ways of the Lord rather than the desires of our own immature hearts. God will be judging us in those formative years in the hope and expectation that we will put that behind us as we grow in maturity in later life to walk in His ways:
9 Rejoice, O young man, in your youth. And make your heart glad in the days of your youth, and walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes; but know that for all these [things] God will bring you into judgment.
10 So then remove vexation from your heart, and put away evil from your flesh. For childhood and prime of life [are] vanity. (Ecclesiastes 11 GLT)
There are several references to the heart in this next section of scripture from the wise King Solomon, so I thought it appropriate to look at the whole piece. First off, we have Solomon declaring that he considered ‘in his heart’ the fundamental matters for mankind of this mortal life. He makes it clear that all is subject to the will of God. The good and the bad all suffer the finality of the first death, regardless of how we have lived our lives. While we are alive, we can influence whether we also have the second death visited upon us (Check out the True Bible Code website at 'Introduction 14 - What the Hell is Gehenna? Why does God permit Demon Possession? Universal Salvation: God will save each and every one of us, for God is love and love is salvation'). After we suffer the first death, our fate is totally down to God’s judgement upon us for our behaviour in this life. Ultimately, I think this chapter of Ecclesiastes is aimed at the righteous among us; this piece ends on an upbeat note that we should have a merry heart for the acceptance by God of our thoughts and deeds:
1 For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, [are] in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred [by] all [that is] before them.
2 All [things come] alike to all: [there is] one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as [is] the good, so [is] the sinner; [and] he that sweareth, as [he] that feareth an oath.
3 This [is] an evil among all [things] that are done under the sun, that [there is] one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness [is] in their heart while they live, and after that [they go] to the dead.
4 For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any [thing] that is done under the sun.
7 Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works. (Ecclesiastes 9 KJV)
And then more wisdom from King Solomon confirming how exposed are our spiritual hearts to God’s scrutiny. Also, how the heart is the driving force behind our spiritual well-being:
11 Hell and destruction [are] before Jehovah; even more the hearts of the sons of men!
12 A scorner does not love one who corrects him, nor will he go to the wise.
13 A joyful heart makes a good face, but by grief of heart the spirit is stricken. (Proverbs 15 GLT)
Not only can God read our hearts, as intimated earlier on in this paper, He also writes them according to His will:
26 And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and there went with him a band of men, whose hearts God had touched. (1 Samuel 10 KJV)
12 And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I [any] man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither [was there any] beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon. (Nehemiah 2 KJV)
He writes in the hearts of His people but also those, such as the Persian King Artaxerxes, who are from the gentile nations:
27 Blessed be Jehovah, the God of our fathers, who hath put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of Jehovah which is in Jerusalem; (Ezra 7 ASV)
We have God’s challenging of Job’s knowledge of creation and, specifically, His imparting of wisdom and understanding to who He will. The interesting thing in this verse is the English translations which arguably imply the heart albeit not so clearly since ‘mind’ can be an alternative meaning here:
36 Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the heart? (Job 38 KJV)
36 Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? Or who hath given understanding to the mind? (Job 38 ASV)
36 מִי-שָׁת, בַּטֻּחוֹת חָכְמָה; אוֹ מִי-נָתַן לַשֶּׂכְוִי בִינָה. (Job 38 WLC)
So, we have the phrase ‘inward parts’ correctly translated from the Hebrew word ‘בַּטֻּחוֹת’. Does this mean ‘heart’? Then we have the Hebrew word ‘בַּטֻּחוֹת’ which can take the meaning of ‘mind’ or ‘heart’. This is somewhat less clear than the regular Hebrew word for ‘heart’ which is ‘לֵב’. In my Mind, Heart and Spirit paper, I came to a rather more definitive view of the heart and the mind as specific elements within the human spirit. Why rather less definitive words should be used in God’s tirade against Job I can only guess at. Perhaps in His anger with Job, God felt that the words He used were not so important as to ensure He got the appropriate message across, which He clearly did despite the translational queries.
David, just prior to the succession of his crown to his son Solomon, confirmed his knowledge that God could read men’s hearts and that he believed his own to be righteous. He prayed that God would continue to give the children of Israel, together with his son and heir, a faithful heart towards Jehovah:
17 I know also, my God, that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now have I seen with joy thy people, that are present here, offer willingly unto thee.
18 O Jehovah, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee;
19 and give unto Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy statutes, and to do all these things, and to build the palace, for which I have made provision. (1 Chronicles 29 ASV)
Another interesting example of God writing in our hearts is the concept of eternity. What is eternity but our knowledge that we represent a very small element of time in God’s overall creation, the enormity of which we can only guess at? Check out my Time paper:
11 He hath made everything beautiful in its time: also he hath set eternity in their heart, yet so that man cannot find out the work that God hath done from the beginning even to the end. (Ecclesiastes 3 ASV)
In contrast with God’s ability to read our hearts, we can never read the hearts of other men. We can only look for the outward physical signs of body language and behaviour, neither of which provides absolute knowledge of a man’s true heart condition. Whilst we know our own heart emotions others will not unless we share our feelings with them openly:
10 The heart knows the bitterness of its soul, and a stranger does not mix in its joy. (Proverbs 14 GLT)
Worryingly, Satan is also able to read and influence our hearts’ condition. He sees those with a less than perfect heart condition. These he can corrupt through the short-term pleasures of this life to replace their God-given promise of an everlasting salvation. Nothing gives Satan more pleasure than corrupting those who are on a faithful path but are weak of spirit. God uses Satan as the tester of His favoured ones’ faith (see a later paper in the series of now five papers related to my recent health issues):
12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
13 They on the rock [are they], which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of [this] life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep [it], and bring forth fruit with patience. (Luke 8 KJV)
The Physical Heart
As I expected, the number of bible references to the physical heart are even rarer than I imagined at the start of this piece of research. In this verse we have the death of Jehoram, the son of Jezebel, at the hands of Jehu’s bowmanship. Jehu’s arrow flies straight through Jehoram’s heart causing his instant death. After my recent medical experience, it has become even more clear to me that the physical heart represents the seat of physical health and the spiritual heart represents the seat of spiritual health:
24 And Jehu drew a bow with his full strength, and smote Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot. (2 Kings 9 KJV)
Next, we have the somewhat less clear-cut case of Absalom’s death at the hands of Joab. Joab used three ‘darts’ to kill Absolom. Why he thought he needed three seems something of a mystery. Perhaps the nature of the ‘darts’ is in some doubt. Despite all the common translations being ‘darts’, the Hebrew word ‘שְׁבָטִים’ more literally can take the meaning of ‘rod’ or ‘staff’ which would have no sharp point. This would more likely be a weapon merely to wound rather than prove fatal. I think this most likely since Absalom was described as still being alive even though struck in his heart. It then took Joab’s ten arms bearers to finish him off. This is yet another case of the Hebrew scriptures being worded in a less than clear manner which most certainly begs the question of what is the greater meaning to these verses? Perhaps this was to move the blame for Absalom’s death away from Joab since Absalom was David’s son:
14 And Joab saith, 'Not right -- I tarry before thee;' and he taketh three darts in his hand, and striketh them into the heart of Absalom, while he {is} alive, in the midst of the oak. (YLT)
14וַיֹּאמֶר יוֹאָב, לֹא-כֵן אֹחִילָה לְפָנֶיךָ; וַיִּקַּח שְׁלֹשָׁה שְׁבָטִים בְּכַפּוֹ, וַיִּתְקָעֵם בְּלֵב אַבְשָׁלוֹם--עוֹדֶנּוּ חַי, בְּלֵב הָאֵלָה. (WLC)
15 And they go round -- ten youths bearing weapons of Joab -- and smite Absalom, and put him to death. (2 Samuel 18 YLT)
15 וַיָּסֹבּוּ עֲשָׂרָה נְעָרִים, נֹשְׂאֵי כְּלֵי יוֹאָב; וַיַּכּוּ אֶת-אַבְשָׁלוֹם, וַיְמִתֻהוּ. (2 Samuel 18 WLC)
In another, rather less graphic example, God instructs Aaron to wear the breastplate of judgement upon his heart. While this is a clear case of identifying the physical heart as residing in Aaron’s breast, the third iteration of the word ‘heart’ in the following two verses is more indicative of Aaron’s spiritual heart. I find this an interesting mix of the two hearts of man:
29 And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before Jehovah continually.
30 And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goeth in before Jehovah: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before Jehovah continually. (Exodus 28 ASV)
The Figurative Heart
And now for what seems to be another rare occurrence in the scriptures: the use of the word ‘heart’ used in a totally figurative sense. This usage indicates the heart being the very centre of matters; in these particular cases, in the midst of the seas. This would also indicate that both the physical and spiritual hearts of man take centre stage in his body and his spirit, indeed in his whole soul (Mind, Heart and Spirit). Firstly, with reference to Jehovah’s parting of the waters of the Red Sea:
8 And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, [and] the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea. (Exodus 15 KJV)
Secondly, in recognising God’s power over the Earth:
2 Therefore will we not fear, though the earth do change, And though the mountains be shaken into the heart of the seas; (Psalms 46 ASV)
We have Ezekiel using the same phraseology whilst waxing lyrical about the port and merchantmen of Tyre plying their trade across the seas. Tyre is described as being in the ‘heart’ of the seas and consequently well-placed in the centre of the busy shipping lanes of those times. But despite this they are bluntly reminded that the treacherous seas ultimately rule the roost over the ships of trade. Again, the message here being that God is all-powerful compared to the best efforts of mankind:
4 Thy borders are in the heart of the seas; thy builders have perfected thy beauty. (Ezekiel 27 ASV)
4בְּלֵב יַמִּים, גְּבוּלָיִךְ; בֹּנַיִךְ, כָּלְלוּ יָפְיֵךְ. (Ezekiel 27 WLC)
25 The ships of Tarshish were thy caravans for thy merchandise: and thou wast replenished, and made very glorious in the heart of the seas. (ASV)
25אֳנִיּוֹת תַּרְשִׁישׁ, שָׁרוֹתַיִךְ מַעֲרָבֵךְ; וַתִּמָּלְאִי וַתִּכְבְּדִי מְאֹד, בְּלֵב יַמִּים. (WLC)
26 Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters: the east wind hath broken thee in the heart of the seas. (ASV)
26בְּמַיִם רַבִּים הֱבִאוּךְ, הַשָּׁטִים אֹתָךְ; רוּחַ, הַקָּדִים, שְׁבָרֵךְ, בְּלֵב יַמִּים. (WLC)
27 Thy riches, and thy wares, thy merchandise, thy mariners, and thy pilots, thy calkers, and the dealers in thy merchandise, and all thy men of war, that are in thee, with all thy company which is in the midst of thee, shall fall into the heart of the seas in the day of thy ruin. (Ezekiel 27 ASV)
27הוֹנֵךְ, וְעִזְבוֹנַיִךְ, מַעֲרָבֵךְ, מַלָּחַיִךְ וְחֹבְלָיִךְ; מַחֲזִיקֵי בִדְקֵךְ וְעֹרְבֵי מַעֲרָבֵךְ וְכָל-אַנְשֵׁי מִלְחַמְתֵּךְ אֲשֶׁר-בָּךְ, וּבְכָל-קְהָלֵךְ אֲשֶׁר בְּתוֹכֵךְ, יִפְּלוּ בְּלֵב יַמִּים, בְּיוֹם מַפַּלְתֵּךְ. (Ezekiel 27 WLC)
Interestingly all the popular English translations have the word for ‘heart’ incorrectly translated as ‘midst’ in verse 27. In all the above verses, the Hebrew word translated as ‘heart’ (and ‘midst’ in the case of verse 27) is ‘בְּלֵב’. So why does verse 32 of that same chapter of Ezekiel use a different word ‘בְּתוֹךְ’ for the ‘midst’ of the sea?
32 And in their wailing they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and lament over thee, [saying], Who is there like Tyre, like her that is brought to silence in the midst of the sea? (Ezekiel 27 ASV)
32 וְנָשְׂאוּ אֵלַיִךְ בְּנִיהֶם קִינָה, וְקוֹנְנוּ עָלָיִךְ: מִי כְצוֹר, כְּדֻמָה בְּתוֹךְ הַיָּם.; (Ezekiel 27 WLC)
I can see nothing in the context of that verse that could explain the use of a different meaning. Please place your explanations in a plain brown envelope and send to the usual address!
Whilst some translations use the word 'midst' when heart would be more correct, I will use Green's translation for verse 2 below to ensure no more such queries arise from Ezekiel Chapter 28. In this chapter it is made very clear that the Prince of Tyre behaves like a god and that, consequently, Jehovah brings him down a peg or two. He almost seems to be behaving like Lucifer, God help him! All ‘heart’ references seem to be in order, including the references to the ‘heart of the seas’ so long as we use Green's for verse 2. Reference to God’s also having a heart is again mentioned:
2 Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, So says the Lord Jehovah, Because your heart [is] lifted up, and you have said, I [am] a god, I sit [in] the seat of gods, in the heart of the seas; yet you [are] a man, and not God, though you give your heart as the heart of gods. (Ezekiel 28 GLT)
5 by thy great wisdom [and] by thy traffic hast thou increased thy riches, and thy heart is lifted up because of thy riches; --
6 therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because thou hast set thy heart as the heart of God,
7 therefore, behold, I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations; and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness.
8 They shall bring thee down to the pit; and thou shalt die the death of them that are slain, in the heart of the seas. (Ezekiel 28 ASV)
17 Thy heart was lifted up because of thy beauty; thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I have cast thee to the ground; I have laid thee before kings, that they may behold thee. (Ezekiel 28 ASV)
The expression ‘heart of the seas’ seems to be used frequently throughout the OT scriptures. Another example is that of Jonah trapped in the belly of the whale:
3 For thou didst cast me into the depth, in the heart of the seas, And the flood was round about me; All thy waves and thy billows passed over me. (Jonah 2 ASV)
the number of bible references to the physical heart are even rarer than I imagined at the start of this piece of research. 'The heart of things' is an expression that is in common use today that can be used to describe the centre of many different things. Why do the scriptures only seem to use this expression with regard to the seas? Again please place your answers in a plain brown envelop and send to the usual address (LOL)
Synopsis
- As one can tell from the sheer length of this paper, the heart features frequently in the scriptures and in several different contexts.
- There are many instances in the Bible where God requires us to seek or worship Him with ‘all our heart’.
- God is not impressed by one’s outward appearance but by the spiritual heart condition of a righteous man.
- Most scriptures on the heart refer to man's spiritual heart rather than the physical heart.
- Wise and understanding hearts are greatly valued by God as frequently referenced in the writings of King Solomon.
- As far as the spiritual heart is concerned, there are bad hearts as well as good hearts. God’s Law recognised this from the start with particular angst falling on those following other false gods.
- Mention of the heart’s place in the matter of human love affairs occurs sparingly in the Bible. Whilst this must clearly be related to the spiritual heart (as well as an elevated physical heart rate) mankind does not seem to understand the wider implications of this concept.
- The spiritual heart is not just open to love but all manner of other human emotions from fear through to joy.
- God is the reader of our spiritual hearts. He can discern between the good and the bad spirits within us. He also writes them according to His will. All this is beyond mortal man's capability.
- The number of Bible references to the physical heart are surprisingly very rare.
- Another relatively rare occurrence in the scriptures is the use of the word ‘heart’ in a totally figurative sense. This usage indicates the heart being at the very centre of matters and specifically in 'the midst of the seas' which is the only sense in which the heart is used figuratively in the scriptures albeit on several occasions.
Addendum 1
I am writing this addendum as a direct result of a request from the Lords' Witnesses Church President, Gordon, upon his review of this paper. It relates to one scriptural item in the section above entitled 'God’s Discernment' with a view to encompass our understanding of the salvation covenants which are applicable to that scripture and I quote:
'Furthermore Paul, in his letter to the congregation in Rome, states that the gentiles, who did not have the Law of Moses, when righteous must have had the Law written in their hearts. This would have been borne out by their consciences and thoughts which only they themselves and God would know:
14 (for when Gentiles that have not the law do by nature the things of the law, these, not having the law, are the law unto themselves;
15 in that they show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness therewith, and their thoughts one with another accusing or else excusing [them]); (Romans 2 ASV)'
Gordon's, slightly modified, comments are as follows:
"The Law of Moses was for the Jews. But the principles of the Law of Moses are written in the hearts of fair minded people by their life experience and through the moral teachings they have received. Then we all accuse or excuse ourselves internally through our conscience, which is our own personal divine law.
Now by Law (of Moses) IS accurate knowledge of sin for all mankind. But a man can be declared righteous if he obeys his conscience even if his conscience is immature and therefore contradicts Moses. When you are tested under the law of your conscience you are NOT being tested under the Law of Moses. If you keep you own internal law (however far apart from Moses that law may be), that is good enough not to hinder salvation by faith or by love.
If a Jew under the Law of Moses kept the Law, he was saved not by works but by faith through the 1AC (1st Abrahamic Covenant) and sealing into the FRC (Faith Ransom Covenant). He is tested as to the Law of Moses, but saved by faith. If a Gentile under the law of his conscience, kept that law, he is saved not by keeping his conscience but by faith through the 1AC and sealed into the FRC. For the 1AC was given to Abraham outside of circumcision, when he was not one of God's official people.
So the Law of Moses or of the conscience or of the church does not itself provide salvation. It instead provides an assault course which we have to master, a test which if kept leads to salvation through faith into the FRC or indeed through humanity/brotherly love under OMC/2LC (Omega Covenant/2nd Law Covenant)) testing into the LRC (Love Ransom Covenant).
For love is greater than faith says Paul
13 Now, however, there remain faith, hope, love, these 3; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13 NWT)
So if faith can save us, then more so can love save us. The Lords' Witnesses are the church of the 2NC (2nd New Covenant), the 4EC (4th Elijah Covenant) and the 2LC/OMC. The full set of 24 salvation covenants, in the understanding of the Lords' Witnesses, is to be found at: Introduction 28 - The 24 Salvation Covenants (The FRC, FBC, JLC/BLC/OMC/2LC, LRC, CRC, CBC, ARC, ABC, SAC, NAC, JAC, PCC, ICC, 1EC, 2EC, 3EC, 4EC, AFC, SFC, 1AC, 1NC, 2NC, ELC, HLC) Part1.
The Law of Moses or of the church or of our conscience is the filter through which we must pass in order to reach salvation by love or by faith."
Date of Original Publication: 30th September 2024
Date of Publication of Addendum 1: 3rd October 2024
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