The Heart

The Heart
 

 

In our Western culture, the heart generally speaks of the seat of the emotions. In the biblical culture, that seat of emotions would rather rest upon the “bowels” than upon the “heart.” From a previous writing, we saw that the bowels speak of the deepest and most absorbing “feelings” that are most often thrust upon us and out of our control. We yearn and pine because of those things we cannot control. At that point, our only recourse is to cast our care upon our Savior as we realize that He cares for us. (I Peter 5.7)
 

The heart, however, may be controlled. A world-changing sin, which swept across the entire population, was a heart that was neither checked nor brought into conformity with the will of God. Offered as a cause for a world-wide judgment upon humanity (the Flood of Noah’s day) was the fact that humanity had turned their hearts away from God. “And GOD 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.” (Genesis 6.5) In that antediluvian world, even the good guys were found guilty before God. Only because of the grace of God are we sharing this meditation today. And, then, only because one man found God’s grace.
 

The heart denotes the reality of all that we are – the real me. Our Lord cautioned: “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man….” (Matthew 15.18-20a)
 

Have you ever heard someone quip, “Oops, I didn’t mean to say that”? Well, actually, something may have slipped out; however, what came out was what was in the heart and spilled out because there was no guarding of what had entered.
 

The writer of the Proverbs emphasized that we should “keep” our hearts “with all diligence.” The word “keep” in both Testaments indicates a similar application. It almost always is an imperative and means to “guard carefully, to protect and to defend.” According to Zodhiates, it refers to: “…people’s maintaining things entrusted to them, especially to keeping the truths of God in both actions and mind (Psalm 119.100, 115). God’s Word is to be kept with our whole hearts (Psalm 119.69); our hearts, in turn, ought to be maintained in a right state (Proverbs 4.23). The word also refers to keeping speech under control (Psalm 34.13 [14]; 141.3); the maintenance of a tree (Proverbs 27.18); the work of God’s character (Psalm 40.11 [12]); its reflection in humans as preserving them (Psalm 25.21; Proverbs 2.11).”*
 

Just as the human heart is a pump that moves blood – the life-giving fluid throughout the body so is the spiritual heart. Should there be impurities or other pathogens, the human heart will pump the contaminated blood and will spread the disease to all parts. Because of this, it is imperative that we guard what enters the heart for out of it proceeds a personification of whom we are.
 

The answer to this dilemma: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” (Proverbs 3.5) Whatever enters the heart should be filtered through the sieve of God’s Word.
 

* In honor of God’s Word, I have spelled out the biblical books Dr. Zodhiates cited.