The Heart Is Deceitful

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.” (Jeremiah 17:9-10)

This is one of those Bible verses when people go, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know that one”, and proceed to turn their ears off, shut their brain down, and not really hear or contemplate the message. But it would be very prudent and wise to delve deeply into what is being said here. This verse explains a lot.

To understand the weight, significance, and meaning of this verse, we must first understand the subject matter, the heart. The word heart comes from the Hebrew, “leb” (pronounced “lave”, as in “cave”). It has multiple, inter-related meanings. Leb can mean the inner man, the mind, the will, the actual physical heart, or it could be addressing man’s ability to understand. (Source- Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon).

In the non-physical idea of heart, we are referencing the inner man (spirit & soul), and the emotional ties and relationship with someone or something else. In short, using heart in this context means to love and the giving of our full sentiments and emotions. And that’s exactly how we can be deceived.

When we love someone, we tend to overlook and permit that person’s transgressions. True, we are to forgive people of their sins, but it should only be given to those who are truly seeking it. The sinner must recognize their sin for what it is, be remorseful over it, and seek mercy and finally forgiveness. Otherwise, to forgive a sinner of their sins when they aren’t seeking it or even understand why it is necessary is just giving them permission to continue in their sins.

Sin is nothing other than acts of rebellion against God. It’s why we should always strive to stop it.

People overlook sins when they permit an alcoholic to drink, make excuses for a drug addict, or turn a blind eye to the thief. The love we have another cause us to aid and abett a reprobate.

Here’s where it can be really tough. Homosexuality. It is a sin. Parents, family, and friends who otherwise oppose it, sometimes find themselves taking part in it when they say nothing about it to their loved one participating in it. You take part in homosexuality by not discussing the word of God with that person, by not condemning that act, and when you encourage the practice of it because it makes your loved one happy.

When homosexuality is no longer in the abstract and becomes personal, attitudes often change about it. The same thing occurs with abortion. Folks can be ardently against abortion until it happens to their family, their friend, or to them personally.

The heart, full of emotions, will deceive the body, spirit, and soul. The heart will justify sin in a thousand different ways. How can homosexuality be wrong if it makes him happy, if no one is getting hurt, if its between two consenting adults. They were born that way so it can’t be helped. It’s natural!

Abortion, I wasn’t financially capable, they were too young to be a parent, it would interfere with my job or school, it’s not really a baby, I had no other choice.

Your heart will lie and deceive you. It can twist truth and logic with the best of them. And you’re not alone. You can always find groups of people just like you, who will agree with and support your sin.

In both the New and the Old Testament God says, “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts” (Jer.31:33). The very thing that deceives, God wrote His word and His way on. The very thing that lies, God wrote the truth on. This can create one heck of a personal inner struggle.

Remember that battle the Apostle Paul spoke of in Romans 7?

“For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.” (Romans 7:15)

Paul breaks down and says, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:24). To which he answers, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.” (Romans 7:25)

God said, “for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth” (Genesis 8:21).

We cannot trust the heart. It will deceive us, trick us, and convince of things that are wrong. We are to trust God and His word.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.” (Proverbs 3:5-8).

Both our heart and God will tell us what to do. But only one will show us the way to righteousness, salvation, and perfection, and anything perfect is eternal.

This may sound odd, but I wish God and His word always generated the kind of strong emotions that our heart does. Maybe that’s why God wrote His message of truth, righteousness, and salvation on our heart. The fact of the matter is that God will not take control of our will. God can guide, call, exhort, show, give examples, and a host of other things as influences, but the reality of the situation is that it is up to us.

God said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). So please, “Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.” (Proverbs 4:5-8)

Obedience to God and His word is essential. There is nothing more important than obeying God. Saul found this out the hard way when he went against God’s word by bringing back the best of everything from Amalek when he was told to destroy everything. (1 Samuel 15).

There is nothing we can do or offer that is better than our obedience to God. “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22).

Jesus Christ was, “obedient unto death” (Philippians 2:8). We should be too.

We can’t improve upon God’s word. God knows best. We don’t have to understand or even agree with Him. But we do have to obey God.

This is important, we obey God not out of necessity, but out of love. We also no longer follow the Law of Moses but rather the law of Christ.

“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:1-2)

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:34-35)

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? That’s a rhetorical question. We can’t “know” deceit. But we can know God. We can know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We might not grasp everything He says, but we can always be obedient to His word.

We have all heard that God will never leave us or forsake us. But that’s just the half of it. We have to be strong and have courage too.

“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” (Deuteronomy 31:6).

It will take strength and courage to be obedient to God’s word. Sometimes our heart, that inner man, our mind & will, our understanding, our entire being will be screaming at us to not follow God and to do as we see fit. But be strong and of good courage, fear not and follow the word of God. For He is the only way, the only truth, and the only life.

There are two things that I didn’t touch on that need to be mentioned. First, “I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins”. God knows our every thought and feelings. He tries them. Like test driving a car, He’ll take our thoughts and emotions out for a spin to see how they handle the curves and steep banks. He does it not for His benefit, but for ours.

Lastly and most importantly, God is love (1 John 4) so we are to be love. Love is a condition, a state of being, not necessarily an affection or desire. The homosexual and the person who had an abortion, love them with a Godly love.

Vine’s Expository Dictionary gives some of the best definitions of Godly love I have found. Vine’s says love is, “an exercise of the Divine will in deliberate choice, made without assignable cause save that which lies in the nature of God Himself”.

Going a little deeper in the definition of love, Vine’s says, “Christian love, whether exercised toward the brethren, or toward men generally, is not an impulse from the feelings, it does not always run with the natural inclinations, nor does it spend itself only upon those for whom some affinity is discovered. Love seeks the welfare of all, (Rom 15:2), and works no ill to any, (13:8-10), love seeks opportunity to do good to 'all men, and especially toward them that are of the household of the faith”.

That is what we express towards the homosexual, the one who had an abortion, our next-door neighbor, our co-workers, school mates, etc. Love thy neighbor. Do unto him as you would have then do unto you. Imagine what a world we would have if we only loved a Godly love.

Bill Hitchcock