Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
There are four remaining 'heart' references in the NIV in Genesis. The first references Abraham's servant, who returned to Aram to get a bride for Isaac, and who prayed a prayer asking for a specific sign to identify the lady he was seeking.
"Before I finished praying in my heart, Rebekah came out, with her jar on her shoulder. She went down to the spring and drew water and I said to her, 'Please give me a drink.'" - Gen. 24:45
God hears our hearts, y'all. The things we don't even speak, that we don't dare to speak. In a space where I only want God to hear me...he hears me. I don't think I had ever caught this little detail in this story before; always before, I had thought about the prayer and its answer, but the fact that he prayed in his heart...not out loud...had escaped notice.
Think on this for a minute. True story: when my oldest was expecting her first baby about three years ago, we were sitting (socially distant) on the front porch talking about various things and she happened to mention that she thought a particular item that I'd used for diaper disposal with her younger siblings was a cool thing. I commented that I hadn't seen one...or even advertising for one...in a really long time and didn't even know if it was still a thing. My mobile phone would have been in my pocket. In less than 24 hours, I had an advertisement for that very thing on my social media. Someone was listening, somehow. If modern technology can hear a conversation, do not think it impossible that God hears your heart. He knows the truth about you that no one else could begin to guess. This is probably a theme we will hit over and over again as we go along, but for now...You don't have to make a big show or get loud to pray. God hears your heart.
Ten chapters later, we have a rather dismal story of violence. There's no way to tiptoe around it...for all the verse with 'heart' sounds all sweet and flowery and romantic, the truth is the dude first violated the girl (not using the 'r' word...which would be more accurate...because I don't want to end up in salacious searches). After the act, then we read
His heart was drawn to Dinah daughter of Jacob, and he loved the girl and spoke tenderly to her. - Gen. 34: 3
The next verse in my list, part of that same story, actually isn't translated 'heart' in some other translations. In fact, it is a different Hebrew word than the rest of the words we're looking at today. This one is nepes (Strongs' H5315);The others are all leb (Strong's H3824).
But Hamor said to them, "My son Shechem has his heart set on your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife." Gen 34: 8
Other translations use something along the lines of 'his soul yearns for'. The connotation from both verses, even through it is different words...is a deep-seated desire. This kind of ties in with last week's post, in which we talked about the unregenerate human heart seeking pleasure, possessions and power. (I think I'm going to just call this the 'triple-p trap' as it is going to come up over and over again). True love doesn't assault another person to satisfy a desire. In this case, the prince's determination to have what he desired started a chain of events that cost his people greatly, although it's worth noting that the people of the area had their eyes on a devious prize as well, if you read the rest of the chapter (see verse 23, specifically). The triple-p trap is quite visible there.
The last reference to 'heart/ hearts' in Genesis has another implication from either of these:
At the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of his sack. "My silver has been returned," he said to his brothers. "Here it is in my sack." Their hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, "What is this that God has done to us?" Gen. 42:27-28
This is an emotional description. Dread, dismay, disappointment, discouragement, depression; all the downer words are implied by 'their hearts sank'. Here, the heart is used as the center of emotions.
So, we see 'heart' used as 1) the inner spirit, a place of communicating with God 2) the origin of desire and 3) the center of emotions.
I expect we will hit these same themes over and over again. But...at the end we should have a solid view of 'heart'.
I just hope it doesn't get so repetitive that it bores y'all to tears...in your hearts... ;-)
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