Blogging Bible Study: The Heart of the Matter - Ecclesiastes, Part 1

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Our stroll through the  Bible looking at words the NIV 84 translated as "heart" or "hearts" has brought us to the rather gloomy book of Ecclesiastes.   Sarcasm, cynicism, delusion, and finally recognition of the actual wisdom of living in the fear of the Lord and in obedience to his commandments.

So, we can expect some rather pessimistic opinions as we search through this book; as we are only looking at verses that contain 'Heart/ Hearts', we likely will not see the conclusion at the end.  But we will definitely see the grappling the author (who refers to himself as 'The Teacher' and is believed to be Solomon himself, from the clues about his wisdom, his riches, his building program and, um, other characteristics) did with the Big Questions of Life.

I've split this up into four chunks of roughly an equal number of verses; today, we're looking at chapter 2, which starts right off with a verse containing 'Heart':

I thought in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good."  But that also proved to be meaningless.  -- Ecc. 2:1; 'Heart' is the familiar Strong's H 3820 - Leb: inner man, mind will, heart, understanding. 

The Teacher is not really discussing his searching with anyone else...this is something that is internal.  He himself is asking questions of life, looking for answers and meaning; something that satisfied his heart ('I will test you').

I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces.  I acquired men and women singers, and a harem as well -- the delights of the heart of man. -- Ecc. 2:8 the word translated 'Heart' isn't 'heart' at all in the Hebrew...it's Strong's 254, ben, which means  son, grandson, child, member of a group. 

The KJV translates that phrase 'the delights of the sons of men' and 'harem'  is translated 'musical instruments'...but when I looked up that phrase, (Strong's H 7705,sida),  I found that, while the word literally means musical instrument...the usage implies wife, concubine or harem.  A polite euphemism, perhaps?  In any case, these are all things that will delight men in general, so I suppose the implication is that if a thing delights a man, it certainly delights his heart.  But that's an interesting translation decision.  I checked the Amplified, which is probably the plainest of the three in exactly what the delight is: 'I provided for myself male singers and female singers and the delights and pleasures of men -- many concubines.'  As we know, Solomon had a ridiculous number of concubines....

I am going to chase a rabbit here; something that always comes up when I'm looking at Solomon, by looking at the requirements God had for a king, way back in Deuteronomy 17:16 - 20:

The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt t get more of them, for the LORD has told you, "You are not to go back that way again.  He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray.  He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.  When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites.  It is to be with him, and he is to read from it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself  better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left.  Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.

I find it rather telling that the Teacher freely admits to failing almost all of these requirements (we also know from other passages that Solomon sent to Egypt for a passle of horses...2 Chron. 1:14, 16); we can infer that he also failed the main one...to make himself a copy of the Law and read it daily.  This was not just a suggestion, but there's no evidence that any king followed that instruction; certainly Solomon didn't or he would have recognized his errors.  I'm just going to link an old post about the value of reading God's word for oneself, then consider that rabbit run to ground and go back to the topic at hand....

I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.  -- Ecc. 2:10-11;  both instances of 'heart' are H3820.

He does allow that the delight his heart took in his accomplishments was the reward for his work, but ultimately decided that didn't amount to much in the grand scheme of things.  It didn't last; it had no eternal value.

 He considered living wisely vs. living foolishly or even madly, and concluded that it was better to be wise than foolish...but, again, ultimately it didn't matter.

Then I thought in my heart, "The fate of the fool will overtake me also.  What do I gain by being wise?"  I said in my heart, "This too is meaningless."  For the wise man, like the fool, will not be long remembered; in days to come both will be forgotten.  Like the fool, the wise man too must die!  -- Eccl 2: 15 - 16;  both instances of 'heart' are H 3820 again.

I have written a note in the margin of my Bible here -- 'Not quite ...we all still remember Solomon.  He was not considering legacy.'  Solomon, in his despondency, did not consider all the writings he was leaving behind.  True, he faced the same physical fate as a foolish person, but he is not forgotten; in fact, he still has some degree of influence millennia after he penned those words.  I wonder if he could have seen into the future to know that we are still reading his writings and still learning from his history if he would feel like it was useless to pursue wisdom.  He failed to pass his wisdom to his son, but it was recorded for generations to come.

And because Solomon couldn't see the future value...he wrote

So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. -- Ecc. 2:20; 'heart' is H 3820 again.

I'm going to throw one more idea into this mix; the Enemy had an audience here.  That's his narrative.  'You're no good.  You're useless.  All this work you've done is for nothing.  It's not changing anything."  I dare say every one of us has heard that condemning voice at some point.  It's hard to realize that there might be another perspective...an eternal perspective...a legacy, a lesson that can come from all circumstances.  And if that voice can darken and burden the heart of someone as wise as the Teacher, then all of us need to be on guard against it.

Blogging Bible Study: The Heart of the Matter - Proverbs, part 9

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

I have a ton of work that's all, like, urgent, so I ended up working yesterday (a normal off day) and today to try and get some work cranked out...which means I'm a bit late with this week's installment.  And we're going to be pushing through today but we will catch the last verses in Proverbs that mention 'heart/ hearts'...or at least, the ones translated that way in the 1984 edition of the New International Version.

We're starting in chapter 25 today, which begins with a note that the next batch of proverbs (through chapter 29, if I'm interpreting things correctly) were penned by Solomon, and copied by the order of King Hezekiah.  I'm kind of guessing the original  manuscripts were deteriorating, so Hezekiah had them copied to preserve the writings...but that's just a guess.

As the heavens are high and the earth is deep, so the hearts of kings are unsearchable. -- Prov. 25:3; 'hearts' is Strong's H 3820, Leb - inner man, mind, will, heart understanding.   If you've been following this study, you know that's the most commonly used Hebrew word translated 'Heart'.

I am wondering what makes the heart of a king more unsearchable than the heart of any other person.  Maybe because their decisions affect so many people?  And the masses don't understand WHY someone would make those choices?  That's the best reasoning I can come up with for that statement...which could apply to anyone in a position of power, not just kings.

Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar poured on soda, is one who sings songs to a heavy heart. -- Prov. 25:20; 'heart' is H3820 again.

As anyone who's ever tried to cheer up a determinedly morose teenager knows...it's  not well received. But beyond teen angst is a heart that's genuinely grieving, and even well intended attempts to help can seem insensitive.  

Like a coating of glaze over earthenware are fervent lips with an evil heart.  A malicious man disguises himself with his lips, but in his heart, he harbors deceit.  Though his speech is charming, do not believe him, for seven abominations fill his heart.  Prov. 25:23-25;  'heart' is H3820 in verses 23 and 25, but verse 24 is  Strong's H7130, Qereb --midst, among, inner part, middle

Truly evil people have the ability to mask their agenda with a carefully calculated persona that seems to be friends, chums. allies...and then, when it benefits them,  betrayal.  Which can often be disguised further with a disclaimer of a misunderstanding.  An honest heart will not anticipate such actions and may get caught in multiple traps before realizing the truth:  that's a player at work.  And, what struck me there was that,  even if there is forgiveness...'do not trust him'.   Trusting someone who has broken trust is not a condition or characteristic of forgiveness.  A deceitful heart is not trustworthy.

Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and pleasantness of one's friend springs from his earnest counsel.   -- Prov. 27:9; 'heart' is H 3820.

I chuckled when I read that, because I have a sensitivity to most fragrances, and, generally speaking, perfume and incense bring me a raging headache, lol.  But I get the analogy.  The earnest counsel of a true friend (contrasted with the fake friend above) is a comfort and a joy.  Definitely not a headache.

Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart; then I can answer anyone who treats me with contempt. -- Prov. 27:11; 'Heart' is H3820 again.

We have had the thought before that seeing one's children act wisely is a true source of joy to parents; but this goes just a step further...knowing that one's offspring are doing well and wisely goes a long way to handling someone's dismissive or even scornful treatment.  There really is nothing comparable to watching the kiddos do well...or the pain of watching them suffer because of poor decisions.  Both are very nearly physical sensations.

(It was really late Saturday when I was at that point and I hit a wall...it was crazy to stop with only two verses to go but I was done in.  Anyway, starting late and finishing later...)

As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man. -- Prov. 27:19; 'Heart' is H3820...again.

This is an interesting verse because the reflection in water is easily seen, but the reflection in the heart is not so easily seen....but what is in the heart certainly is the core of an individual.

And...the last verse to reference 'heart' in Proverbs is 28:14 - 

Blessed is the man who always fears the LORD, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.  'Heart' is, once more, H3820

We have seen a number of verses referencing hardening ones' heart and I don't think I've said this before...I have come to the conclusion that 'hardening ones' heart' is basically a refusal to see/ hear the truth. Pharoah refused to hear Moses' request to let the people go, for example.  A hardened heart is not teachable.   Being teachable is one of the primary characteristics of personal growth, so one who is not teachable...is going to be rather stunted.  And it could be in just one or two areas...those stubborn places that we just don't want to yield to God.  The structure of the verse implies that the opposite of a hardened heart is the proper fear of the Lord.  Not being afraid...but awe and respect.    The fear of the Lord will protect from a hardened...unwilling, unhearing, unseeing...heart.

A good thought to ponder 

Blogging Bible Study: The Heart of the Matter - Proverbs, Part 8

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Ok, I am going to push it today; I don't have quite enough 'heart/hearts' verses in Proverbs for three more posts but going to make a couple of rather long posts, and I'm only covering two chapters.  Diving in...and including verses as necessary for context.

Do not eat the food of a stingy man, do not crave his delicacies; for he is the kind of man who is always thinking about the cost.  "Eat and drink," he says to you, but his heart is not with you. -- Prov. 23:6-7;  'Heart' is the familiar Strong's H3820, Leb - inner man, mind will, heart, understanding.

I read those verses and saw in my head the old Winnie-the-Pooh cartoon, in which he consumes all of Rabbit's honey, while Rabbit is saying, while shaking his head, "Are you sure you won't have some more?"  This is just fatherly advice here; read the room, lol.

Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.  -- Prov. 23:12; 'heart' is H3820 again.

This is pretty much the theme of Proverbs;  the importance about being intentional to obtain knowledge and wisdom.  It takes intentionality to apply one's heart to anything.

My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad. -- Prov. 23:15;  both instances of 'heart' are H 3820.

As a parent...I can confirm that this is absolutely so.  I have joked that it's harder to be a parent than to be a college student... in college, you study hard, take the test, know immediately if you did well or messed up.  In parenting...it's 20ish years before you find out if you messed it up or not.  Seeing the offspring make wise decisions/ speak wise words is one of the greatest reliefs known, lol.

Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the LORD. -- Prov. 23:17; Heart is H3820 once more.

I would say being zealous for the fear of the Lord is protection against developing envy for anyone...the temporal pleasures they have are all pretty shallow compared to the glory of God.  If the fear of the Lord is valued; the temptation to envy others will not have anywhere to flourish.

Listen, my son, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path. -- Prov. 23:19; 'heart' is, again, H3820.

Once more, wisdom is  shown to be intentionally attained (by listening) and equated with keeping the heart...and by implication, one's life...on the right path.  Of course, this also implies that there are paths that are not right...so that's worth a bit of consideration as well.

And the wise father offers one more way to the son to avoid evil influences:

My son, give me your heart and let your eyes keep to my ways. -- Prov. 23:26; 'heart' is, again, H3820.

Basically, dad is saying "follow my example".  Of course, that means that dad is confident that his life has been committed to the zeal of the Lord, to seeking wisdom and listening to wise counselors.  If there is no other reason to do those things, setting the example for our kids to follow would be enough.

On to the next chapter....

Do not envy wicked men, do not desire their company; for their hearts plot violence and their lips talk about making trouble.   -- Prov. 24: 1-2; 'hearts' is, once more Strong's H3820.

This strikes me as quite a contrast to the discussion of  'heart' in the previous chapter...that is, the heart that is wise, is applied to seeking wisdom, is following the wisdom of parents...these are hearts that plot violence and whose conversation is about causing trouble.  Confirms that there ARE hearts that are consumed with wickedness.

 If you say, "But we knew nothing about this," does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?  Does not he who guards your life know it?  Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?  -- Prov.24:12; 'Heart' is Strongs H3826, Liba, which is the noun meaning 'heart'.  Like, the actual organ is weighed.

Feigned ignorance will not avail. This has popped up before...God KNOWS our hearts. He knows if we have just ignored something, if we've stuck our fingers in our ears and sang 'la la la' to avoid knowing a thing.  The verse before is actually a reference to rescuing folks who are heading for destruction, but I think it can apply to any area in which we rather artfully avoid confronting and acknowledging truth.

Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice.  -- Prov. 24:17; 'Heart' is H3820 again.

Schadenfreude is a real temptation.  Oh, how glorious to see an opponent...an antagonist...even just someone who has behaved in an entitled manner...get served a heaping helping of humble pie.  But.  You know, sooner or later, every one of us will have that plate set in front of us to consume.  Snarky responses to another's pain...deserved or not...has a way of biting back. Much better to remember that we are all fallible and if that person stumbled this week...it may be me next week.    Rather, pray that they learn something of God's grace while they're down.

One more verse today...and it's in the middle of a long thought.  The author observed the property of someone known to be lazy and lacking in judgement; seeing the thorns and the weeds and the fallen stone wall, he considers the situation.

I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: -- Prov. 24:32; 'Heart' is H3820 again.

Sometimes wisdom comes not just from listening to those older and wiser, but from keen observation of cause and effect around us. The author noted in the next couple of verses that it doesn't take much neglect of responsibility to result in chaos.

One more week in Proverbs, ya'll.  It has been kind of interesting to see that the verses are, by and large, repeating the same themes.

I Left it in the Water....

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Something happened this weekend that surprised me as much as anyone....but, of course, there's a story...and I gotta start way back...get a cup of tea or coffee and settle in; there's a lot here, lol.

My faithful friends who have been reading the blog since I started back in 2008 have been with me through highs and lows and struggles and confessions...all the stuff of life.  So, some of this will sound a little familiar, perhaps.

My church believes in inner healing ministry.  I was first exposed to it back in 2002; our co-pastor, who would just be called the pastor's wife in many churches, led a ladies study of a book called Prayers that Heal the Heart.  That was a completely new area for me; the concepts of  identifying lies we'd believed and lived by, and forgiving ourselves and others for the messes those lies caused, were paradigm shifting.

I did the class twice.

Years later, the church offered a curriculum called 'Elijah House', which went deeper into the same subject matter.   I kinda felt like I had covered it well enough,  and there were one or two points that I had heard about in that curriculum that I wasn't sure I could agree with.  And, at the time, I was teaching two - three classes per week in the Girls' ministry, so I didn't have time to listen to the CD lessons, read the books, answer the questions, and attend a 5.5 hour class every other week for three months.  Nonetheless, there were folks who worked in that ministry who were ....strongly encouraging me to take the class.  'Everyone needs it!' They'd say.  

I dodged it for quite a while, but when the classes I was teaching ended in 2014 I didn't have a good excuse anymore.  So, just being honest, I took the first and second level classes, which were what was offered at our church, so I wouldn't have to fend off the encouragers, lol.  The classes were good; and yes, there was one particular area that I just could not fall in line with, but overall I did learn.  

I also went to Rita Springer's DIVE school that fall, and in the gift bag that all students got was a set of CD's of Gateway church's inner healing ministry.  I've listened to them two or three times through...and they are very good .

In 2018 or maybe early 2019, a couple of ladies from Bethel came and took us through a Sozo class...which is Bethel's inner healing model.  It was somewhat different from the Prayers that Heal the heart/ Elijah House model, and I would like to study that more; it had a stronger emphasis on helping others.

So... over the last 20ish years, I've had a good bit of inner healing coursework, and I came to the conclusion that inner healing basically boils down to 1) forgiveness...of ones' self, others who, intentionally or not, caused wounds, and even recognizing that it was possible to be offended with God over those things; and 2) dealing with the truth.

So, you can imagine my apathy towards a new class we implemented last fall, replacing Elijah House.  Based on the Freedom curriculum from Church of the Highlands, it's nine classes, with small group discussion and a workbook, followed by a conference at the end of the semester.  Our first class was last fall; I worked registration at the conference but could hear most of the sessions on the speakers in the lobby, even if I wasn't in the auditorium.  I was very impressed by one thing...there is a boatload of individual prayer ministry.  There are 7 short sessions, composed mostly of the teacher's own testimony of being delivered from (pride, anger, fear, etc).  Then...and this is the secret sauce...every single person in the conference is directed to the prayer line, where one of the trained prayer workers will talk the individual through identifying the particular lie related to that session, asking for forgiveness for believing and partnering with the lie, forgiving the individual(s) who caused or who reinforced the lie, renouncing the lie, and replacing the lie with the truth about that aspect of life from the scripture.  They ended the conference by having water baptism available for those who wanted,

By the time the conference is over, every single person there will have been prayed for, individually and intentionally, for anywhere from about 35 minutes to an hour.  THAT, my friend, is life changing.  Like I said, I was impressed.

But...you know, I've been through all this inner healing stuff before.  I really didn't want to do it again.  But our Wednesday night offerings were slim, due to construction in the building, and, again, I was getting lots of 'encouragement' from folks to go through the class, lol. And, to be honest, I had a bit of a nudge in my spirit that this was the opportunity, before I had classes to teach again, to do the Freedom class.  And maybe...just maybe...work through some of the disquiet I have been increasingly dealing with.  So I took a deep breath and signed up.  

If I were not familiar with inner healing by now, I probably would have had the same reaction to the course I had back in Prayers that Heal the Heart.  Now, I was reading along, answering questions, and writing out scripture verses with agreement.  Our small group discussion was warm and embracing and really good; I loved that.  We didn't just go through the lesson questions...like we did in Elijah House...we discussed the topics and how they related to our personal struggles. We talked about living out of self versus living out of faith, God's love and mercy, etc.

In addition to this personal contemplation, on Palm Sunday, our pastor did the altar time a bit differently; he specifically wanted just the staff pastoral team to do the altar time, so, he said, the leaders could take advantage of the prayer ministry instead of being the ones called upon to do it.  And, over the course of the message I finally put language to what I had been feeling in many areas...deep discouragement.  It's possible that the long-time readers may pick up on some of those areas, but there are a couple  that I haven't shared here.  I knew that prayer time was coming at the end of the class, and I was tempted to just wait and deal with it there...and then I thought, let's get this one taken care of now, so I'll have one thing out of the way at conference.   Just confessing the discouragement to my friend on staff who prayed for me felt like a shift.

The following Wednesday was  the next-to-last  Freedom lesson, which was the lesson that actually specifically dealt with those lies that shape how we see ourselves and interact with others.  Again, I've done it before so I was just cruising through the workbook, doing my homework before class, nodding at the illustration of dealing with the lie of worthlessness...until I got to the part that said 'Pray forgiveness over the person that spoke worthlessness over you.'...and immediately had a memory from when I was about 9 of something my grandfather said.  Followed by a few more things that he'd said as I grew older, followed by memories of things he didn't say.

I had internalized that message of worthlessness and, despite all the previous coursework, had never dealt with it fully.  Did some work that day...and my resistance to the process got a big crack.  Another shift.

Now I was really starting to believe I could see a change.  At Tuesday night prayer last week, before the conference, in which we have the freedom to walk around the sanctuary and worship and pray and personally take communion...I took my little communion packet to the balcony and sat down on the floor in the alcove behind the projection screen...and asked God to show me what I needed to deal with over the weekend.

I had three mental pictures, back to back, in short order.  The first appeared to be a storage unit...about garage sized...which was empty but the floor was littered with dust, grime, broken plastic bits, shreds of paper and cardboard, etc.  It was especially dirty in the corners and along the edges of the floor.  Empty...but not clean.  The second picture was the sludge in the bottom of my coffee pot, after the coffee is poured out.  The third was a big lump of Pla-Doh, which was rather old and stiff and just a little crusty.  By Friday, the day the conference started, I'd come to the conclusion that  I needed a fresh start.  All the old positions I'd held, ministries I'd worked in; projects or productions I'd worked on...that were now not involving me for one reason or another...I needed to Let. Them. Go.  I was no longer going to be the former (whatever) or the sometimes (other job) or looking for opportunities to bring back one spot or another.  It's all OVER.  Time to move on.

And you know, I got several confirmations in that prayer time over the weekend of fresh vision, new opportunities, moving on.

I went home Saturday evening feeling encouraged and on the verge of something new.  This year they did not have a baptismal service at the end of the conference, because our every-other-month regular church baptism service was Sunday, the very next day.  They were signing people up for that  at the conference.  And I found myself considering signing up for baptism. 

Now, I committed my life to Jesus and was baptized just before I turned 10.  I remember it; I was sincere.  I grew up loving Jesus and, while there are definitely moments that I wish I had made better choices, they were of the humiliating variety, not the life altering variety.  I had worked through some areas of disappointment and not understanding.  I never felt like I needed to do a rededication or a rebaptism...not even when I went to Israel and could have been baptized in the Jordan river. So my first reaction to that idea was to scoff at it.  But I couldn't shake it. That evening,  I talked to my hubby about it and he was supportive. Finally...since I had the power as the data base admin...I signed myself up and went to bed.

And...interesting...when I went to Israel I came very close to getting a small tattoo.  The only thing that prevented it was a terrorist attack that closed the gates to the old city so we couldn't get to the 600 year old tattoo business. The night before we were scheduled to go, I had a very odd sensation that, the next morning, I would be changing the definition of myself by getting a tattoo.  When I went to bed after submitting the registration form I had the exact same emotional reaction...that, with the morning, my perception of myself would change.

I was actually working registration for baptism, so I was last on the list.  Of course, my hubby's camera glitched out on him as he was taking photos, but the church photographer got pics.

And I do feel like there has been a shift.  I have no idea what...if anything outside of just abiding in God's love...is in the near future.  But I don't have to worry about it.  I left that in the water.

Blogging Bible Study: The Heart of the Matter - Proverbs Part 7

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

I have to keep reminding myself that it doesn't matter how long it takes....although I do admit to being kind of ready to hit some continuity again.  But, Proverbs jumps around so grab your pogo stick and jump with me...we are in the last third of Proverbs, looking at verses containing 'Heart/ hearts'.

The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.  -- Prov. 21:1; 'heart' is the familiar Strong's H3820, Leb  - inner man, mind ,will, heart, understanding.

At first glance, this sounds like God just pulls puppet strings to make kings behave as he wishes...which flies in the face of the doctrine of free will. But it could be that this passage is referring to THE king...likely Solomon...who, at least at the moment the proverb was written, had committed his heart to God. That could easily be a prayer of my own...that God would direct my heart according to his desires.  But it could also be referring to the fact that God does direct history towards his purposes, ultimately, even allowing for free will of individuals.  We can see in the accounts of the history of the Israelites that when the king's heart was turned towards God, coming judgement was delayed.

All a man's ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart. -- Prov. 21:2; 'Heart' is the literal Hebrew word for 'heart', Strong's 3826, libbah. It's crazy but that's only the 5th time we've seen this word used so far in the whole study...

This is another reference to self-deception, I believe.  God knows the true motives...regardless of how each of us spins our own actions to make them seem reasonable to us.

Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin! -- Prov. 21:4 'Heart' is, again, H3820.

However,  the word translated 'lamp' is H5215, nir, which means 'untilled or fallow ground'...it's the same word used in Hos. 10:12 'break up your fallow ground'.  That throws a whole different spin on that verse. Before I checked the interlinear, I was going to talk about the 'Lamp' of the wicked meaning the light by which they see; their pride distorting everything.  But the haughty look and proud heart as fallow ground...untilled, unprofitable, unbroken ground...that carries the connotation of a stubborn refusal to work that soil.  Whichever way that comparison goes, there is no mincing of words here... it is sin. With an exclamation point in the NIV.

He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious will have the king for his friend. -- Prov. 22:11 ; 'Heart' is H3820 again.

This is a person of integrity...pure heart, gracious speech.  If you read this from the viewpoint of the king, who likely wrote it...this is the kind of person the king wants for his friends; it's the kind of friends anyone would want, but especially those in positions of power.  This is a trustworthy individual.

Oh, this one is a hot potato:

Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.  -- Prov. 22:15; 'Heart' is H3820 again.

Let's take the, um, least controversial approach here and just say that the 'rod of discipline' represents unpleasant consequences...you can interpret that as you will.  The truth is that, unpleasant consequences will bring about changes in behavior...if applied consistently and fairly.  Unfair or inconsistent discipline results in...rebellion.  The degree of ...unpleasantness...needed depends on the child.  Some very sensitive kids respond to a stern rebuke; others need a more emphatic consequence.  But the point is that, without discipline, that foolish bent will never be corrected.

Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach, for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips.   -- Prov. 22:17-18; 'Heart' is H3820 in verse 17, and, in verse 18,  H990, beten (belly, womb, body.) ...'heart' was clearly selected as 'center of the body', which is a very minor stretch.  

I get the notion of acting out of the gut feeling...which is influenced by the teachings of the wise. If one pays attention, listens, considers well wise teachings, then those teachings get down deep into the individual...to use a common illustration, when the pressure's on, those teachings are what will come out.  And NOTHING is as gratifying to a teacher/ mentor as hearing those wise teachings applied in a timely fashion by the student.  It is, indeed, pleasant to hear those lessons repeated back in real time.

Blogging Bible Study: The Heart of the Matter - Proverbs, Part 6

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Running a bit late again; still in recovery mode after a really busy weekend last week.  But...hanging onto the schedule by my fingernails; here's a look at the verses containing the word 'heart/ hearts' in Proverbs. 17 - 20:

We jump right into it:

The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the heart.  -- Prov. 17:3; 'heart' is H3826 Libbah, which is actually the feminine noun for 'heart'.  If my count is right, this is the 4th time we've encountered this word.

This verse refers to the smelting process that purifies fine metals, and indicates that it is the Lord who refines the heart, removing impurities.  By the analogy, one could conclude that the process of testing/ refining the heart is an...uncomfortable...process. But the result is something in which the Lord can see himself reflected.

A man of perverse heart does not prosper; he whose tongue s deceitful falls into trouble.  -- Prov. 17:20; 'heart' here is the familiar H 3820, Leb, inner man, mind will, heart, understanding. 

But we all know folk who have a twisted, unbalanced perception of the world who nonetheless seem to manage to amass fortune and favor, so is this right?  Ultimately...yes.  We have a tendency to look at things from a materialistic point of view, but God does not.  All the fortune and favor the world can offer doesn't match up to one who is secure and contented in God's purpose, and that doesn't even take into account the final judgment, in which all that fortune-and-favor will count for exactly nothing.  

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Prov. 17:21; 'heart' is H3820 again.

I remember reading somewhere, quite a while ago, that one of the best indications of who would do well in a cancer battle was the individual's attitude.  All else being equal, someone who had a positive outlook had a statistically significant chance of a better outcome.  It really is true...a cheerful heart IS good medicine.

Before his downfall, a man's heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.  -- Prov. 18:12; 'heart' is once more H 3820.

This is interesting; the verse reads as if  honor is a result of humility, but downfall comes not as a result of the proud heart, but suddenly and unexpected, the 'proud heart' being a symptom of cluelessness of the pending disaster.  Perhaps a proud heart is over-confident and doesn't consider what could go wrong?

The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, the ears of the wise seek it out. -- Prov. 18:15; 'Heart is, again, H 3820.  

This is one of the prime themes in Proverbs...the heart that seeks knowledge/ wisdom/ understanding.

A man's own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the LORD. -- Prov. 19:3; 'Heart' is, once more, H 3820.

This is the truth.  Bad decisions, selfish ambition,  short sighted pleasure seeking...all of it adds up to yield a life of struggle...yet God gets blamed.  And it's the heart that's angry at God; that anger may not be detectible to most folks, but it's deep and it's there.  One who owns his (or her) folly is near to repentance, forgiveness, and redemption.  

Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.  -- Prov. 19:21; once again, 'Heart' is H 3820.

Another theme we have touched on before...a person can make all sorts of plans, but ultimately God will do what he has planned.  It's interesting...it's not necessarily the EVENTS that are determined, but the PURPOSES.  God may change the circumstances, owing to an individual's free will, but the purpose will be accomplished...one way or another.

The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out.  - Prov. 20:5; 'Heart' is H3820 again.

Interestingly, the King James (which is the default translation in the lexicon) renders it 'The counsels of a man's heart...', which kind of shades the meaning a bit.  The word used there is etsah, Strong's H6098, which means 'advice; by implication, plan; also prudence: -- advice, advisement, counsel(-lor), purpose'.

Given the verse we looked at just above, it seems to me that the KJV seems to make a bit more sense...the idea of pulling counsel or advice out of folks...that someone with understanding will see the value in listening to counsel.  Just for grins, I checked the Amplified, and it reads "A plan (motive, wise counsel) in the heart of a man is like water in a deep well, but a  man of understanding draws it out."...which aligns with the idea that a person of understanding will draw on the wisdom of others...because not everyone is willing to share a perspective, or maybe not everyone considers his/her perspective worth sharing...but someone with understanding will always pull that from those around him/her.

Who can say, "I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin?"  -- Prov. 20:9; 'Heart' is, once again, H3820.

And, wow, what a verse to end on...the rhetorical question that has all the hearers looking at their feet...none of us have succeeded in keeping our own hearts pure.

Blogging Bible Study: The Heart of the Matter - Proverbs, Part 5

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Trying hard to squeeze the blog post in the midst of a very busy weekend, lol.  I'm going to make it easy on myself and just look at Proverbs 16, in which we find 5 verses containing the word heart/ hearts...at least, in the 1984 edition of the NIV translation.

And we hit it right away in verse 1:

To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the LORD comes the reply of the tongue.  'Heart' is the most frequently seen Hebrew word, Strong's 3820, Leb - inner man, mind will, heart, understanding.

Ok, this verse...is odd.  I looked up the Hebrew for all of it, and right off discovered that we have a word in this verse that is unique...this is the only place Strong's H4633 maarak is used, although the root word from which it is derived, Strong's H6186, arak, is used several dozen times..  Maarak is noun; arak is a verb, meaning to arrange, set or put or lay in order; set in array; prepare, order, ordain, handle, furnish, esteem, equal, direct, compare.  So it makes sense that the noun derived from this would be plan, counsel, arrangement,...and there is a note that indicates that Prov. 16:1 is a plural constructions, so...plans, counsels, arrangements.

My paraphrase is...The heart of man makes plans, but God has the final say.  And that is absolutely a paraphrase, but it does make sense.

I should not have said I was 'making it easy on myself', lol.  Moving on...

The LORD detests all the proud of heart.  Be sure of this:  They will not go unpunished. -- Prov. 16:5: 'Heart' is H3820 again.

Again, an interesting verse.  My first thought was that punishment is usually connected with the wicked, but here...it is the proud who are guaranteed punishment.  And, in our current society, pride is not considered so terribly sinful.  So I looked up the Hebrew here, too, and found that 'proud' is Strong's H1362, gaba - high, proud, haughty.  I also found that 'be sure of this'...the phrase in the NIV...is actually 'hand joined in hand' in the Hebrew.  Idiomatic speech?  Or is it a reference to deal making...joining hands or, as we do now, shaking hands.  

I dug through and came up with "All proud Hearted  (are an) abomination (to) Yawheh, hand (to) hand be cut off not unpunished."

Suddenly I realized that 'hand to hand' does indicate a deal struck or an assurance that the proud hearted would be cut off and not unpunished.  So that does make sense in an idiomatic way.

But it occurred to me that God is not the subject of the verb in the Hebrew..as in the NIV, which reads 'The LORD detests' (NIV); in Hebrew, the subject is the Proud... 'The proud in heart are an abomination to the LORD'.  That's a pretty subtle difference, but I do think it is worth noting.  I think we have a tendency to subconsciously blame God for the offense sin is to him.  But I believe the nature of sin...whatever it is...is so opposite to the nature of God that it cannot come into his presence.  Like...what happens if you try to bring darkness into light?  It can't be done.  The nature of light dispels darkness.  The nature of God obliterates sin...and anything hanging on to it. And a proud heart, that refuses to heed/ submit/ consider God or his word...what hope has that heart of the necessary repentance?  No wonder it it an abomination to God.

Whew.  This is heavy stuff today...

Next...

In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps -- Prov. 16:9; 'Heart' is H3820 again.

This is basically a repetition of the thought in the first verse...Man makes plans, but God in still in charge.  Recovery after the workout, lol.

The wise in heart are called discerning, and pleasant words promote instruction. -- Prov. 16:21; once again, 'Heart'  is  H3820.  There is a marginal reading noted in my NIV...pleasant words make a man persuasive.  Seeing the notes; I'm going to go ahead and list the last verse for today as well..

A wise man's heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction -- Prov 16:23; heart is still H3820, and the marginal reading is ...heart guides his mouth, and makes his lips persuasive.

These two verses really say the same thing; wisdom resides in the heart and manifests in speech. The fine line between instruction and persuasion probably doesn't matter much here.  One who listens to a wise person will receive the instruction and be persuaded to follow it.

A blessed Resurrection Sunday to all!

Blogging Bible Study - The Heart of the Matter: Proverbs, part 4

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

We are midway through Proverbs on our look at 'heart/ hearts' as translated by the NIV 84, and, as there are several reverences in chapters 14 and 15, that's our portion for this week's study.  And, as expected, these verses don't possess any kind of continuity, so it is a challenge to dig into this...but perhaps it's not meant to be too deep.

Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy.  - Prov. 14: 10; 'Heart' is  our old friend Strong's H3820, leb- inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding.

This is an interesting proverb, one that I really hadn't paid much mind to before.  But...yeah,   The emotions of the heart are...in the heart.  We can try to express it; we can try to understand someone else's emotions, but ultimately, it's only fully expressed in the heart.

Another cheerful proverb...(koff koff)

Even in laughter the heart may ache, and joy may end in grief. - Prov. 14:13; 'Heart' is H3820 again.

A fickle thing is our heart; to go from one extreme to the next in an instant...or even experience two conflicting emotions at the same time.  Especially in times of grief.... such as happiness for a current situation while still missing the person who, for whatever reason, is not present.

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. -- Prov. 14: 30; 'Heart' is, again, H 3820.

It is interesting that the state of the emotions (heart) is stated as having an effect on the physical body, even as long ago as Solomon's kingdom.

Wisdom reposes in the heart of the discerning and even among fools she lets herself be known. -- Prov. 14:33; ....H3820 again.

There is some discrepancy about the translation of the second statement; some read as the NIV...that wisdom is even found among fools;  but some translations indicate that what is in the fool will make itself known.  I think both things are true.  Wisdom is always available to anyone who decides to pursue it...even someone who has been in pursuit of folly.  And for the person who continually chooses folly...the contents of his/ her spirit will be manifested.  Either way.  But...for someone who develops that spirit of discernment...wisdom is easily accessible.

On to chapter 15.

The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the hearts of fools. -- Prov. 15:7; you guessed it - H3820.  

A fool's heart does NOT spread wisdom.  There is none there to share.

Death and Destruction lie open before the LORD -- how much more the hearts of men! -- Prov. 15:11;   'hearts' here is Strong's 3826, liba -- heart. (feminine noun).

In the Hebrew, 'Death and Destruction' are literally places...Sheol (H7585) - hell, grave, the pit;  and Abbadon (H11), the place of destruction, ruin.  If God can see into these places, which are not of this world...how much more easily can he see into the hearts of people, which are right here?  And that whole 'God knows my heart' thing...Yes.  He does.  Absolutely and without deceit.  He KNOWS.

A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit. The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.  All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.-- Prov. 15:13-15;  all three references are H3820.

Spirit crushing heartache is contrasted with the cheerful face because...it shows.    Even if we try not to let it show...it slips out.   Which also means we need to be aware of the countenance of those around us who might need a bit of encouragement.  A fool feeding on folly is contrasted with a wise person seeking knowledge...the heart desires to increase what's there.  And a cheerful heart can even overcome oppression....which reminds me of Corrie Ten Boom's sister Betsy, who found something to rejoice about in every situation...even the flea infestation in their barracks, because the German guards would not come in, due to the fleas, and the ladies could have their precious Bible study times undetected.

The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil. -- Prov. 15:28; H 3820 again.

Oooo....how quick am I to spout off the first thing that pops into mind?  That has gotten me into hot water more times than I can count...I am learning, far too slowly, to weigh my answers.

And the last verse for today...

A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.  -- Prov. 15:30; H3820 again.

A true observation if ever there was one.

Blogging Bible Study: the Heart of the Matter - Proverbs, part 3

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Verse 1 in chapter 10 of Proverbs begins "The proverbs of Solomon:" ...and we begin a journey through a rather random compilation of Solomon's wise sayings; some of which get repeated.  We're not really going to be dealing with a general train of thought, as we were in the earlier chapters we covered.  So I'm just going to take the next 7 verses that mention heart/ hearts  as 'all I can manage today', lol.  Our first stop is Proverbs 10:8 - 

The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin.  'Heart' is Strong's H3820, leb- inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding; which is the most common Hebrew word that we have seen.

This is a common device for Hebrew poetry...a phrase that is stated, and then either confirmed or contrasted.  We will see (statement) and/ but (statement) over and over again as we look at these proverbs.  

Remember the earlier posts in Proverbs, in which we found that the heart is where instruction is either embraced or rejected...this is echoing that.  One whose heart has wisdom to accept instruction is compared to someone who babbles his own mind instead...and has a less than desirable outcome. 

Moving on to verse 20 of the same chapter:

The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value.  Heart is H3820 again.  

'Tongue of the righteous' would mean the words, speech, or teaching from a righteous person...contrasted with the heart (where wisdom is embraced or rejected) of a wicked person.  One has great value...the other has little.  Interesting that these two proverbs flip the discussion; the first is heart vs speech; the second is speech vs. heart.

The next one is...ominous...

The LORD detests men of perverse heart but delights in those whose ways are blameless.   -- Prov. 11:20; Heart is H3820 again.

Now we have God's perspective on the heart...and having a perverse (H6141 -Iqqes: Twisted, distorted, crooked, perverse, perverted) heart is, well, a problem.  How do we reconcile that with 'God is love?'   The word the NIV translates as 'detests' is H8441, toeba -- a disgusting thing, abomination, abominable.  It might be a shade more accurate to say 'A perverse heart is an abomination to the LORD', which is pretty close to the King James.   That actually makes the action of the statement on the heart...it's the perverse heart that's doing the thing; it wasn't initiated by God.  If a thing is detestable, abominable...then the reasonable reaction is to despise, detest, abhor that thing.  However, the ball is in the heart's court.  God does provide a way to correct and renew a perverse heart....and thus become a delight.  This isn't two different people here...it's two different life choices.

Pauses to think on that a moment before continuing...

I  am quickly coming to expect that any verse with 'heart' in it in Proverbs is going to expound on the same theme.

There is deceit in the hearts of those who plot evil, but joy for those who promote peace. -- Prov. 12:20; 'Heart' is once more H3820.

Deceit and joy seem to be different kinds of things...like, deceit is an action while joy is an emotion or experience.  How does our impression of 'deceit' (H4820 - mirma: deceit, treachery) change if we consider it to be a state comparable to 'joy'?  As in, deceit has an effect on the individual...comparable to the effect of joy?  Deceit as an emotional state?  The result upon oneself from plotting evil...planning wrong doing...  I am suddenly reminded of a post I recently saw on social media, talking about a particular actor who was constantly in character of the villain he portrayed (I am deliberately being vague to avoid search engine hits) .  Problem was, that character was so dark and so twisted that the actor couldn't shake it off...and died of a drug overdose soon after completing the filming.  Even actual pretend evil...had a horrible effect.

A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself, but the heart of fools blurts out folly.   Prov. 12:23; 'heart' is H3820 once again.  

This brings to mind a modern proverb...maybe from Will Rodgers?...'Better to keep one's mouth shut and be considered a fool than to start talking and remove all doubt.'  This one is hard, for one who has just discovered she's in the half of the population that has a continuous inner narration going on.  I have words  coming out my ears, lol, and too often I have spoken when it would have been much better to hold my peace.  In those cases I usually didn't have all the background info, or I had heard something out of context, or whatever, and by talking I proved that I didn't know squat about the subject. Because it was a heart-level ignorance.  Folly.   Ouch.  Humiliation is bitter...but it isn't fatal and can be educational.  If we allow it.

An anxious heart weights a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.  Prov. 12:25; 'heart' is ...you guessed it...H3820.    

Another video I recently saw on social media (Facebook Reels is a bottomless time-sucking pit, but there are some gems there.  I'm not sure if that's good or bad...) made the point that studies have shown that all it takes is 8 minutes with a friend to help pull someone out of a anxious spot.  "Do you have 8 minutes?" became, to the individual and a friend, a code phrase meaning...'I really need an encouraging word right now'.  I think that's a great idea. Encouragement is a gift...and it doesn't cost anything but  a few minutes of time.

The last verse for today is Prov. 13:12, which is a familiar one:

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but longing fulfilled is a tree of life.  Of course, 'heart' is H3820.

Funny thing about humans, though...we focus on the deferred hope and kinda ignore the fulfilled longings.  Sure, there are things that I have been hoping for ...for years...and if I focused on those things I could get very, very blue.  But in so many ways I am living my dream...and I tend to take that all for granted. The antidote to the 'hope deferred' illness is...gratefulness for the fulfilled longings.  

And that is a good selah spot to stop for this week...

Blogging Bible Study: The Heart of the Matter - Proverbs, Part 2

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Well, our little trek through the Bible looking at verses the Exhaustive Concordance based on the NIV 84 lists as containing 'Heart'/'Hearts' has us solidly in the book of Proverbs.  We're looking today at the rest of the chapters covering fatherly advice to a son, picking up in chapter 5, where the senior is envisioning what the young person will say after spending a lifetime of indulgence and waywardness (specifically if he gets involved in a relationship with an immoral woman)

At the end of your life you will groan, when your flesh and body are spent.  You will say, "How I hated discipline!  How my heart spurned correction!  I would not obey my teachers or listen to my instructors. -- Prov. 5: 11-13; 'Heart' is Strong's H3820, Leb, which is one of the two most common words for 'heart' -  inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding. 

It's interesting that, while the passage goes on to encourage marital fidelity, 'heart' is not in that discussion...although 'love' is mentioned in verse 19.   But 'heart' is seen as the place of either embracing or rejecting instruction.

We have several 'heart' references in chapter 6; gonna list them all together and then discuss.

A scoundrel and a villain, who goes about with a corrupt mouth, who winks with his eye, signals with his feet and motions with his fingers, who plots evil with deceit in his heart --he always stirs up dissension.  Prov. 6:12-14; 'heart' is H3820 again.

In the list of things that God hates (Prov. 6:16) -- 

a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil,  -- Prov. 6:18; 'heart' is H 3820.

Encouragement to pay attention to one's elders:

My son, keep your father's commands and do not forsake your mother's teaching. Bind them upon your heart forever; fasten them around your neck.  Prov. 6:20 - 21; 'heart' is, again, H3820.

And, warning again against an immoral woman,

Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes  -- Prov. 6:35; 'Heart' this time is Strong's H3824, lebab, the other most frequently used word - inner man, mind, will, heart, soul, understanding.

Mostly in chapter 6, we see warnings against people with bad character...with an emphasis on avoiding getting involved seduced by someone with low morals.  The text is specific about a immoral, seductive woman, but I think that's because it's aimed at a son.  It would apply equally for a daughter to avoid being seduced by some guy who offers her ...something other than a marriage covenant...in exchange for her affections.  Remembering ...and following...the wise instruction of one's elders can help avoid such traps.

Moving on into chapter 7, we have a repeat of that charge

Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.  bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.   - Prov. 7:2-3 ; 'Heart' is H3820 again.

And, also an echo of the warning against the seductress

Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths. -- Prov. 7:25; heart is once more H3820.

So. Many. Warnings against falling into a relationship with an immoral woman.  I have to think it was a real issue.  Especially considering that Solomon himself was not immune to the influence of women.  Was this Solomon instructing his son in a  'do as I say not as I do'?  Was it David's instruction to Solomon, that Solomon eventually forsook?  Or the general writing of other authors who observed the whole mess and wanted to use it as a warning?  In any case, it is still sound advice...a person who genuinely cares for another will not take advantage of that person.  In any way.  If there is an individual who is trying to wheedle or seduce his or her way into a too intimate relationship... consider it a red flag.  

Remember what your parents taught you.

Blogging Bible Study: The Heart of the Matter - Proverbs, part 1

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Well,  our tour through the Bible looking at verses containing words the NIV 84 has translated as 'heart/ hearts' has brought us to the book of Proverbs, which is going to be rather disjointed, I think.   Proverbs itself is rather disjointed, being a collection of wise sayings, and generally speaking (there are a few exceptions), one verse really does not relate to the one before or the one after.   So I decided to just kind of see if/where any natural selahs hit...but, in the interest of not spending another 5 months in one book I am going to try to squeeze in as much as I can.  I found,  if I counted my scribbles correctly, about 68 verses to look at, so even going 8 ish verses a week...it's going to take a minute.

But we don't have a deadline, so...it's all good, right?

Of course, we start off with one of the exceptions; Proverbs 1: 20 - 33 are written as if Wisdom were personified and calling to mankind.  We have one verse in that passage to consider:

If you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you. -- Prov. 1:23; 'Heart' is  Strong's 7307, ruah  - wind; by resemblance breath, i.e. a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively, life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension, a region of the sky; by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being.  We have encountered this word a few times; if my count is right, this is the 4th time the NIV has translated 'ruah' as 'heart'.

This is a different concept that the typical words...that focus on mind, will, heart, understanding, etc.  This carries an emotion with it;  a passion.   I can see that 'heart' is a reasonable translation, given the context and the way we use 'heart' today.  In the previous verse, Wisdom has chided the oblivious population,  saying, in effect, 'how long are you going to hang on to your ignorance?'  It's a call to repentance, to give up what the base nature wants and to seek a better way.  All it takes is that decision, 'I'm done with this nonsense'...and Wisdom will be there to teach us.  

Read the whole passage; it's a good challenge.

Proverbs 2 - 7 is a father instructing his son in the ways of wisdom; just keep that context in mind as we look at the following verses....

We have a long if/ then exhortation in chapter 2; I'll include a bit for context but I can't type out the whole thing, lol...

My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding.... Prov. 2: 1-2.

There is more if- then in between, but the next verse w/ 'heart' emphasizes 'then'....

Then you will understand what is right and just and fair -- every good path.  For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.  Prov. 2: 9 -10; both instances of 'heart' are  our friend H 3820, Leb.  inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding.  

Apply the heart to seeking wisdom, and wisdom will enter the heart.  Just stop and think for a moment what impact that would have on one's life...to have wisdom resident in the heart. But what struck me is that wisdom is something to seek, and it comes into the heart from outside.  It's not something I come up with...it's external.  

Moving on to Proverbs 3:

My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart,  for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.  Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.   -- Prov. 3: 1-6;  all occurrences of 'heart' are H 3820 again.

The last two verses are very familiar...but I'm looking at the passage here as a whole; we are to keep the father's commands in our hearts, along with love and faithfulness, and to put the trust of the entire heart on God. As in, it all depends on him.  Not one whit on me or my abilities or the actions of anyone around me.  Everything depends on him....

I have three more verses in Proverbs 4 that I'll look at today...

When I was a boy in my father's house, still tender, and an only child of my mother, he taught me and said, "Lay hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands, and you will live."  -- Prov. 4:3-4; 'heart'  is, once again, H3820.

I think it's worth noting that, so long as Solomon followed God whole-heartedly, everything he put his hands to flourished...but , as we saw when we were in 1 Kings, when he let his heart stray, things started going downhill pretty fast.  

Did he forget his father's instruction?  Or get too familiar with it, so that it lost tits perceived value?

My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words.  Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's whole body.  Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.  -- Prov. 4:20-23.  'Heart' in verse 21 is the other of the two most frequently seen Hebrew words, Strong's H3824, lebab -inner man, mind, will, heart, soul, understanding.  Verse 23 is, again, H3820.

The heart is the wellspring of life.

What happens to a polluted well?  What comes from a polluted well?  No wonder the importance of keeping wisdom and sound teaching in the heart.

We'll finish up these chapters on Wisdom next week.

Blogging Bible Study: The Heart of the Matter - Psalms, part 14 , Ps. 141- 150

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Well, we have persevered and now we are at the end of Psalms...looking at  verses containing 'Heart/hearts'  in the NIV 84 translation.  We only have three verses in the last ten psalms to look at today.

Psalm 141 is one of David's...

Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil, to take part in wicked deeds with men who are evildoers; let me not eat of their delicacies.  -- Ps. 141:4; 'Heart' is Strong's H3820, Leb, one of the two most frequently used Hebrew words  -- 'Inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding' 

This verse actually strikes me as a plea to resist the camaraderie, the  fellowship, the approval of hanging with bad characters; y'know...peer pressure.  To be part of the crowd, breaking the rules, feeding the appetite...the Psalms are often talking about suffering at the hands of such folks; in fact, this same Psalm goes on to ask for protection against their traps...but here is a request to resist the temptation to join them.  Which is a real threat.  Joining the crowd who doesn't give a hoot about righteousness or justice, who twist language around so that words don't mean what they mean,  who seek power and pleasure can seem to be the best/ easiest thing to do when one is worn down, and I think it's interesting that this is mentioned as an occasion to ask for divine assistance.  The affirmation of that bunch is a siren song of its own; we need help to stand firm against it at times.

Psalms 143 is also one of David's psalms, this verse needs the preceding one for context:

My enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in darkness like those long dead.  So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed.  -- Ps. 143: 3-4; 'Heart' is H3820 again.

Here is the state of one who is worn down; weak, fatigued, fighting to hold on to what is right and true. Of course, the Psalm goes on to declare David's trust and hope in the Lord, but this is the confession of his condition before he encourages himself by remembering God's love.

And, finally, the last mention of 'heart' in the unattributed Psalm 148:

He has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his saints, of Israel, the people close to his heart.  Praise the LORD.   -- Ps. 148:14; 'heart' is ...not in the original language.  We go from 'near' (Strong's H7138 - qarob  - 'near, nigh, at hand' ) to 'Praise' (Strong's H1984, halal, which is one of the seven main Hebrew words used for 'Praise')...which begins the final phrase of the verse.

So this actually would read 'people near.  Praise the LORD.'  The King James translates this as 'a people near unto him.' as did the Amplified,  the ESV,  the NLT, the NASB...  all the translations kind of filled in the 'near to what' blank, but only the NIV used the phrase 'his heart'.  Now, I do believe 'near to him' is implied there; that makes sense, and it sort of follows that a people near to God would also be near his heart, however..I can't dig into any depth based on implication.  The people of God are near.   But that's pretty deep all on its own...

Blogging Bible Study - The Heart of the Matter : Psalms, Part 13, Ps 121 - 140

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Literally just walked in the door from a 9 day vacation, lol, but I'm determined to not get any behinder...

In our perusal through the scripture looking at the verses in the NIV 84 containing 'heart/hearts', we have arrived at the Songs of Ascent...the thirteen psalms immediately following Ps. 119.  These psalms are supposed to have been recited as one climbed the Temple mount.

Confession time:  when I was a kid, we were awarded check marks in Sunday School for 1) bringing a Bible to church 2) studying the lesson ahead of time 3) reading extra chapters in the Bible and 4) bringing a visitor.  I didn't have much opportunity to get points for #4, but I made sure to do  1 - 3.  HOWever, there were many weeks in which my 'extra chapters' were Ps. 120-126, read in the car on the way to church.  7 chapters, so it looked like I read one chapter each day.  It's shameful to have been so conniving as a kid, and rather embarrassing to admit now...but I do have a lot of familiarity with those 7 psalms.   

Only one of them contains the word 'Heart,' and the author is not noted:

Do good, O LORD to those who are good, to those who are upright in heart. -  Ps. 125:4; 'Heart' is a word we've seen only once before, Strong's H 3826, libbah - which is the feminine form of H 3820 and is defined as 'heart'.  Period.  I am not sure why this form of the word is preferable here, although I am sure there is a reason.  But there's no question about the translation.

'Upright in heart' is a concept that has recurred in the Psalms;  it's Strong's H3477, yasar...right, upright, straight.  Probably not me as a kid trying to look more spiritually disciplined than I was.

The next verse we'll consider isn't until the 131st Psalm, which is why I am covering so much territory today. We are still in the Songs of Ascent; this one is attributed to David:

My heart is not proud, O LORD, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.  - Ps. 131:1; 'heart' is Strong's H3820 - leb, which we have seen often -- inner man, mind will , heart, understanding.   This is a good verse to ponder...a proud heart and haughty eyes seem to be equated with being concerned with great matters/ things beyond understanding.  Does this mean we aren't to seek and inquire after great and wonderful things?  I don't thing so...but I do think it means we aren't to claim any special knowledge or insight into things that are beyond human comprehension.  I am not entirely sure, however, what those great and wonderful matters  actually are.  I certainly cannot claim any authority to  make pronouncements on something that only God has the perspective to determine.  Like the contents or intentions of someone else's heart.

Psalm 138 is another one of David's psalms; we have left behind the Songs of Ascent at this point.

I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; before the "gods" I will sing your praise. -- Ps. 138:1; 'heart' is Strong's H 3820 again.  I am tempted to go down a rabbit trail after "gods", but I'll just tell you it's Strong's H 430, elohim, and let you look it up and draw your own conclusions.  'whole' is Strong's H 3605, Koi, -- 'all, the whole, any, each, every, anything, totality, everything'. No divided loyalties or mixed allegiance here; the Lord is the one who is loved and praised.

I'm going to list two verses here, just because the first verse feels incomplete without the second.  Psalm 139 is one of David's more popular psalms:

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.  -- Ps. 139:23-24; 'heart' is Strong's 3824, lebab, the other of the two most used words, 'inner man, mind, will, heart, soul, understanding'.

Once more we come to the concept of God knowing one's heart...and once again that makes me tremble a bit. Consider my youthful self...while the adults who taught the class may have been impressed with my consistency, God knew my heart.   He knew my motive, as a 12 - 13 year old, wasn't pursuit of Him through the scripture...it was to gain favor with folks whose opinion mattered to me.  It was to look good.  That's what it means for God to know one's heart, folks.  He knows the TRUE motives and priorities.  

That should shake us all up.  

Which is why I included the second verse...it's not the end, if we're in error.  God can correct the offense in us, and lead us into better habits, if we're willing to let him.

Stepping all over my own toes here but I'll go on...

I need two verses to get the whole sentence for this week's last reference; this psalm was also penned by David:

Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men; protect me from men of violence, who devise evil plans in their hearts and stir up war every day. -- Ps. 140:1-2.  'Hearts' is H3820 again.

This is timely.  My social media feed is full of people 'stirring up war'...over politics, over someone else's expression of worship, over technology, over medicine...you name it, SOMEONE has an inflammatory statement to make about it.   Are these all evil people?  Maybe some, who are deliberately trying to raise a ruckus, have a malicious motive, but I think most of them are just people who feel very strongly about a position and somehow think that by using strong language someone who's in an opposing camp will see the light.

Nope.  Don't wanna bust any bubbles, that that ain't gonna work.  We are not going to do the work of the kingdom by stirring up war.  There is warfare to fight, to be sure, but...it matters who shoots first.

Consider how David classified folks who 'stir up war'.  But one might say, 'I am not devising evil plans!  I am raising awareness about (XYZ)!'  Oh, certainly.  But is that awareness being raised by simply laying out facts, or with angry words and loud accusations, from a place of hearsay and rumor?  It matters.

Remember, God KNOWS the heart....

Blogging Bible Study: The Heart of the Matter - Psalms, part 12, Ps. 119

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

I know, I know, this is a day late.  I hit some boggy spots along the way and it just took a while...but, here we are...

As I mentioned two weeks ago, there are no 'heart/hearts' references in Ps. 113-118.  So, today, we are diving into Ps. 119.

Not gonna lie, this is going to be a DEEP dive and will probably be the longest post of the whole series.  After all, I did a WHOLE 6 MONTH STUDY on Ps. 119 back in 2016, so you know there's a lot here.

Now, Ps. 119 is an unattributed acrostic poem, with 22 stanzas, one for each letter in the Hebrew alphabet.  Each o f the 8 verses in each stanza begins with that stanza's letter; ie, each of verses 1 - 8 begin with the letter 'aleph' each of the verses 9 - 16 begin with the letter 'beth', etc. The subject of the entire psalm is God's word...his word, his decrees, his laws, his statutes, his precepts...all the synonyms.  So I would expect all the verses containing 'heart/hearts' to have to do with how God's word impacts the heart.  

I'm just going to list them all out and then we'll look at the overall themes that develop.

As always, I'm working in the NIV 84, which is the translation that corresponds to the exhaustive concordance that I used building the list of references to check.

Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.  -Ps. 119: 2, 'heart' is Strong's H 3820 (leb), which is one of the two most common Hebrew words translated as 'heart'.  

I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws.  -- Ps.119: 7; 'Heart is Strong's H 3824 (lebab), the other most common Hebrew word translated as 'heart'

I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.  I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.   - Ps. 119: 10-11, both instances of 'heart' are H 3820 again.

I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws. - Ps. 119:30  Ok...this one is weird, because, according to the interlinear text of Ps. 119 in  the Blue Letter Bible site, there is no word that is translated as 'heart'.  That second phrase has two words, H4941, mispat - a verdict (favorable or unfavorable, pronounced judicially, especially a sentence or formal decree)...abstractly, justice...  and H 7737,  sava --to level, i.e., equalize; figuratively, to resemble; by implication, to adjust.  One of the verb tenses does include the meaning 'to set, place' I checked several translations and the NIV is the only one who employs the word 'heart' here; the rest all pretty much say 'I have set your judgements before me', with 'before me' indicated as being implied.  Literally, 'I have chosen the way of truth, your verdict is set.'  I don't know enough to know if the subject of that second phrase is still 'I' or if it is just a declaration about the establishment of God's judgement. If we understand the subject to be 'I', I don't think it's a huge stretch to set God's judgements in one's heart...but that's not exactly how the original language reads.  (I didn't expect to run into new grammar issues here, lol...moving on,,,)

I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free -- Ps. 119:32...more interesting translation.  'Heart' is H 3820 again, but the phrase 'you have set my heart free'  uses H7337, rahab,, which actually means 'be wide /large' or 'grow wide/large'; widened, enlarged, relieved, or 'expanded with joy'.  Again, not a huge stretch from 'expanded with joy' to 'set free' ...but it is a difference.

Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart. -- Ps. 119:34; 'Heart' is H 3820 again.  

Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. -- Ps. 119: 36; 'Heart' is H 3820.

I have sought your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise. -- Ps. 119:58; H 3820 again.

Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies,  I keep your precepts with all my heart.  Their hearts are callous and unfeeling, but I delight in your law. Ps. 119: 69-70;  both heat and hearts are H 3820.

May my heart be blameless toward your decrees, that I may not be put to shame. -- Ps. 119:80; H 3820 again.

Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart.  My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end.  -- Ps. 119:111 - 112;  both instances of 'heart' are H 3820.

I call with all my  heart; answer me, O LORD, and I will obey your decrees -- Ps 119:145; H 3820 again.

Rulers persecute me without case, but my heart trembles at your word. -- Ps. 119:161; 'heart' is, once more, H 3820.

OOOOkkkkaayy...that's the lot of 'heart/heats' verses in Ps. 119.

The first thing that jumps out of me is the repetition of 'all my heart' (vs. 2, 10, 34, 58, 69,  and 145); we can included in this mindset the phrase 'my heart is set' (vs. 30...sort of, lol, and vs. 112).  This is a reflection of commitment and dedication, and has two applications...to seek/ pursue/ call (upon) God with all the heart or obey/keep the commands/ precepts/ law with all the heart.

A whole-hearted pursuit of God results in whole-hearted obedience. But I also think that without whole-hearted obedience, any pursuit of God is less than whole-hearted as well.  They are interlocking.  You can't have one without the other.

But I also see the psalmist asking God for help in that dual pursuit ...' Do not let me stray' - (vs. 10); 'Turn my heart toward your statutes' (vs. 36); 'May my heart be blameless'  (vs 80).    A reminder that, while we may have the best intentions, we still require divine assistance ...i.e., grace... to remain true.  Fortunately, God is always generous with his grace and gives it abundantly to those who truly seek it.

The final thing I see here is the effect the word/precepts/ statutes/ laws/ etc. has upon the heart that is devoted to it....it brings blessing (vs 2), prompts praise (vs 7), keeps us from sin (vs. 11), provides a path and brings growth/ freedom  (vs 32) bring delight and joy, (vs. 69 and 111), and  inspires awe and trembling (vs. 161)

 A good little exercise for anyone who thinks pursuing God through studying his word is not worth doing...