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....
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