What does "not follow your own heart" mean in Numbers 15:39? Setting the Scene—Why Tassels at All? “Speak to the Israelites and tell them to make for themselves tassels on the corners of their garments...so that you will remember all the LORD’s commandments” (Numbers 15:38–39). • Tassels were visual cues: every glance reminded Israel of God’s Word. • They guarded against forgetfulness—and against drifting into self-directed living. The Core Phrase Explained “You will obey Him and not prostitute yourselves by following your own heart and your own eyes” (Numbers 15:39). • “Follow” (Hebrew: sur) pictures active pursuit, a deliberate chasing. • “Your own heart” stands for inner desires, plans, instincts, emotions. • Linked with “your own eyes,” it stresses craving what seems attractive. • “Prostitute yourselves” signals covenant infidelity—treating other loves as more satisfying than the LORD. Bottom line: God forbids giving the heart the steering wheel when its desires contradict His revealed commands. What Scripture Says About the Heart • “The heart is deceitful above all things” (Jeremiah 17:9). • “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool” (Proverbs 28:26). • “From within, out of the heart of men, come evil thoughts” (Mark 7:21–23). Because the fall bent the human heart, its natural impulses are unreliable guides. God’s Alternative—Follow His Heart, Not Yours • Tassels reminded Israel to “remember all the LORD’s commandments… and be holy to your God” (Numbers 15:40–41). • The Word, not feelings, sets the standard (Psalm 119:11). • God promises a new, Spirit-shaped heart: “I will give you a new heart…I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes” (Ezekiel 36:26-27). New-covenant believers have an inner compass recalibrated by the Spirit, yet still check every desire against Scripture (Galatians 5:16). Practical Takeaways for Today • Measure impulses. If a desire clashes with clear Scripture, reject it. • Cultivate reminders. Israel had tassels; we have Bible saturation—reading, memorizing, hearing preached truth. • Guard the eyes. What we watch feeds the heart, either toward or away from God. • Pursue holiness, not self-expression. True freedom is found in joyful obedience to the Lord who redeemed us (John 8:31–32). “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). Whenever the heart wants the throne, Numbers 15:39 calls us back: let God’s Word lead, and let every tethered reminder keep us from wandering. |
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