Topical Bible: The Heart: God: Searched

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In biblical theology, the heart is often seen as the center of human emotion, thought, and will. It is the seat of one's inner life and the source of moral and spiritual conduct. The Bible frequently speaks of God's ability to search and know the human heart, emphasizing His omniscience and the importance of inner purity and sincerity.

God's Omniscience and the Heart

The Scriptures affirm that God possesses complete knowledge of the human heart. In 1 Samuel 16:7, the LORD tells Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart." This passage highlights that while humans may judge based on external factors, God discerns the true nature and intentions of a person.

Jeremiah 17:10 further underscores this divine attribute: "I, the LORD, search the heart; I examine the mind to reward a man according to his way, by what his deeds deserve." Here, the prophet Jeremiah reveals that God's examination of the heart is not merely observational but is tied to His justice and the moral evaluation of human actions.

The Heart's Condition and God's Judgment

The condition of the heart is of paramount importance in one's relationship with God. Proverbs 21:2 states, "All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart." This proverb suggests that self-deception is possible, but God's assessment is always accurate and just.

In the New Testament, Jesus reiterates the significance of the heart in moral and spiritual life. In Matthew 15:18-19, He teaches, "But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander." This passage indicates that the heart is the source of both good and evil actions, and thus, it is the focus of divine scrutiny.

God's Desire for a Pure Heart

God's desire is for His people to have pure and sincere hearts. Psalm 51:10 is a plea for such purity: "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." This verse reflects the understanding that only God can transform the heart, making it clean and aligned with His will.

Ezekiel 36:26-27 promises a divine transformation: "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances." This prophetic promise points to the New Covenant, where God enables His people to live in obedience through a renewed heart and the indwelling of His Spirit.

The Heart's Role in Worship and Obedience

True worship and obedience stem from the heart. Deuteronomy 6:5 commands, "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." This commandment emphasizes that love for God must be wholehearted and sincere, encompassing every aspect of one's being.

In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul echoes this sentiment in Romans 10:9-10: "If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved." Here, belief in the heart is essential for justification and salvation, highlighting the heart's central role in faith.

Conclusion

The biblical portrayal of the heart as searched by God serves as a reminder of His intimate knowledge of humanity and His desire for genuine devotion. The heart's condition is crucial in determining one's relationship with God, and through His grace, believers are called to cultivate hearts that reflect His righteousness and love.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 Chronicles 28:9
And you, Solomon my son, know you the God of your father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searches all hearts, and understands all the imaginations of the thoughts: if you seek him, he will be found of you; but if you forsake him, he will cast you off for ever.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Jeremiah 17:10
I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

God, the All-Seeing One
... the balances. Oh, might not God say of many of you, "I have searched your
heart, and I have found vanity therein? Reprobate silver ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/sermons on proverbs/god the all-seeing one.htm

God, the All-Seeing One
... the balances. Oh, might not God say of many of you, "I have searched your
heart, and I have found vanity therein? Reprobate silver ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/god the all-seeing one.htm

God must First be Known by an Unerring Faith, that He May be Loved ...
... For He is not a body to be searched out by ... we have power to behold and to perceive
God, as He ... perceived, which is permitted to the pure in heart; for "blessed ...
/.../augustine/on the holy trinity/chapter 4 god must first be.htm

God's Scrutiny Longed For
... 'Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me ... Thou hast searched me, and known me.'
All the more remarkable, then, is it that the psalm should end with ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture j/gods scrutiny longed for.htm

The Heart: a Gift for God
... "My son, give me thine heart.". When? At once. There is no intimation that God would
have us wait a little. ... I have searched the calendar and cannot find it. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/sermons on proverbs/the heart a gift for.htm

The Story of Hazael
... went on, 'howbeit he shall certainly die,' and the eye of the man of God searched
him till he turned away ashamed because aware that his inmost heart was read. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/the story of hazael.htm

God's Exhaustive Knowledge of Man. [*Continued]
... [*continued]. PSALM cxxxix.1"6.""O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. ... If
you could but fathom the human heart as God fathoms it, you would know ...
/.../shedd/sermons to the natural man/gods exhaustive knowledge of man 2.htm

"Seek First the Kingdom of God," &C.
... do thy will, O my God, yea thy law is within my heart," Psal. ... good, namely, "the
kingdom of God and his righteousness." And when God had searched the whole ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xix seek first the.htm

God's Exhaustive Knowledge of Man.
... purified from its inward corruption, unless it is searched by the ... teaches him that
there is help for him in God. His own knowledge of his own heart, as we have ...
/.../shedd/sermons to the natural man/gods exhaustive knowledge of man.htm

He.
... each man hath searched the law, and searched its deep things, in which its whole
meaning doth consist; he ought indeed to love God with all his heart, with all ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/he.htm