The Deceitful Heart

Philosophy View of Deceitful Heart

Having a tendency or disposition to deceive or give false impressions.

Biblical View of Deceitful Heart

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Jeremiah 17 :9 KJV

“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.”

Luke 6 :45 KJV

Did you know that we are responsible for our response to temptation? We may believe that we will not yield quite so quickly but think again, we certainly do not want to be the reason someone else is lead into temptation. If we sin in response to someone tempting us we have to own it but if we are the cause for why someone else sins that is even worse.

The book of 2nd Samuel 11 tells the story of how David led Bathsheba to sin. 2nd Samuel :2 highlighted that from the roof he spotted a beautiful lady bathing. What caused David to want her is unknown? Although we can assume that he simply lusted after her, he saw a woman of unusual beauty, bathing and desired her.

One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful.

2nd Samuel 11:2 NIV

We must not assume that Bathsheba was totally helpless in this scenario. Of course, Bathsheba probably could not have protested when the King sent to get her, but I suppose one did not refuse the King’s request. However, when she realised David’s intentions, she could have refused his advances, but she apparently acquiesced.

Both David and Bathsheba were in a compromising situation and I am sure there was a point at which they could have stopped, but they did not and before everything happened maybe David might have thought about what Jeremiah said in the word that the human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. All this because of our sinful nature, knowing what we are capable of can help us know what we need to stay away from.

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

Jeremiah 17:9 NIV

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” The heart of a person can be corrupt, or it can be good and helpful, depending on what has been put into it, and whether it is being led by the truth. Human beings are created in the image of God with the faculty of reason. In the fallen world, with fallen flesh, ruled by the prince of darkness, to be led by the heart by default is beyond foolish.

Understanding the physical anatomy and function of the organ that is the human heart is infinitely easier than understanding the spiritual/emotional aspects. Theologians and human behaviourists struggle to understand it, but God, who designed it all, understands it perfectly and has made a way to cleanse even the most deceitful of hearts through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. God promises through the prophet Ezekiel to give a new heart, a heart of flesh instead of a heart of stone and he says that he will write his laws on our hearts

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

Ezekiel 36:26 NIV

According to Jeremiah 31:33 tells us that we will know him and follow his ways. Was it not for God’s intervention, then the heart would indeed continue to be deceitful above all things. Being led by the heart is to be led by lusts, or emotionalism. In the relationship between the heart and the mind, particularly the renewed mind, it is the mind that should lead the heart.

“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

Jeremiah 31:33 NIV

We women need to be very careful not to get ourselves into such compromising situations. We also need to be sure not to be a temptation. Do we consciously or unconsciously send tempting signals?

What message do we send?

With our eyes

With our words

With our clothing

It is hard to admit that we are capable of doing anything deceitful. The heart is useful and adds to the richness of life. Emotions are a good thing if put in their proper place. They can be an accurate reflection of what is happening. The well-led heart can enrich love, joy, godly grief, and every other emotion in its proper context. But if it is allowed to lead an unregenerate mind, or even a renewed, but lazy mind, it will lead astray into foolishness or sin.

Let us ask the Lord to help us never be unfaithful to our Spouses. It is easy to say we will never be unfaithful if we never have the chance. Those who are faced with the decision for unfaithfulness know the battle that ensues. They know they are apt to sin. The marvellous thing of being a Christian is that at such a time, God says He will give us a power to say no.

Say no to sending the wrong signal

Say no to inappropriate desires

Say no to temptation

I am here to remind us all, that God will give us a new heart and write his laws on it, through the process of salvation and sanctification, we will never be sorry.