How's your heart?

How's your heart? That can be a very important question. Towards the end of last year, a very dear friend of ours (my wife and me), who was 81 years of age (the same age as I currently am!), but full of life, and joy, and who always seemed to be in the best of health, died unexpectedly. The cause of her death? A sudden heart attack. The Emergency Services were called, but it was too late. Now, I have to say that this dear lady was a true disciple of Jesus and we believe, firmly, that while the physical body died, her spirit - the very essence of who she was - went to be with her Saviour, to be eternally with Him. However, it would appear that her heart - the physical organ - wasn't as strong as those who knew her had believed!

The heart, as well as being a physical organ, has long been considered to be the seat of our emotions; the seat if decisive action; and the seat of belief (as well as of doubt!). The heart symbolises the centre of our moral, spiritual, and intellectual life. It is the seat of our conscience and life.

And Almighty God knows our hearts well! Through the prophet, Jeremiah, He states that "I YHWH search the mind and try the heart, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings." (17:10). After the global flood, He pronounces that "the desires of the human heart are evil from youth;" (Gen. 8:21; NABrevd).

The Lord Jesus informed His disciples that "What comes out of a man is what defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a man." (Mark 7:21-23).

Father God searches, and weighs, our hearts by the teaching of the Scriptures. He opens our hearts, to His truth, and gives us a new heart when we come to the Christ, in confession, repentance, faith, and commitment. He gives us a heart that is sensitive to His presence, His leading, and His love. Speaking through the prophet Ezekiel, He states: "A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will take out of your flesh the 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 be careful to observe my ordinances." (36:26-27), words originally declared to the Children of Israel, but applicable to all.

Don't ever hesitate to take to Him whatever is on your heart. He already knows it, in any case, but He doesn't want you to bear its pain, or celebrate its joy, alone!

So, "How's your heart?"!

The Ten Words (2.2)

In the post before the last one,I made some comments on the 2nd Commandment: "You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love Me and keep My commandments." (Ex 20:4-6).

The eagle-eyed among you may have noticed that I actually commented only on the first part of that Commandment.  So what has the second part got to say to us, today?  It reads: "for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love Me and keep My commandments."

The first thing that we must notice is the word 'jealous'.  This does not mean that Almighty God is envious of anything, and certainly not of man-made images.  It's a word that expresses, in context, God's deep love for His chosen people.  It doesn't refer as much to an emotion, as to an activity - in this case a zealous activity that "springs from he rupture of a personal bond as exclusive as that of the marriage bond." (Alan Cole).  This phrase is a reminder that God desires, and expects, the exclusive love of His people.

The other phrase that causes difficulty for some people is the one about "... visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate Me, ..."  However, this is merely the usual Semitic manner of expressing continuity.  It is not saying that God punishes my children, grandchildren, etc for my sins.  It is making the point that sin has long-term consequences.  It is a reminder that children suffer because of what their parents, and even earlier generations, have done.  To take a simple example, if a young woman is addicted to hard drugs, and becomes pregnant, then her unborn child may be born with the same addiction.  If that child is a girl, she too may become pregnant, and her child may be born with the same addiction.  

However, we must also note that this is applied only to "... those who hate Me ..." - in other words, those who refuse to live their lives in accordance with His will; those who 'bow down', and 'serve', idols. 

The other side of all of that is the assurance that, while God will punish those who fail to conform to His will; and while such failure will have long-lasting consequences; those who seek to keep His commandments will know His 'steadfast love'. 

So, this commandment reminds us, also, that we have responsibilities - and that God is the Judge of all the earth.   That judgement, of course, is already over for all who have placed their trust in the Lord Jesus, the Christ - recognising, and confessing, their own sinfulness, and depending solely upon His perfect sacrifice for their salvation.  I trust that all who read this blog are in that company!