D1: The Heart - Four Questions for My Heart from Proverbs

D1: The Heart - Four Questions for My Heart from Proverbs

God’s wise assessment of the heart should lead the believer to ask:

1. Do I value God’s assessment of my heart more than my own assessment of my heart?

“Who can say, ‘I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin?’” Proverbs 20:9

• NT parallel = 1 Jn 1:8. These questions are not primarily attacking the wrong idea that a sinner could clean himself up a by God. Rather, this is a wise OT believer advising his son that there is not one who can claim in any situation in life to h complete purity of motive. The heart will always have some corruption in it due to sin. The mixed condition of the believe understands this.
• Examples from James on the mixed condition of the believer in Jesus Christ: James 1:14, 26; 2:1, 4; 3:9-12; 4:3; 5:16. R Now, we are in an infinitely better condition in Christ than before Christ.

• Each of us should strive to hold an appropriate suspicion over his/her own heart because of this wisdom from God conce hearts. Some will gravitate toward the pole of never, ever finding anything good at any time in any motive - awareness o dominates the whole view. Consider Rm 15:14. Some will gravitate toward the pole of believing in certain (limited?) circ total purity of motive was the only operating factor within. Don’t be either of these. Neither of these are the appropriate s to hold over your heart.

“Every man’s way is right in his own eyes, but YHWH weighs the hearts.” Proverbs 21:2

• You know how this, 21:2a, feels! Sometimes it seems just absolutely impossible that your path you’ve chosen is not the Self-assessment comes up at the pole you want to stay away from. We are far too easily impressed at times with our ab choose the right path to walk.
• What are we looking at in 21:2a? What is God looking at in 21:2b? What is the di erence? We’re looking at choices, th ff choices. We’re looking at actions. God is looking at the kind of inner man we were before and during the choices. Who more trustworthy? How easily we become unacquainted with our hearts throughout the day.

“He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he who walks wisely will be delivered.” Proverbs 28:26

• Trusting in your own heart is contrasted with what? Trusting in your own heart then, is not walking wisely.What does this imply about the outcome for you if you do trust in your own heart? That you will be trapped and in need of deliverance.
• “If any cheat had deceived us an hundred times, we would certainly deserve the character of fools if we trusted him any m we are great strangers at home, if we are not sensible that it has been the common practice of our hearts to impose false from our youth up.” Lawson 797. Jeremiah 17:9

“Trust in YHWH with all your heart and do not lean on your understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make y straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

• Here’s just the clear, positive command concerning your inner man as a believer: “Gather up all that you are inwardly be trust in YHWH. And here’s the clear, negative command concerning your inner man as a believer: “do not lean on, trust understanding.” Why? The prior verses! As you move outward from yourself to the paths that you have chosen from the acknowledge God as you walk. Solomon intends to make it clear that for the OT believer, there should always be a look from self to God at the heart level.

• Be very careful of your own assessment of your heart. Trust God’s assessment of your own heart more. What has He g that? Hb 4:12. BTW - if the heart was always pure, why would you need God’s word to discern its thoughts and intention assessment of your heart are you most impressed with? Your own? Or God’s?

2. Am I more inclined to carefully control my heart or blindly follow my heart?

• Notice these 3 commands. Solomon’s clear expectation for his son is that his sone would control his own heart (shepherd it) that the heart is wayward and needs to be carefully watched over, Proverbs 4:23 “Watch over your heart with all diligence, fo flows the springs of life.” Also, Proverbs 23:19 “Listen my son and be wise, and direct your heart in the way.”

“Do not desire her beauty in your heart, nor let her capture you with her eyelids.” Proverbs 6:25

“Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways, do not stray into her paths.” Proverbs 7:25

“Do not let your heart envy sinners, but live in the fear of YHWH always.” “Proverbs 23:17

3. Do I know in what ways my heart is vulnerable?

“Anxiety in a man’s heart weights it down, but a good word makes it glad.” Proverbs 12:25

• What impact does the sin of anxiety or worry have on your heart? It sinks like a stone under the weight of that sin, “to de despair where it can no longer apprehend gospel comforts. . . where it can no longer o er thanks to God. . .” Lawson ff
• The good news? Look how easily encouraged the heart can be!

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12

• What impact does deferred hope have on your heart? We need to be careful what people and pursuits we put our hope fall through, our hearts will be a ected. As moms and dads we need to be careful with our children’s hearts - in keeping ff promises made to them (or, in being wise to consider carefully before we promise to make sure we actually can. . .).
• The good news? The heart easily comes alive when its desire is fulfilled.

4. When I am in trouble, do I ever back up and consider my heart?

• Let’s talk about it in 3

rd person. . . Suppose you come upon a believing friend’s life and he/she appears devastated/”totaled” for w reason you do not yet know. What should you do? First, enter into their distress and care, cry, sympathize as one who unde trouble is commonplace for us. Secondly, think carefully because the existence of calamity doesn’t automatically mean the b foolish or is being disciplined by God. Nevertheless, as a good sister/brother gently, carefully help him/her back up and evalu thinking, decision making prior to the calamity, because. . .

“Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, but humility goes before honor.” Proverbs 18:12

• The presence of “destruction” (a life undone spiritually) in our lives is an opportunity to evaluate the influence pride possi bringing the calamity. What was the condition of the heart prior to the destruction? Haughty - prideful, arrogant. “Proud always standing on the edge of a fearful precipice, from whence they will soon tumble into destruction.” Lawson 441.

“How blessed is the man who fears always, but he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.” Proverbs 28:14

• The presence of calamity is an opportunity to evaluate the hardness or softness of our hearts. What was the condition o prior to calamity? Hard. And what is that contrasted with? “Fearing always.” What does that mean in the context of Pro Fearing YHWH always.
• Illustrations to help you think through the current condition of your heart: Hard ground: a pick axe or a hand trowel? Ha iron hook or your fingers?