Isaiah (Chapter 1) For Today

Paul says, in Rom. 15:4, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning” (NKJV) as he writes to the Christians in Rome (Rom. 1:7 NKJV). The prophetic book of Isaiah, written hundreds of years before Christ, can teach us much about God—who he is, his nature, what pleases him, what displeases him, how he feels, his thoughts, his sense of justice, etc. I think most of us would like to know God better, and Isaiah gives us that opportunity. There are lessons for the church, God’s people, found in the very first chapter of Isaiah.

As Isaiah chapter one opens (Isa. 1:1), we learn of a vision Isaiah saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, God’s people in that Old Testament time period. We must remember that we Christians are God’s people today, so in terms of broad principles at least, versus specific laws, there is application for us as well as for those who lived back then. Here are some of the lessons found in the first chapter.

(1) God’s people can cease to know him or understand him. “The ox knows its owner and the donkey its master’s crib; but Israel does not know, my people do not consider.” (Isa. 1:3 NKJV) Under the Law of Moses, a child was born a Jew, a child of God, by physical birth. He/she would have to grow into a knowledge of God and his will as they grew and matured and were taught. Under the Christian dispensation, one cannot become a child of God, a Christian, without first having obtained a knowledge of Christ. “No one can come to me (Christ--DS) unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore, everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me.” (John 6:44-45 NKJV)

However, I do not believe Isaiah is talking about an ignorance of God, like I might have an ignorance of chemistry or of physics, but rather a rejection of him based on the idea that things do not matter to God. They had gradually, and it seems almost totally, drifted away from God in their belief that what he had said mattered, or that he really cared, about the things he had told them, through the law and the prophets.

Here is the great lesson for the church and individual Christians today. Have you ever heard it said, “I know what it (reference to the word of God) says, but … .” I have heard it. I wonder if people in Isaiah’s day were saying that sort of thing. I once knew a lady who was gung-ho on women preachers. Paul said, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man.” (1 Tim. 2:12 NKJV) What an inspired preacher had to say about the subject did not matter to her. She rejected Paul but would have argued all day with you that she believed the Bible.

The Jews of Isaiah’s day had recreated God in their own image. He would become the God they wanted him to be. We must be very careful today lest we do the same thing. When we begin to say things like "that was then, this is now, we have to adapt the Bible to modern times," etc., we are starting to travel a dangerous road. Who is the man who is qualified to tell us what changes need to be made in the Christian faith and practice of today versus that of the first century, as found in the pages of the New Testament? Many feel they are qualified, for they are busy telling us all the time what is allowable today, even though unheard of in the New Testament. However, I have always been wary of blind guides leading the blind. That men have created their own brand of Christianity today to suit themselves is found in the fact that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of denominations. They all argue they know God. Do you believe it?

Reminds me of the church of the Laodiceans in Rev. 3:14-19 in that Jesus said of them, "Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’ – and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked-." (Rev. 3:17 NKJV) The fact that an individual or a church calls itself Christian and feels good about itself amounts to about two cents if that much. The measuring stick is not man nor men nor how they feel or think, but the word of God. Even Sardis had a name, but Jesus said they were dead (Rev. 3:1); the majority of them, like the people in Isaiah’s day, had defiled their garments (Rev. 3:4).

There is only one way to know and understand God. One must become a faithful and diligent student of the word of God, not just an occasional and casual reader. One must believe what he reads, which involves not only faith in facts that are presented but a trust in God and his promises. One must act upon what he has learned, which is to say he must be obedient to it and that from the heart. To know and understand God is to accept God as God, which means God is over me. In Isaiah’s day, God had been forsaken and despised (Isa. 1:4 ESV), for what he had taught no longer mattered. A person or a group’s attitude toward the word of God can tell you a lot about them.

(2) People who reject God may still hold worship services, but do so in vain. If one will read Isa. 1:11-15, it becomes clear that the people were still offering sacrifices, burnt offerings, incense, holding to the appointed feasts, observing the Sabbaths, etc. These were divinely given acts of worship, but God was not pleased, for neither the heart nor the life was right in the worshipers.

God says, “I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.” (Isa. 1:13 ESV) He says their incense “is an abomination to me.” (Isa. 1:13 ESV) Of the new moons and the appointed feasts, he says he hates them (Isa. 1:14).

Worship is not acceptable to God that does not first come from a life of purity based on belief in and obedience to God through his word. Please do not let my use of the word purity mislead you into thinking perfection. Perfection is the goal, but while man can obtain maturity in the Christian life, he cannot obtain perfection in the sense in which we use the word today. The idea Isaiah presents to us is of a people who were practicing iniquity. Sin was a way of life with them. Hypocrites cannot please God nor worship him in a manner acceptable to him. To worship God acceptably, one must make a sincere effort to obey God and live a Christian life. “One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be an abomination.” (Prov. 28:9 NKJV)

We all would do well to memorize Prov. 28:9 just quoted for that is our status with God when we become involved in sin and have not or will not repent of it. I would like to have people pray for me, as I am sure you would, if you are a believer.  However, I know the prayers of a certain class that might pray for me would all be for naught. Is your life such that if you had a family member in need of prayer, you could pray with hope that the prayer would be accepted by God? Are you the righteous man or woman whose prayer avails much (James 5:16)?

We also need to remember that while the application of the lesson is to the individual, Isaiah was talking to people who, as a group, had almost all fallen into this category of iniquity. The point is that an entire body of people can fall into this classification, continue to worship God outwardly, and yet the worship be in vain. “In vain they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” (Matt. 15:9 NKJV) Jesus spoke those words as recorded in Matthew, but he said it was a prophecy of Isaiah and applied it to the people of his own time. That said, it is a truth that will always apply to those who teach “as doctrines the commandments of men” and who still try to worship God while doing so.

(3) A third lesson we can take from Isaiah 1 is that God gives man the ability and the opportunity to cleanse himself of sin. “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before my eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do good.” (Isa. 1:16 NKJV) A little clarification is in order lest there be misunderstanding. God is not saying that man has the ability on his own to cleanse himself of sin apart from God. God is saying he will forgive them if they will meet the conditions, and it is in their hands as to whether or not they will do so.

The Jews of that day did not have to be living a life of sin. No one forced it on them. They lived that way by choice. Likewise, if they would, they could choose to live a life of godliness and righteousness. They could wash themselves clean by complying with God’s laws of pardon under the Law of Moses, but, of course, God would only accept those sacrifices made as an offering for sin if made in sincerity of heart from a penitent heart, a heart that had been genuinely changed, so the pardon was conditional. God has always given accountable man responsibility for his own salvation. There was never a time when salvation was unconditional. (Of course, all forgiveness under the Law of Moses looked forward to the atonement for sin made by Jesus on the cross--see Heb. 9:15, 10:1-4, Rom. 3:25.)

(4) A fourth lesson is that God is able and willing to save the greatest of sinners if they will repent and turn to him seeking salvation in his appointed way. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isa. 1:18 NKJV) The colors are put in contrast. Scarlet is a reddish color, the color of blood, signifying great sin. White is the color of purity. The intent is to array opposites against one another. God is saying, even now, as great as your sin has been, I will cleanse you if you are willing, and I can cleanse you perfectly, completely.

We often forget that those who Peter said were guilty of taking Jesus by lawless hands and crucifying him were, by faith and obedience to the gospel of Christ, preached by Peter on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2, forgiven of their sins and saved. How much greater sin can one commit than that of crucifying Christ? If one can be forgiven of that, cleansed, and made white as snow, then men need not fear that their sin is too great for God’s forgiveness.

Elsewhere, Paul gave himself as an example of one who had great sin yet was forgiven by God. He called himself the chief of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15) and says he was forgiven (“obtained mercy”) so that in him Jesus “might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on him for everlasting life.” (1 Tim. 1:15 NKJV) Isaiah teaches us today that sin is not so great that God cannot forgive or is unwilling to. The question lies not with God but with our willingness to give up sin and come to him.

I would also remind those who are backsliding Christians that Isaiah was writing to the people of God. Isaiah teaches restoration of the penitent child of God. “Zion shall be redeemed with justice, and her penitents with righteousness.” (Isa. 1:27 NKJV) Sometimes children of God will wander away and then have a desire to come home to God, but have doubts they can do so, doubts he will have them. The Bible teaches just the opposite. It teaches his great desire to have them come home.

(5) A fifth lesson I take from Isaiah chapter one (although there might well be others in addition, should we pursue it in more depth) is that there is a penalty to be paid for rebellion and disobedience, for a life of sin from which one refuses to repent. After Isaiah speaks of the penitents in Isa. 1:27, of their being saved, he goes on in the next verse and says, and I am going to quote from the NLT for its clarity in meaning, “But rebels and sinners will be completely destroyed, and those who desert the Lord will be consumed.” (Isa. 1:28 NLT) Then in the last verse of the chapter, “They and their evil works will burn up together, and no one will be able to put out the fire.” (Isa. 1:31 NLT)

One cannot rebel against one’s creator, the God of the universe. One will pay for his sin, “For the wages of sin is death.” (Rom. 6:23 NKJV) The New Testament teaches that there is a hell reserved for the unrighteous. It is sometimes called “the second death” or “the lake of fire” (see Rev. 20:14). Jesus says there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt. 25:30) and says on the Day of Judgment that those on his left hand will be told, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” (Matt. 25:41 NKJV)

Let me tell you a little story. I stopped writing a while ago and made a trip to the store. I had the radio on, and it just so happened there was a preacher on telling about another preacher who said that in their congregation, they did not believe God would punish anyone. They did not believe in a God like that. What good does a Bible do for a group like that? How do you make a claim of being a believer, a believer in Christ, and not believe what he says?

We must remember it does not have to end this way for the sinner. God “is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9 NKJV) God would have “all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim. 2:4 NKJV) That is why Christ was sent into the world, and that is what the cross is all about. Nevertheless, if one remains rebellious, there is a penalty to be paid.

In conclusion, while the book of Isaiah was not written directly to us today, we can, nevertheless, learn a great deal from it, and we ought to do that. The first chapter reveals a great deal about God. If you are concerned about having a correct relationship with God, then read and study Isaiah chapter 1. It will help you. 

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The Heart of Man from a Biblical Perspective

The Bible has much to say about the heart of man. The word “heart” in the New King James Version of the Bible is found 835 times in 775 verses, according to the E-Sword concordance for the NKJV. The study of the human heart is thus a massive study and, from a human point of view, a complex one. God knows all of our hearts, “For you alone know the hearts of all the sons of men.” (I Kings 8:39 NKJV) The question is, do you and I know our own hearts?

How many times has each of us questioned ourselves over the years? I suspect those who have never doubted themselves are a tiny minority. When we read passages in the Bible about men deceiving themselves in places like Gal. 6:3 and James 1:26, it causes us all the more concern, for the question becomes am I being honest with myself, or am I self-deceived? We obviously need to learn all we can about our hearts with the hope being that we can come to know ourselves better and improve our hearts. Who is the real me? Who am I? What is the true state of my heart, not what I think about it, but what is its true state in reality?

When the Bible speaks of the human heart, it is speaking of man's intellect, man’s will, man’s emotions or feelings, or a man’s conscience, or any given combination of these. However, the word may also refer to the whole inner being of man, combining all these elements into the whole that makes up the man. Each of these aspects of the human heart is worth looking at.

(1) The heart is the thinking aspect of man. “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Prov. 23:7 NKJV) Jesus asks, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?” (Matt. 9:4 NKJV) “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts.” (Matt. 15:19 NKJV) “If that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming.’” (Matt. 24:48 NKJV) The evil servant says this, in his heart, because that is what he is thinking. “But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19 NKJV) Mary thought about these things and mulled them over in her mind. One could go on and find verse after verse in the Bible teaching the same thing about the heart being the center of thought, reasoning, and understanding within a person.

The question that necessarily comes to mind when one thinks about this aspect of the human heart is, “Am I responsible for the way I think?” The Bible answers in the affirmative. “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.” (Rom. 8:6 NKJV) “Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things.” (Phil. 4:8 NKJV)

I readily admit it is tough to change the way you think, but is that not what every person does when they repent? Yes, repentance is certainly a change of the will but is it not also a change of the mind, a change of our thinking? When a man comes to accept the Bible and its teaching, is he not committing himself to a new way of thinking about the world and his relationship not only with God but also with his fellowman? When one accepts the gospel, they are saying I am going to let the Bible guide my thinking, and I am not going to think about things the way I used to. While we will never be perfect, we can change our attitudes and the way we think.

(2) The heart is the will of man. I have already spoken about repentance, which God requires of man (Luke 13:3, Acts 17:30) in the paragraph above, how the will of man is involved. It is hard to separate the will from thought, but there is this much difference in it--the will provides man with the determination to carry through with his thinking. Daniel was told in a heavenly vision, “From the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard.” (Dan. 10:12 NKJV) Daniel willed or determined to understand and to humble himself. “Set your heart” means to will in your heart, as used in this context.

“Take from among you an offering to the Lord. Whoever is of a willing heart.” (Exod. 35:5 NKJV) One cannot obey God whose heart is unwilling. There were rulers who believed in Jesus (John 12:42) but were unwilling to confess him lest they be put out of the synagogue. The widow who put in two mites into the collection did so because she willed to do so. (Mark 12:41-44 NKJV) No man has obeyed the gospel who did not first find it in his heart to do so, will in his heart to do it.

It is good to be a strong-willed person, provided the will has been guided by proper knowledge and correct thinking. Only the strong-willed can go on a diet and stick with it. Only the strong-willed can successfully train for and run a marathon. The list could go on and on of things that require a strong will to succeed. Christianity is one of those things for, “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” (2 Tim. 4:12 NKJV) Paul could never have succeeded in view of all the things he had to suffer (see 2 Cor. 11:23-27 NKJV) had he not had a strong will.

A strong will is good if directed properly by correct thinking and proper knowledge. Without such guidance, the will can become a man’s worst enemy for oftentimes it can be said of strong-willed people that they are only stubborn people. Pharaoh is an excellent Bible example. Pharaoh hardened his heart time after time. The will in his heart was to do his own will, not God’s. It is difficult to convert a strong-willed person who has been brought up on false doctrine. (A radical Islamist would be a good example.) Samuel, speaking to Saul, said, “Stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.” (1 Sam. 15:23 NKJV) We must have the will to do God’s will, but we must be certain it is his will and not our version of what we would like his will to be.

(3) The heart is a man’s feelings or emotions. “The Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and he was grieved in his heart.” (Gen. 6:6 NKJV) Grief is ascribed to God’s heart on this occasion but is also ascribed to man’s heart, “Your heart should not be grieved.” (Deut. 15:10 NKJV) The heart sorrows, “Even in laughter the heart may sorrow.” (Prov. 14:13 NKJV) Joy resides in the heart, “My servants shall sing for joy of heart, but you shall cry for sorrow of heart.” (Isa. 65:14 NKJV) Rejoicing takes place in the heart, “Your heart will rejoice.” (John 16:22 NKJV)

In fact, all of the following emotions can be found in the heart: gladness (Psalms 4:7), desires (Psalms 20:4, 73:7, Prov. 6:25), is troubled (Psalms 25:17), trusts (Psalms 28:7), is broken (Psalms 34:18), suffers turmoil (Psalms 38:8), fails one (Psalms 40:12), is pained (Psalms 55:4), is proud (Psalms 101:5), hates (Psalms 105:25), is wounded (Psalms 109:22), is distressed (Psalms 143:4), despises (Prov. 5:12), is anxious (Prov. 12:25), is bitter (Prov. 14:10), is merry (Prov. 15:13), is haughty (Prov. 18:12), is proud (Prov. 21:4), envies (Prov. 23:17), delights (Prov. 27:9), anguishes (2 Cor. 2:4). This list is not meant to be exhaustive of all the emotions of which the Bible speaks that are attributed to the heart. The reader can readily see that I went through the books of Psalms and Proverbs to come up with the list, with one added from 2 Corinthians. That leaves a lot of other books and verses that need to be seen before one can say his research has exhausted all the available biblical sources.

One will readily notice that the word “love” as an emotion of the heart is not found in my listing. Does not the Bible teach we are to love the Lord our God with all of our heart? Yes, it certainly does. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Matt. 22:37 NKJV) Human emotions are a part of the Bible heart (“all your heart”), and so love as a tender longing emotion toward God is commanded. But did you know that the word love, when traced back to the Greek, does not often mean affection?

The Greeks had 4 words which, when translated into English, were all translated by the one English word “love.” When we talk about sex, friendship, affection, etc., we generally lump it all together into one word, the word “love,” and let the reader decide for himself what we are talking about. The Greeks were much more precise in their language. The Greek word found behind our English word “love” most often in our New Testaments is the word agape (noun) or agapao (the verb form).

The reader may be surprised to learn (speaking of this Greek term) that, “Christian love…is not an impulse from the feelings, it does not always run with the natural inclinations, nor does it spend itself only upon those for whom some affinity is discovered.” (W. E. Vine, An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, page 693) “Christian love has God for its primary object, and expresses itself first of all in implicit obedience to his commandments.” (Ibid) “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.” (1 John 5:3 NKJV)

The Greek word “phileo” is also translated in our Bibles as love (though used far, far less frequently), and it “more nearly represents tender affection.” (Ibid) “Phileo is never used in a command to men to love God; it is, however, used as a warning in 1 Cor. 16:22.” (Ibid) All of this is according to Vine, a recognized authority on the Greek. However, when you read 1 Cor. 16:22 there is no doubt one must love God with the tender affections for the verse reads, “If anyone does not love (phileo--DS) the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed” (NKJV) thus while it may not be a direct command it has the force of a command and all the authority of a command. (Matt. 10:37 teaches more or less the same thing using the word “phileo.”)

I have gone through this to make an application to today. How many times do we hear people talk about loving God yet not understanding that love for God is not all about my emotions (or yours) but about keeping God’s commandments, “For this is the love (agape--DS) of God, that we keep his commandments.” (1 John 5:3 NKJV) “He who does not love (agapao--DS) me does not keep my words.” (John 14:24 NKJV) “He who says, ‘I know him,’ and does not keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” (1 John 2:4 NKJV) They live their lives dedicated to God (they think), but the reality is they are dedicated to their religious emotions and what the word of God actually says is only of secondary importance to them. Their emotions tell them they love God, so with them, that settles the matter; forget what the word of God says.

Yes, we must love God with our emotions (1 Cor. 16:22), but to make the emotions alone the whole heart of which the Bible speaks is not honest scholarship and easily leads to destruction. Paul’s religious emotions toward God were doing just fine while he disbelieved and persecuted Christians. He would have told you with sincerity that he loved God while he was doing those things.  False doctrine taught and believed, while it may well be emotionally satisfying, will never be made into what it is not--truth. So, yes, love God with your emotions, but never set emotions on a throne and allow them to rule as king in your relationship with God, for there is far more to a man’s heart, according to the Bible, than just emotions, and emotions alone can lead one astray, as proven in Paul's case prior to his conversion experience.

(4) The heart is a man’s conscience. When Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost, the Bible says of many who heard him that they “were cut to the heart.” (Acts 2:37 NKJV) They felt guilty. Their conscience was bothering them. See also Acts 23:1 and John 8:9 for other passages teaching the same. One cannot separate the conscience from the heart.

Finally, and this is important for the Bible student, when we read about the human heart in the Bible, we can clearly see, as shown above, that oftentimes, maybe only one aspect of the heart is under consideration in a passage. In other places, sometimes more than one aspect of the heart is under consideration, but not all. For example, in Matt. 22:37, where we are told we must “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (NKJV), we can see that the mind (the thinking aspect) is separated from the heart in this passage. The context will often make these things clear as we read. However, oftentimes the word simply refers to the entire inner being of the man himself. My heart reflects (or is) all I am in my thinking, my will, my emotions, my conscience--to the totality of my being wrapped up into one package. Again, we must read carefully the context.

It is time to ask the question upon which all of our fortunes depend. Upon what treasure has my heart set itself upon? “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6:21 NKJV) It is really all up to us for “The preparations of the heart belong to man.” (Prov. 16:1 NKJV) God has empowered us, and now it is up to us what we will do with that power. We can prepare our hearts if we are willing to do so. Pharaoh was not willing. Will we be? He heard God’s will but was not of a willing heart to obey it. Am I? Are you?

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Keep Your Heart with all Diligence

If you are like me you were always a little fearful in your youth, in your immaturity, that you were perhaps not normal.  That is to say, you struggled being the person you ought to be and like Eve desired forbidden things from time to time and the thought came to your mind that is not normal, not normal for those who want to do what is right and be a good person.  Perhaps you got to the point where you questioned your heart.  Maybe you just had a bad heart.  Maybe you were just a little more depraved than others.  Since it is not possible to look inside another individual and see what they are inside (“For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?” 1 Cor. 2:11 NKJV) you doubted yourself.

As I grew older in life I came to realize we are all pretty much the same.  “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.” (Gal. 5:17 NKJV)  I think the TEV translation of the last phrase of this verse nails the meaning.  It says, “This means that you cannot do what you want to do.”  So, I have not been the only one.  You must have had the same problem.

Yes, life is a struggle to do what is right and refrain from sin.  Perhaps this is why I get upset with Christians of a liberal bent.  They come across to me as saying “You go ahead and struggle, I am depending on God’s grace.”  Translated that means I will do in my life what I want and let God’s grace cover me in the end.  We are supposed to “fight the good fight of faith” (1 Tim. 6:12 NKJV) and have been given a sword (the word of God--Eph. 6:17) and a shield (faith--Eph. 6:16).  Where is the fight in liberal Christianity (a misnomer)?  Paul said he had “fought the good fight.” (2 Tim. 4:7 NKJV)  It is a cop-out to live as you want, not being overly concerned about doing wrong (sinning), feeling that grace will take care of it all.  It is a bad attitude toward God.  But, I digress. 

In the book of Proverbs, chapter 23 verse 7, we read of man, “As he thinks in his heart, so is he.” (NKJV)  Make no mistake about it--our struggle is with our hearts within.  “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.  These are the things which defile a man.” (Matt. 15:19-20 NKJV)  Take special care here to notice that the first sin Jesus lists is “evil thoughts.”  Paul says we are to bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Cor. 10:5 NKJV) 

We are even told what to think about.  “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things.” (Philippians 4:8 NKJV)

No wonder Solomon wrote, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” (Prov. 4:23 NKJV)  The TEV translates this in a way that makes it even clearer, “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.”  How true it is.  How many times in our lives have we heard the words “If you think you can, you can?”  Everything we do in life first begins with a tiny thought that grows and matures.  A seed is sown in our hearts by something we have seen, heard, read, or experienced and a thought begins to take shape as we begin the thought process.  That eventually leads to action.  I do not know of anything we do where there has not first been the thought that then led us to act.  Yes, we sometimes act instinctively but I think the reader realizes I am not talking about those kinds of things.

We say, myself included, it is so hard to control our thoughts and I agree it is but God would not give a command if we could not do it, do it at least to a major degree.  The thought comes to mind from the book of James (James 3:1-10) where we are instructed to control our tongue but it is also said that no man can tame it.  I believe James is telling us we are commanded to give it our very best shot.  The same is likely true with our thoughts.

It is hard to see how a person could be tempted without going through a thought process.  What is the difference between an evil thought and a temptation?  James says, “Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.  Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” (James 1:14-15 NKJV)  Paul, like James, in 1 Cor. 10:13 teaches that temptation itself is not a sin.  “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” (NKJV)  Please note that Paul says temptation is “common to man.”  That means, of course, that you and I are not alone when it comes to being tempted by evil.

Temptation while not a sin can lead to sin.  On the other hand, evil thoughts are sinful in themselves (Matt. 15:19-20).  The difference seems to be what we do with the negative or evil thought that enters our mind (heart).  If it is transient it would seem to fall into the category of being only a temptation.  If it remains in the heart and we mull it around in our minds and do not let go of it but entertain it finding some satisfaction in doing so then it would seem to pass into the realm of sinful thought.  At least that is the only explanation I can see.  You will have to decide for yourself.

Perhaps a few Bible examples would help us out.  I was recently reading of the account of Achan’s sin in Joshua 7:20-21.  The Bible says, “And Achan answered Joshua and said, ‘Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I have done:  When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them.” (NKJV)  We are aware of temptation when it occurs.  Achan knew he was being tempted but rather than immediately running away from the temptation what did he do?  He entertained the thought in his heart, gave it thought as to taking the items, and ended up doing so.

David’s sin with Bathsheba is another example.  David’s adultery began when he saw the naked Bathsheba and began to think about it in his heart, to dwell on it.  He was not keeping his heart with all diligence nor did Achan.  One who did keep his heart and reacted properly was Joseph.  Joseph like David was tempted to engage in sexual sin.  We find the account in Gen. 39.  His master’s wife was after Joseph day after day to lie with her as Gen. 39:7 and 10 puts it.  Joseph, however, unlike David, did not entertain the thought in his heart. 

One who kept his heart with all diligence as did Joseph was Daniel.  The Bible says of Daniel in Daniel 1:8, “Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies … ". (NKJV)  Later it is said to Daniel, by a heavenly visitor in a vision, “O Daniel, man greatly beloved … Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard.” (Dan. 10:11-12 NKJV)  A man has some control over his heart.  We are not forced to be what our fleshly nature leads us to be.

How a man reacts to a situation where he is tempted depends on how he has prepared his heart.  David was at heart a good man but he let his guard down.  One must use all diligence in keeping his heart where it ought to be.  This does not come naturally.  Sin, other than sins of ignorance, originates in the heart.  Of the Jews who came out of Egypt with Moses God said, “They always go astray in their heart.” (Heb. 3:10 NKJV)

I used to hear it said that heaven was a prepared place for a prepared people.  I believe that is true.  Our preparation must begin within.  We must gain control of our thoughts which is just another way of saying we must gain control of our hearts for as a man thinketh in his heart so is he (Prov. 23:7).  Gaining that control begins first with a desire to do so.  It then takes self-discipline.  We need to give it our best effort making heaven our treasure for “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Luke 12:34 NKJV)  Our heart determines not only how our life here on earth will be lived and where we will be led (led by it) but also how our life in eternity will be lived and where.  Keep your heart with all diligence is some of the best advice you or I will ever be given.   

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