2 Chronicles 16:9
In 2 Chronicles 16:9 we read:
9 For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war. (2 Chronicles 16:9)
Which of God’s attributes can we see in this verse? Which of His qualities as God? God is the One who knows the heart. This means that God does not look on a person’s face, but on his heart. This fact is confirmed by other passages of God’s Word as well. For example, in 1 Samuel 16:6-7 we read the words of God to the prophet Samuel concerning Eliab, Jesse’s oldest son:
6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:6-7)
There it is — the difference between a human being and God. A person looks on the face; he looks at what is visible. But God — God looks on the heart, on the motives, on the inner person.
This spiritual truth is also confirmed by the apostle Peter in his first sermon before the Gentiles in the house of Cornelius (Acts 10:34-35).
34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. (Acts 10:34-35)
The fact that God knows the heart is bound up with another of His qualities — the absence of favoritism in God. God is not impressed by a person’s outward appearance. He has no favorites. To Him a person’s race, background, social status, and material condition are of no significance. In James 2:1-9 we read his exhortation that we too should be like God:
1 My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong? 8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. (James 2:1-9)
When we pray to Him, God is not interested in human recommendations. Nor in formalities. God is interested in the heart. In Joel 2:12-14 it says:
12 “Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” 13 Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. 14 Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave behind a blessing — grain offerings and drink offerings for the Lord your God. (Joel 2:12-14)
The Lord Jesus rebuked the Pharisees especially sharply for their hypocrisy. For example, in Matthew 23:27-28 we read:
27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. (Matthew 23:27-28)
Do you see? We can play the hypocrite before people. We can put on all kinds of masks and present ourselves as something we are not. But God we cannot deceive. Why? Because He knows the heart — He does not look at a person’s outward appearance, but tests him from within.
Our walk with God is above all an inner reality. This is why the condition of our heart is so important. What is the heart? The heart is that part of us in which we make conscious decisions, that innermost part of us from which our spiritual activity flows; the heart is our personality as a whole — the place where we desire, the place where our passions, our understanding, and our will reside. The place where God meets with us.
The New Testament contains promises for our hearts.
Ezekiel 36:26-27:
26 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. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. (Ezekiel 36:26-27)
And the New Covenant is now a fact. In Luke 22:20 the evangelist recounts:
20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. (Luke 22:20)
The New Covenant is bound up with the heart, because God is interested in the heart. And so, because God knows the heart and does not change, and because the New Covenant is bound up with the heart, we can be sure that 2 Chronicles 16:9 applies not only to the people of the Old Testament, but to us today as well. Let us hear it again:
9 For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. (2 Chronicles 16:9)
Notice, God is not simply looking for any hearts at all. He is looking for hearts that are “fully committed to him.” There was a time when the heart of King Asa was fully committed to the Lord. Just before our verse (2 Chronicles 16:9), in 2 Chronicles 16:8 we read:
8 Were not the Cushites and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen? Yet when you relied on the Lord, he delivered them into your hand. (2 Chronicles 16:8)
Do you see? At the beginning of his reign, King Asa had experienced the power of God. In those days his heart was fully committed to God, and he prayed to Him, and God answered him in wonderful ways, giving him incredible victories over his enemies (2 Chronicles 14:2-5; 9-13; 15:1-17). Afterward, however, the heart of King Asa changed (2 Chronicles 16:1-7). When he faced a similar problem, instead of relying on the Lord once again, he chose to trust in his money, in his diplomatic abilities, and in a pagan king. Three years later he hardened his heart yet again (2 Chronicles 16:12-13).
12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the Lord, but only from the physicians. 13 Then in the forty-first year of his reign Asa died and rested with his ancestors. (2 Chronicles 16:12-13)
What conclusion can we draw on the basis of all these facts? For me the conclusion is this: “God examines the condition of our hearts, and it is of essential importance for our spiritual life, for our walk with Him, and for His intervention in our life.”
What does God look at when He examines our hearts? In the Bible, in God’s Word, we can find at least eight indicators or criteria that determine the condition of our heart. If we follow them, we can make a kind of spiritual cardiogram for ourselves. Are we ready to take off our outer covering, are we ready to remove our masks and place ourselves in God’s hands? For in Hebrews 4:12-13 it says:
12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:12-13)
Let us be like King David. Do you remember what he said in Psalm 139:23-24?
23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23-24)
How transparent King David was! He did not hide his heart, he did not hide his plans and his thoughts. Instead, he was ready to lay himself open before God. God knows everything anyway. But it is important for us to confess our sins, so that we can come to hate them and forsake them.
What does God look at?
FAITH
The first thing God looks at, when it comes to our hearts, is the state of our faith. For in Hebrews 11:6 it says:
6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)
Faith is bound up with the heart. A person does not believe merely with his mind or merely with his feelings. Believing is something we do with our heart. It is no accident that in Romans 10:10 the apostle Paul says:
10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. (Romans 10:10)
And it is clear that in the last days, just before Christ’s coming, faith will be in short supply on the earth. For in the parable of the unjust judge the Lord Jesus said: “However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:1-8).
1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ 4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’” 6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:1-8)
THE FEAR OF THE LORD
The second indicator by which God weighs our hearts is our fear of Him. We have already read the words of the apostle Peter in the house of Cornelius (Acts 10:34-35).
34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. (Acts 10:34-35)
Do you see? The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7), and it moves us to “do what is right” before the Lord. In Exodus 20:18-20 we read what the role of the fear of the Lord is.
18 When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance 19 and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.” 20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.” (Exodus 20:18-20)
This is why in Psalm 86:11 the psalmist prays that God would help him to fear Him with an undivided heart.
11 Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. (Psalm 86:11)
So then, let us this morning examine our hearts and see how our faith is doing, and how our fear of the Lord is doing!
OUR SYSTEM OF VALUES
The third thing God looks at, when it comes to our hearts, is our system of values. What is our system of values? It is defined by how we rank things in order of importance in our life. What are our priorities — what is of first importance to us? How can we tell what is of first importance to us? Simply by looking at what we have time for in our life, at what we give our money to, at which relationships we treasure.
In Matthew 6:21 it says:
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21)
What are we striving for?
— Wealth, career, getting everything we can out of this life;
— Power, glory, fleshly pleasures…
Or toward:
— The kingdom of God, a personal relationship with God, spiritual experiences, the building of an approved character, excellence in ministry, faithfulness, purity… and so on.
In Matthew 6:24, 31-33 we read:
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:24, 31-33)
What will Christ find when He looks into our treasury? Selfishness, self-satisfaction, and personal ambition? Or things that are pleasing to Him — love, altruism, devotion, and so on. Our system of values reveals our heart. King Asa’s system of values had changed — before, he treasured God’s help and His approval; now he treasured his own diplomacy and the skills of his physicians.
What is your system of values? Do you keep your priorities in order?
OUR THOUGHT LIFE
The fourth indicator by which God examines our heart is our thought life. In Matthew 9:4 we hear how the Lord Jesus rebukes the Pharisees because of the evil thoughts that arose in their hearts when He said to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven!”
4 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? (Matthew 9:4)
Our thoughts are a reflection of our heart. That is why in Proverbs 23:6-8 it says:
6 Do not eat the food of a begrudging host, do not crave his delicacies; 7 for he is the kind of person who is always thinking about the cost. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you. 8 You will vomit up the little you have eaten and will have wasted your compliments. (Proverbs 23:6-8)
This tells us that it would be a mistake to accept hospitality from a stingy person, since sooner or later his lack of sincerity will spoil your mood. But notice, in verse 7 it says that “he is the kind of person who is always thinking about the cost” — as he thinks in his heart, so is he. In other words, our thoughts determine our character.
Our thoughts are extremely important, because they are conceived in our heart. In Luke 24:38 Jesus made this connection clear. When His disciples doubted Him after His resurrection, He said to them:
38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? (Luke 24:38)
What are you thinking about? What do you dream of? What are your hidden desires? All of this shows what the condition of our heart is.
What kinds of desires can we have?
— A desire for revenge, a desire to prevail at any cost; a desire to humiliate another; gloating; impure thoughts.
What do we harbor in our heart? This is not about what merely comes into our mind, but about what we dwell on, what we begin not simply to think but to ponder, until it fills our inner world.
“We cannot stop the birds from flying over our heads, but we can stop them from building a nest in our hair!”
In Philippians 4:6-8 the apostle Paul teaches us how to control our thought life:
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things. (Philippians 4:6-8)
Another important verse in this direction is 1 Peter 4:1-2:
1 Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. 2 As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. (1 Peter 4:1-2)
THE WORDS WE SPEAK
The fifth indicator of the condition of our heart is the words we speak. If we listen to what we say once we have taken off the mask of our hypocrisy, we can understand what is in our heart. Our words are the betrayers of our heart. They reveal what is inside it. Our hearts are like tubes of toothpaste. When we are squeezed by circumstances, whatever is inside our hearts comes out. In Matthew 12:34-37 it says:
34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. 35 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36 But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:34-37)
God wants our words and our tongues to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. And this can happen only if we have hearts devoted to God, hearts that heal and encourage instead of tearing down and destroying.
Let our prayer be like that of the psalmist in Psalm 19:14:
14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)
RECEPTIVITY TO GOD’S WORD
The degree of our receptivity to God’s Word is the sixth criterion by which we can assess the condition of our heart. In 1 Timothy 4:9 it says:
9 This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. (1 Timothy 4:9)
In the parable of the Sower, Jesus said that the people who have “a noble and good heart” do three things with God’s Word (Luke 8:15). First, they “hear” it — they receive it into their heart. Second, they “retain” it — they store it up and keep it in their heart. Third, they “produce a crop by persevering” — they apply God’s Word in their life and live according to it.
15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. (Luke 8:15)
To hear God’s Word is not an easy task. It is easy to watch television or to read romance novels and crime stories. But when the sermon begins, we listen for the first three minutes and after that our mind flies off into our own little world. Or else we hear part of God’s Word, but instead of taking it personally for ourselves, we say: “Ah, that is exactly for such-and-such a brother or such-and-such a sister — I hope they heard it and will mend their ways…” In other words, we think that the Word does not apply to us.
Or else the devil whispers to us: “Ah, you have heard this Word before… There is no need to strain your mind and open your heart to it again.”
Memorizing and storing up God’s Word is also extraordinarily difficult for some brothers and sisters. They can easily recite some poem they learned in school, but for them it is an enormous problem to quote a single Bible verse accurately or to remember a sermon. It takes work and effort to hold on to God’s Word and store it up in our hearts.
Notice that the good heart not only hears and receives the Word, not only stores it up and keeps it, but “produces a crop by persevering.” The goal and meaning of knowing the Word is not so that we can win verbal arguments with brothers and sisters, or come out on top in battles of Bible verses. It is not to maintain some kind of spiritual authority. The goal is a changed life and growth into Christlikeness. If God’s Word is not put into practice in our life, then the whole purpose of the process of hearing it and storing it up has been missed.
What is the degree of our receptivity to God’s Word? The answer to this question is extremely important, because it determines to a large extent how “committed” our heart is to God.
THE QUALITY OF OUR WORSHIP
The seventh indicator by which God assesses our hearts is the quality of our worship. In Matthew 15:7-8 we hear Jesus’ rebuke to those who practiced a formal and mechanical worship.
7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: 8 “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. (Matthew 15:7-8)
How do we worship God — formally, or sincerely and from the heart? When we worship God with our lips, do our hearts come along with us?
And when we speak of worship, we must not forget that the highest act of worship is obedience (1 Samuel 15:22-23).
22 But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.” (1 Samuel 15:22-23)
In other words, worship is not only what we do in church on Sunday morning — it is our whole life, the sum total of all our actions.
OUR ATTITUDE TOWARD OTHER PEOPLE
The eighth indicator by which God examines our hearts is our attitude toward other people. If our hearts are pure toward God, then we will be pure of heart toward one another as well. In Psalm 73:1 it says:
1 Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. (Psalm 73:1)
In 2 Kings 10:15-16 we see the meeting between Jehu and Jehonadab, the son of Rekab, described for us.
15 After he left there, he came upon Jehonadab son of Rekab, who was on his way to meet him. Jehu greeted him and said, “Are you in accord with me, as I am with you?” “I am,” Jehonadab answered. “If so,” said Jehu, “give me your hand.” So he did, and Jehu helped him up into the chariot. 16 Jehu said, “Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord.” Then he had him ride along in his chariot. (2 Kings 10:15-16)
A HEART AFTER GOD’S OWN HEART
These are the eight criteria by which God evaluates our hearts. He looks at:
- Our faith
- Our fear of Him
- Our system of values
- Our thought life
- The words we speak
- Our receptivity to God’s Word
- The quality of our worship
- Our attitude toward other people
How are our hearts doing according to these indicators? Are we qualified for God’s help? Can we expect Him to show Himself mighty in power toward us? If so — glory to God! But if not — let us be honest with ourselves, let us humble ourselves and repent! Let us not be like King Asa, who hardened his heart!
James 4:1-10
1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (James 4:1-10)
We must remember that God’s gaze passes through everything else, through everything outward, and comes to rest on our heart. And my prayer is that one day it may be said of me, and of everyone in our church, what was said of King David, namely: “He was a man after God’s own heart.” (Acts 13:22)!