human heart

February 15, 2016

Good consequences (Prov 27:17-27:19)

“Iron sharpens iron.

One person sharpens the wits of another.

Anyone who tends a fig tree

Will eat its fruit.

Anyone who takes care of a master

Will be honored.

Just as water reflects the face,

So one human heart reflects another.”

It takes iron to sharpen iron. You can help another person to become sharp and witty. If you take care of a fig tree, you can eat its fruit. If you take care of a master, you will be honored. Just as water reflects your face, so the human heart can reflect another person. Human interaction has some very good consequences on others.

January 29, 2016

Shared wealth (Prov 17:1-17:5)

“Better is a dry morsel with quiet

Than a house full of feasting with strife.

A slave who deals wisely

Will rule over a child who acts shamefully.

The slave will share the inheritance as one of the brothers.

The crucible is for silver.

The furnace is for gold.

Yahweh tests the heart.

An evildoer listens to wicked lips.

A liar gives heed to a mischievous tongue.

Those who mock the poor

Insult their maker.

Those who are glad at calamity

Will not go unpunished.”

You are better off with a dry morsel of bread in quiet peaceful solitude than having a house full of feasting and strife at the same time. A slave who is wise will rule over a child who acts shamefully. In fact, this slave will gain the inheritance as if he was one of the brothers. Both silver and gold have to go through a crucible furnace. So too, Yahweh tests the human heart. An evildoer listens to wicked lips, while a liar follows mischievous tongues. Anyone who mocks poor people actually insults their maker, the creator. Those who are happy about bad news will not go unpunished.

January 25, 2016

The wicked (Prov 15:8-15:12)

“The sacrifice of the wicked is

An abomination to Yahweh.

But the prayer of the upright is

His delight.

The way of the wicked is

An abomination to Yahweh.

But he loves whoever

Pursues righteousness.

There is severe discipline

For one who forsakes the way.

But one who hates rebuke will die.

Sheol and Abaddon lie open before Yahweh.

How much more the human hearts!

Scoffers do not like to be rebuked.

They will not go to the wise.”

The wicked are so bad that their sacrifice to Yahweh is an abomination. However, the prayer of the upright is delightful to Yahweh. The way of the wicked is an abomination to Yahweh because Yahweh loves righteousness. He rebukes those who forsake his way. However, the wicked do not like to be rebuked. These wicked ones will die and go to Sheol, the shadowy underground world, or Abaddon, the bottomless pit. Those cynic scoffers do not like to be rebuked either. They refuse to go with their human heart in following the wise ones.

October 16, 2015

Save David from his enemies (Ps 64:1-64:6)

To the choirmaster leader, a psalm of David

“Hear my voice!

O God!

In my complaint!

Preserve my life

From the dreaded enemy.

Hide me

From the secret plots of the wicked.

Hide me

From the scheming of evildoers.

They whet their tongues like swords.

They aim bitter words like arrows.

They shoot from an ambush at the blameless.

They shoot suddenly.

They shoot without fear.

They hold fast to their evil purpose.

They talk of laying snares secretly.

They think.

‘Who can see us?

Who can search out our crimes?

We have thought out

A cunningly conceived plot.’

The human heart and mind are deep!”

Psalm 64 is a choral psalm of David. Once again David wanted to save his life from his enemies. He wanted to be hidden from the secret plots of the wicked and the schemes of the evildoers. Their tongues were like swords. Their words were like arrows from a bow and arrow. They shot suddenly and without fear from various ambushes. They laid secret snares for David with their evil purposes. They thought that no one saw them. No one was going after their crimes. They thought that they had a great cunning plan. Finally David notes that the human heart and mind are deep. This is a little bit like Psalm 58.

March 20, 2015

Judith’s speech (Jdt 8:11-8:17)

“They came to her. She said to them.

‘Listen to me,

Rulers of the people of Bethulia!

What you have said to the people today is not right.

You have even sworn

You have pronounced this oath between God and you,

You promised to surrender the town to our enemies,

Unless the Lord turns and helps us within so many days.

Who are you?

Do you think that you can put God to the test today?

You are setting yourselves up in the place of God in human affairs.

You are putting the Lord Almighty to the test.

You will never know anything!

You cannot plumb the depths of the human heart!

You cannot find out what a man is thinking!

How do you expect to search out God?

God made all these things.

How can you find out his mind?

How can you comprehend his thought?

No, my brothers,

Do not anger the Lord our God!

If he does not choose to help us within these five days,

He has power to protect us within any time he pleases.

He may even destroy us in the presence of our enemies.

Do not try to bind the purposes of the Lord our God!

God is not like a human being!

He cannot be threatened!

He is not a mere moral!

He cannot be won over by pleading.

Therefore, while we wait for his deliverance,

Let us call upon him to help us!

He will hear our voice,

If it pleases him.’”

Judith pointed out that they should not be putting God to the test. They were not right in speaking that way. Who are you to test God? Why are you putting yourselves in the place of God? You do not know anything about the human heart and understanding. How can you possibly understand the thought of God? Do not anger God. He is not like a human being or mere mortal. He has made all things. He has the power to protect or destroy you if he pleases. All you can do is call for help, while we wait for his deliverance. He will either hear or not hear us as he pleases.