The usually sinful inclinations of a heart which is by nature corrupt and stubborn, but which may be renewed by God, resulting in purified desires.
The heart is the source of human desires
Proverbs 4:23 See also Psalm 10:3; Matthew 12:34–35 parallel Luke 6:45
Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow springs of life.
God knows the human heart
1 Kings 8:39; 1 Chronicles 28:9 See also 1 Samuel 16:7 God's choice of David; Psalm 7:9, Psalm 19:14, Psalm 26:2, Psalm 38:9, Psalm 44:21, Psalm 139:2, Psalm 139:23; Proverbs 15:26, Proverbs 21:2; Jeremiah 11:20 The plot of Jeremiah's enemies is revealed to him by the LORD; Jeremiah 20:12; Ezekiel 11:5; Revelation 2:23; Matthew 9:4 parallels Mark 2:8, Luke 5:22 Jesus Christ knows the thoughts of others.
be heard by You from heaven, Your dwelling place. And may You forgive and act, and repay each man according to all his ways, since You know his heart — for You alone know the hearts of all men —
As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve Him wholeheartedly and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands the intent of every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.
The corruption of the heart
Its inclination towards evil
Genesis 6:5 See also Genesis 8:21; Psalm 14:1–3 parallel Psalm 53:1–3; Psalm 94:11; Ecclesiastes 9:3; Jeremiah 17:9–10; Matthew 15:18–19 parallel Mark 7:20–23
Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time.
Corruption finds particular expression in sexual sin
Romans 1:24 See also Matthew 5:28; Romans 1:26–27; Galatians 5:19
Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity for the dishonoring of their bodies with one another.
The stubbornness of the heart
It leads to disregard for God
All day long I have held out My hands to an obstinate people who walk in the wrong path, who follow their own imaginations,
It produces false confidence
Deuteronomy 29:18–19 See also Jeremiah 23:17
Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the LORD our God to go and worship the gods of those nations. Make sure there is no root among you that bears such poisonous and bitter fruit, because when such a person hears the words of this oath, he invokes a blessing on himself, saying, ‘I will have peace, even though I walk in the stubbornness of my own heart.’ This will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry.
It leads to idolatry
Jeremiah 9:14 See also Jeremiah 13:10
Instead, they have followed the stubbornness of their hearts and gone after the Baals, as their fathers taught them.”
It leads to disobedience
Jeremiah 7:24 See also Jeremiah 16:12
Yet they did not listen or incline their ear, but they followed the stubborn inclinations of their own evil hearts. They went backward and not forward.
It brings God's judgment
Jeremiah 11:8 See also Proverbs 28:14, Proverbs 29:1; Jeremiah 18:12–13; Romans 2:5; Hebrews 3:7–11; Psalm 95:7–11
Yet they would not obey or incline their ears, but each one followed the stubbornness of his evil heart. So I brought on them all the curses of this covenant I had commanded them to follow but they did not keep.”
God allows people to continue in their stubbornness
God hardens Pharaoh's heart: Exodus 4:21, Exodus 7:3, Exodus 14:4, Exodus 14:17; Psalm 81:11–12; Romans 1:28
God's renewal of the heart
It results in purified desires
Jeremiah 24:7; Ezekiel 36:26 See also Deuteronomy 6:6; Ezekiel 11:19; Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 4:6; Ephesians 4:23; Philippians 4:8–9; Hebrews 8:10; Jeremiah 31:33
I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD. They will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with all their heart.
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
Examples of renewed hearts
2 Chronicles 11:16; Nehemiah 9:8; Psalm 51:10, Psalm 57:7, Psalm 86:11; Jeremiah 3:17
God delights in a pure heart
Psalm 24:3–5 See also Deuteronomy 5:29; Psalm 73:1, Psalm 125:4; Matthew 5:8
Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from the God of his salvation.
God fulfils the desires of hearts devoted to him
Psalm 37:4 See also Psalm 21:2, Psalm 145:19; Matthew 6:21 parallel Luke 12:34; Matthew 6:33 parallel Luke 12:31
Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.
God gives the desire to follow him
O LORD, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, keep this desire forever in the intentions of the hearts of Your people, and direct their hearts toward You.
The human ability to visualise in parables
See also Matthew 13:11–17 parallels Matthew 4:10–12, Luke 8:9–10; Luke 10:23–24
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.