What does someone mean when they say “G-d knows my heart”?
While I am uncertain as to whether or not I have ever said these words to someone else…I do know that I have thought them. And upon closer inspection I can testify, with full assurance, that the times I have told myself that G-d knew my heart were moments when I was trying to rationalize my behavior.
In Paul’s letter to the Hebrews, after reminding the Jewish people about the ones who perished in the wilderness during the Exodus, Paul cautions them:
“Watch, brothers,” he says, “lest perhaps there shall be in any one of you a heart of evil unbelief in falling away from the living G-d.”
Paul continues, “But exhort yourselves each day, as long as it is being called today, that not any of you be hardened by the deceit of sin.”
I would imagine that Eve, in the garden, before she ate of the forbidden tree…could have thought to herself, “Well, HE knows my heart.” Sin is deceitful indeed.
Yes, Adonai did know her heart…and the heart of all those who have followed including you and me. And we know what happened with Adam and Eve and we know what happened to those in the wilderness who did not trust in the LORD. As Paul states at the end of Hebrews chapter 3:
“And to whom did He swear they would not enter into His rest, except to those not obeying. And we see that they were not able to enter in because of unbelief.”
Enter in to what? His rest. His rest that at that time was represented by the Promised Land of Israel. A rest that was the foreshadowing of the rest all who join with Israel continue to hope for. A rest that required belief to get to. Remember our previous discussions on what belief means in Hebrew? Aman (belief) means to stand firm!
Those who did not believe…those who did not stand firm to follow Joshua…were not allowed to enter. Their time in the Wilderness was extended 40 years until all who did not believe perished.
And how was their disbelief shown? By their disobedience. This is a sobering thought… that in G-d’s eyes, disobedience equals disbelief. So can we swear with one hand “I believe!” and yet with the other hand continue to disobey His commands? I have heard many false teachers assure folks that they can.
Paul states that those in the wilderness had the gospel (good news) also, just as we do today.
Hebrews 4: 2
“For indeed we have had the gospel preached to us even as they also…”
If HaShem, according to His justice system, found most of the people who came out of Egypt unworthy of entering into His rest…and they were right there witnessing His Glory firsthand…what could possibly make us consider ourselves to be in a better state?
Those in the wilderness knew what the plan was. They knew who Moses was and who Aaron, the High Priest, was. They knew Who the Pillar of smoke and fire was and Who the voice of the shofar (ram’s horn) was. They knew all of this.
But knowing is not the same as standing firm in that knowledge.
The point that Paul leads us to as we read further on in his letter to the Hebrews is that Yeshua is our High Priest. And just like the animals presented to the altar… the separation of the blood from the flesh…and the cutting of the flesh… and the separation of the inward pieces… it is very clear just how ‘exposed’ we will be when we face our High Priest and are judged by the WORD.
Hebrews 4: 11-13
Therefore, let us labor to enter into that rest, that not anyone fall in the same example of disobedience.
For the Word of G-d lives and is powerfully working and sharper than every two-edged sword, even piercing as far as the dividing apart of both soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow and able to judge of the thoughts and intentions of the heart
and there is no creature unrevealed before Him; but all things are naked and laid open to His eyes, with whom is our account.
We know the Greatest Commandment (Deut. 6)! To love HaShem with all our heart, soul and might and to have His words that are commanded to be on our hearts and to think of them always, every day. When we are completely exposed to our High Priest and that sharp knife cuts through…will He find that we stood firm in it?
As Believers we are told to keep the unity. We are told to be of one mind. Will our High Priest find a soul that was in unity with the spirit? Will He find our thoughts and intentions congruent with HIS WORD…or will He find an ‘individual’ who took it upon themselves to turn His Word into something that suited what they liked… and rationalized that “G-d knew their heart.” The deceit of sin.
I will never forget the gentleman that I spoke to one night who justified his stance on an issue by stating: “I’m a Baptist” as if that in some way justified what he believed. All I could picture was this man standing before Yeshua, giving his account, shrugging his shoulders and saying “Well, you see Lord, I’m a Baptist.”
We need to focus less on thinking that we are ‘saved’ and more on realizing that we have been redeemed. The Israelites, and those joined with them who left Egypt… were saved. But if they had been focusing daily on being redeemed….they would have followed Joshua into G-d’s rest instead of suffering G-d’s wrath for their unbelief.
Those times that you stop and question yourself…and then decide that G-d knows your heart…are the times you probably should abruptly stop what you’re doing and seek Him out.
The Spirit of G-d is moving. People are waking up as if they had been asleep for years. People from all nations are being driven to learn Hebrew… to dig deeper into Scripture… to celebrate G-d’s appointed Sabbath…and to embrace Israel…and when you ask them why, they don’t even know. They can’t even give you a clear cut answer. They say that they saw something…or heard something…that compelled them to dig deeper for the Truth.
Let those with eyes see….let those with ears hear…
And be grateful for and humbled by Erech Apayim.
Author: Jennifer Ross