Proverbs Pt. 26 God hates corrupt hearts and evil thinking.

We continue to explore the list of seven things that God hates because we need His wisdom to keep these sins from gaining a foothold in our lives.

Proverbs 6:16-19  These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: 17) A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18) An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, 19) A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. 

We noted that the sins in the list come within the context of the "naughty" person whose heart is ungovernable. Thus, all seven of these sins are manifested in the behavior of wicked people. 

We also pointed out that the first three sins have a connection to Satan. He was a murderer and a liar from the beginning as we saw from Genesis 3. His pride culminated in rebelling against God and his expulsion from heaven.

A heart that deviseth wicked imaginations.  

The heart refers to our inner man composed of our emotions, mind and will. In the Bible the heart is the seat of emotion, passion and appetites. It is the part of us that meditates on things, thinks about them and then makes choices for a course of action. It is the seat of our moral character, whether ungodly or Godly. 

We need a new heart from God.

Ezekiel 11:19-20  And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: 20) That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. 

God is always seeking to change our hearts (thoughts, emotions, appetites) in order to turn us to Himself. We need to have our hearts turned because we have no hope unless God intervenes in our lives. He always aims at the heart and the best evidence of this is found in the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The heart we are born with is spiritually dead like a stone and we need a spiritual heart transplant. Thus, God said I will put a new heart that is tender and open to God in us and He sends His Spirit to live in each believer. 

People with wicked hearts are under Divine condemnation.

Ezekiel 11:21  But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord GOD. 

A heart that devises wicked imaginations is a heart that needs to be regenerated by the Spirit of God through the new birth. Our natural or "old man" to use Paul's terminology, wants to satisfy the desires of the flesh and does not have any interest in the things of God. 

The heart that devises wicked imaginations is a heart that craves detestable things or activities that are an abomination to Holy God. All people who persist in following their wicked hearts will be judged or compensated by God for their sins. Remember, sin has a payday, for the wages of sin is death. 

The word "deviseth" refers to a farmer who studies his land and then determines what he wants to plant and when. Then he begins plowing, disking, using the harrow followed by sowing the seed. He must feed his crops, provide irrigation if needed and pull out weeds in order to reap a good harvest. 

The word means that there are a lot of wicked thoughts, mental planning and sinful choices undertaken by a person who has a heart that devises ways to commit sin. 

Genesis 6:5  And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 

The Spirit of God guided Moses to give us an accurate record of human origins. In Genesis 6, Moses gave us this description of the entire human race during the time of Noah. There was great wickedness and all the imaginations and thoughts of their hearts was constantly focused on that which was evil. God had to wipe them out with a flood except for Noah and his family. 

"Feet that be swift in running to mischief" tells us that our old heart is self centered, self conceited and set on satisfying the lusts of the flesh. It is so enamored with worldly lust that this person follows his or her heart into choosing the degradation and consequences of sin. What we think about usually leads to what we actually do. Feet that run to commit sin do so because they are following the impulses of a wicked heart. 

Matthew 15:18-19  But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. 19) For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 

Jesus warned His disciples about this truth. Terrible things proceed out of the heart of an unsaved person. Evil thinking leads to evil actions. 

God is pleading with us. Will you hear and accept His invitation?

Ezekiel 18:31-32  Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? 32) For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye. 

Currently, we are looking primarily at Old Testament texts but if you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that the heart of God is for all people to be born again, to be regenerated by His Spirit through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. He does not want any person to die in their sins and suffer eternal damnation. However, we must choose to turn from sin and turn to the Living God who will save us. 

This is why Jesus said "Ye must be born again" and why John placed such an emphasis for us to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord said there is great joy in heaven when one sinner repents and turns to Christ for salvation (Luke 15:3-10).  

Sinners can become saints!

Ephesians 2:1-9  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2)  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3) Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4) But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5) Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7) That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9) Not of works, lest any man should boast. 

Please look at this text from the apostle Paul. He describes what all born again believers were like before salvation. Before I was born again, I was dead in trespass and sin. I walked or behaved just like the world did. I was a slave to sin and was under the influence of Satan. I was labeled a child of disobedience who was caught up on fulfilling the wicked desires of the flesh and mind. I was a child of wrath meaning that the condemnation of God's wrath was upon me because of my sins. 

It is truly an ugly picture of what sinners are really like that Paul painted. Yet, every person who is born again was a person like the ones described by Paul. 

It is the glory of God to save sinners like us. The word "quicken" is found twice in this text and it means to give life to something that is dead. It is a word that means to make us alive by the same power of God that breathed life into Adam. 

Why would God want to save a vile and detestable sinner like you or me? Because He greatly loves us! He is rich in mercy and full of grace to those who hear and respond by faith to the preaching of the gospel of Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 

Let this verse sink into your heart. If you are born again, you know what Paul is talking about here. Being regenerated by God's Spirit means that we receive a new, tender heart that can be rightly related to God. It means that the old way of life has been pulverized by the power of the gospel. Old things (friends, lifestyle, desires, habits) pass away and we receive a brand new beginning from God. 

Thoughts to Ponder...

This lesson has a beautiful application. Are you in need of a new heart from God? Are you still enslaved to the old, stony heart? Are you trapped in a life of sin and degradation?

God has something far better for you. He offers you a brand new life in Christ through the new birth. If you call upon the Lord Jesus Christ in repentant faith, He will save you (Acts 2:21; 10:43; Romans 10:11; 10:13; 1 John 4:15).

Christians, we know (or should know) that we are in a real battle from the moment that God saved us. Our flesh fights against the indwelling Spirit and we can become ineffective in our service and conduct for God. (See Romans 7; Galatians 5:16-17).

It begins with how we are thinking and this is directly related to the effort and time that we commit to studying God's Word, or hearing it preached, or reading it in a blog like this one. If we fail to fill our minds with the truth of God's Word, our mind will revert to old ways of thinking.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5  For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4)  (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 

Consider Paul's words. We are in a lifelong battle but this is not a physical war requiring body armor and weapons. No, it is spiritual warfare and we need the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18). We have only one offensive weapon, but what a mighty one it is! It is the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. 

It is reading, studying, meditating and obeying the scriptures that will change how we think and what we choose to do. It is the weapon that protects us from the enemy and helps us complete the mission for which Christ left us here on earth to fulfill. 

God hates a wicked heart and wicked actions. I pray that He speaks to each one of us and brings our thoughts under the captivity of Jesus Christ so that He is everything in our lives.

Bob