We often say that the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, but do we ever consider what that means?
There is this motivation to follow your heart, but if it is desperately wicked, do you not think it is wrong to follow?
Enough with the questions! Let us take a moment to think about this heart because I am sure that it is not the one pumping blood around the body.
And so, in this message, we will look at the heart and its deceitfulness and get to understand the statement as it is.
Meanwhile, have you seen the message, An Eye For An Eye Makes The Whole World Blind? You should give it a read!
The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things Bible Verse
The heart is deceitful above all things is a scriptural statement found in Jeremiah 17:9, and as many would say, it does sound like a proverb. Take a look at the scriptures:
Jeremiah 17:9 KJV, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”
Jeremiah 17:9 WEB, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly corrupt: who can know it?”
That Bible verse stirs up curiosity regarding what the writer was communicating there. The next verse says something that could help. Let me amplify it.
“I the Lord search the mind, I try the heart, even to give to every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.” Jeremiah 17:10 AMP.
Now we see the Lord, the mind, the heart, every man, and the fruit of his doings. But before all that, the scripture said:
“[Most] blessed is the man who believes in, trusts in, and relies on the Lord, and whose hope and confidence the Lord is.
For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters that spreads out its roots by the river; and it shall not see and fear when heat comes; but its leaf shall be green. It shall not be anxious and full of care in the year of drought, nor shall it cease yielding fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7–8 AMP.
If you ask, I think this will be an insightful adventure. How about you?
What Does “The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things, And Desperately Wicked” Mean?
The heart is a phrase that describes the inner part of man, otherwise known as the mind of man. The Hebrew word translated as The Heart in the verse is hal-lêḇ (הַלֵּ֛ב), and it occurs only once in the scriptures.
A careful examination of the verse presents a comparison between the heart against all, with deceitful, and desperately wicked. In other words, the heart, deceitful above all [things], is desperately wicked.
Deceitful here is a translation from the word ‘ā-qōḇ in Hebrew with its verb as aqab. It has a similar occurrence in Isaiah 40:4 as the rough or the crooked, and in Hosea 6:8 as tracked or polluted, possessing a negative energy. The term means to follow after or foot-tracked. If we apply that to the verse, we will have, The heart to follow after, above all, is desperately wicked, or To follow the heart above all, is desperately wicked. That means, contrary to every other, to follow after or give attention to the heart is desperately wicked.
The phrase desperately wicked here has its translation from the Hebrew term wə-’ā-nuš, and other transliterations for it include incurable, sick, exceedingly corrupt, and woeful. They suggest that something is in a worse condition or is very bad.
In simple terms, we can say that to follow the mind with its desires above all [things] is very bad. And that contradicts the popular motivation to follow your heart, which could be an ignoramus statement in line with the following, ‘Who can know it?’
Since to follow the mind above all things is very bad or worse, what are we supposed to do? Before we look at that, let us see why following the heart above all things is woeful or very bad.
Why To Follow The Heart Is Very Bad
According to Jeremiah 17:10 WEB, the word of the Lord says, “I, Yahweh, search the mind, I try the heart, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.”
Going to the beginning, “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination and intention of all human thinking was only evil continually.” Genesis 6:5 AMP.
The portion referred to when the sons of God and the daughters of men were together on the earth. Wickedness was great because the heart or mind of man (an embodiment of human imagination and intent) was full of evil.
The preacher, while describing death as an event that happens to all, good or bad, said this:
“This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one event to all: yes also, the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.” Ecclesiastes 9:3 WEB.
What do we make of all these? It is a frailty or an infirmity to follow the heart above all because the mind is the platform where evil takes its form and never ends well.
Jesus, while describing the things that defile a man as the things that proceed from the heart, said in Matthew 15:19 AMP:
“For out of the heart come evil thoughts (reasonings and disputings and designs) such as murder, adultery, sexual vice, theft, false witnessing, slander, and irreverent speech.”
In the same manner, said He in Mark 7:21–23 Amplified:
“For from within, [that is] out of the hearts of men, come base and wicked thoughts, sexual immorality, stealing, murder, adultery,
Coveting (a greedy desire to have more wealth), dangerous and destructive wickedness, deceit; unrestrained (indecent) conduct; an evil eye (envy), slander (evil speaking, malicious misrepresentation, abusiveness), pride (the sin of an uplifted heart against God and man), foolishness (folly, lack of sense, recklessness, thoughtlessness).
All these evil [purposes and desires] come from within, and they make the man unclean and render him unhallowed.”
Here are three reasons why to follow the heart is very bad:
- The heart produces evil desires.
- Following the heart (and our evil desires) leads to disobedience towards God, that is sin against God.
- It leads to death.
Look at it this way: what we see and hear settles down in our minds and begins to create what was not in the beginning but in our imaginations, as pictures. Then, we follow suit by carrying them out. That was how evil came in, though we blame God for it.
James explained it better when he said in James 1:13–15 AMP:
“Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted from God; for God is incapable of being tempted by [what is] evil and He Himself tempts no one.
But every person is tempted when he is drawn away, enticed and baited by his own evil desire (lust, passions).
Then the evil desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully matured, brings forth death.”
Here, we see the state of mind of a man who has not experienced regeneration by the spirit of God. The big picture is pretense before others while evil thrives from within. That is why someone can smile before you and stab behind you.
For those who follow their heart above all things, it seems death is the end. So what do we do?
What Are We Suppose To Do?
Instead of following the heart above all things, the scriptures instruct that we guard it diligently.
“Pay attention, my child, to what I say. Listen carefully.
Don’t lose sight of my words. Let them penetrate deep within your heart,
for they bring life and radiant health to anyone who discovers their meaning.
Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do.
Avoid all perverse talk; stay far from corrupt speech.
Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.
Mark out a straight path for your feet; then stick to the path and stay safe.
Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.” Proverbs 4:20 –27 NLT.
Here are three things we are supposed to do:
- Pay attention to the word of God against our desires.
- Avoid every form of corrupt communication.
- Keep away from doing evil and do that which is good.
Above all, we should live by faith and in obedience to God. That is, we should put our trust in God rather than in our hearts or men.
While we all comprehend the statement, ‘The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked,’ let me conclude by reminding us of its pretexts. They say:
“Blessed is the man who trusts in Yahweh, and whose trust Yahweh is.
