Toward A Biblical Theology Of The Heart Of God

By Michael J. Anthony

[This is the first article in the four-part series “The Heart of God,” delivered as the W. H. Griffith Thomas Lectures at Dallas Theological Seminary, Dallas, Texas, February 6–9, 2018.]

[Michael J. Anthony is research professor of Christian education at Talbot School Theology, La Mirada, California.]

I begin this analysis with a healthy dose of personal skepticism and reality. Think about what I am attempting to do— expound in just four articles an understanding of the heart of God. How presumptuous! As if a finite human being could know such a thing. That God, the creator of the expanse of the universe— he who formed the stars, planets, and solar systems—could be known and understood at that level of engagement. How preposterous!

Yet if it is true that God—the very one who formed the details of our world—could go on to create mankind and invite them into a relationship with him by walking with them in a garden, then it stands to reason that he wants to be known, at least at some level.

Throughout human history, God has spoken to man, involved himself in their governmental structures, intervened in their plans, and he is ultimately in control of their final events on this earth. He provides us with a written record that documents his interactions with us. This book also guides our relationship with him and our involvement with those around us as well. Yes, God desires for us to know him, and through this exchange we glimpse his motives, his values and desires, and ultimately his heart.

The study of anthropomorphism examines the assignment of human attributes to nonhuman entities. “The use of human terminology to talk about God is necessary when we, in our limitations, wish to express truths about the Deity who by his very nature cannot be described or known.”[1] For example, Genesis 3:8 says that Adam and Eve recognized the sound of God walking in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 8:21 speaks of God smelling the aroma of sacrifices made after the Flood. Genesis 16:12–14 declares that God sees his people. John 9:31 tells us that God hears the prayers of the sinner. There are 122 references in Scripture to God’s hand. So it is in this frame of reference that we speak of God having a heart. The question we examine is, What do passages related to his heart tell us about how God uses his heart when making decisions? How does his heart frame his values, priorities, or judgments?

A friend recently died when his heart stopped pumping. In fact, it wasn’t even his heart. He had received a transplanted heart about twenty years earlier. For some time, he was the longest-living heart transplant patient in the United States. But eventually even this replacement heart quit functioning.

This series of articles is not about that kind of heart. It is not a discussion about an organ that pumps blood throughout the body. It isn’t the romantic, philosophical, or literary type of heart either. Instead, the object of this study will be how the Bible defines and discusses the heart, specifically, the heart of God. Here we are seeking to understand the broader concept of heart—that which is the seat of emotion, priorities, and desires.

We go to Scripture for truth on this topic because our own hearts cannot be trusted. The Bible says that man’s heart is evil, broken, and corrupt. Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that “the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” As a consequence of the Fall, we can no longer rely on our own hearts to define, translate, or explain the world around us because they are in some way tainted and distorted, no longer calibrated toward accurate assessment.

Parameters And Definition Of Terms

My task in this analysis is to develop a “biblical theology of heart.” While many have sought to do so through a deductive approach, I prefer the textual grounding that an inductive model provides. I confess, it allows for my personal bias in favor of using a historical-grammatical hermeneutic as well.

Readers are urged to understand that the necessary boundaries of this study allow for only a cursory overview of the subject matter. For this reason, I make no claim to this being a comprehensive discourse about God’s heart, nor an exhaustive biblical exegesis of the topic. What follows takes the outline of a “biblical theology” defined by Charles Ryrie as “that branch of theological science which deals systematically with the historically conditioned progress of the self-revelation of God as posited in the Bible.”[2]

The term “heart” (לֵבָב/לֵב; καρδία) occurs over one thousand times in the Bible. There are 850 references to “heart” in the Old Testament. In its most common form, לֵב, it occurs 598 times; and in the form לֵבָב 252 times, making it the most common anthropomorphic term in Scripture. It refers to a person’s center for both physical and emotional-intellectual-moral activities.[3] Lewis S. Chafer notes, “The extensive use of the word heart in all its varied implications places it in a position of extreme importance.”[4] It is almost exclusively applied to man, although in 26 Old Testament occurrences it refers to the heart of God.

In preparation for this series, I examined each one through the lens of the various genres provided in Scripture: Old Testament law, history, wisdom literature, major and minor prophets, the New Testament Gospels, history, epistles, and prophecy. While many references address the human heart, my focus was primarily on verses that dealt with God’s heart.

W. E. Vine describes the Old Testament heart as the seat of desire, inclination, will, or emotions. In addition, “the ‘heart’ could be regarded as the seat of knowledge and wisdom and as a synonym of ‘mind.’ This meaning often occurs when ‘heart’ appears with the verb ‘to know.’ ”[5] Examples of this include: “Thus you are to know in your heart” (Deut 8:5); “Yet to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear” (29:4). Solomon prayed, “Give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil” (1 Kgs 3:9; cf. 4:29). Memory is associated with the heart in Job 22:22: “Establish His words in your heart.”

Old Testament mention of “heart” may also involve conscience and moral character. On the one hand, Job says, “My heart does not reproach any of my days” (27:6), and on the other hand, “David’s heart troubled him” (2 Sam 24:10). The heart is the source of actions: “In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this” (Gen 20:5; cf. v. 6). David walked before the Lord “in uprightness of heart” (1 Kgs 3:6) and Hezekiah “in truth and with a whole heart” (Isa 38:3). We also read that only a person with “clean hands and a pure heart” can stand before God (Ps 24:4).

It is interesting that the very first reference to “heart” in Scripture is the “evil” heart of humans at the time of the flood (Gen. 6:5). And the second, which follows immediately, tells us that God as a result [of] this human condition “was grieved in his heart” (v. 6). This ‘heart-to-heart’ pattern of the human relationship with God continues throughout Scripture as is evident when later, God promised to his still imperfect but redeemed people, “My eyes and My heart will be there [in the temple] perpetually” (1 Kgs 9:3) to commune with those who love him with all their heart.[6]

Thus the Old Testament concept of the heart can be broad and all encompassing, and while the majority of these verses refer to man’s heart, 26 pertain specifically to God’s heart in the Old Testament.[7] What follows is an examination of each.

The Heart Of God In The Pentateuch

Of the 91 references to a heart in the Pentateuch, all but three are in reference to human hearts. One verse that speaks directly of God’s heart is found in Genesis 6:6, where we read, “The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.” This reference has caused a good deal of debate and relative confusion concerning the degree to which God can experience the human emotions of regret, grief, or repentance.

It is clearly a challenging passage when brought to bear with Numbers 23:19, “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent; has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” and with 1 Samuel 15:29, “Also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind.” If you find yourself scratching your head trying to reconcile these texts, you are not alone.

If we begin with the theological presuppositions that God is omniscient and omnipotent, then we must conclude that what will occur in human history is already known to God and is therefore never a surprise. In essence, things are immutable and foreordained. Given such a perspective, human emotions of grief, regret, and repentance seem improbable descriptors of God. However, if we start with the premise of man’s free will, everything comes down to human choice and action. In this case, God’s ability to experience grief, regret, and a change of heart seems more plausible.[8]

Let us consider, then, that Scripture often speaks of God in human fashion, just as this text attributes sorrow and repentance to him, and in other places it attributes to him eyes, hands, feet, and other body parts. . . . Thus, in his own nature, he has neither hands nor feet, but his power is called his “hands.” Finally, when human feelings and members are attributed to God by the Holy Spirit, it secretly shows that . . . there would one day be a time when God would be made human and take up everything that pertains to human existence, except for sin.[9]

One commentary author writing of this perplexity states, “Acknowledging the passibility (emotions) of God does not diminish the immutability of his promissory purposes. Rather, his feelings and actions toward men, such as judgment or forgiveness, are always inherently consistent with his essential person and just and gracious resolve.”[10]

Perhaps one way to reconcile what is to some an apparent contradiction is espoused by theologian John Calvin when he writes,

The repentance which is here ascribed to God does not properly belong to him, but has reference to our understanding of him. For since we cannot comprehend him as he is, it is necessary that, for our sakes he should, in a certain sense, transform himself. That repentance cannot take place in God, easily appears from this single consideration that nothing happens which is by him unexpected or unforeseen. The same reasoning, and remark, applies to what follows, that God was affected with grief. Certainly God is not sorrowful or sad; . . . yet, because it could not otherwise be known how great is God’s hatred and detestation of sin, therefore the Spirit accommodates himself to our capacity. Wherefore, there is no need for us to involve ourselves in thorny and difficult questions, when it is obvious to what end these words of repentance and grief are applied; namely, to teach us.[11]

This disdain for sin provides us with our first glimpse into the heart of God—one that reveals his holiness, involvement in the affairs of human existence, and inability to turn his back on sin whenever or wherever it occurs.

In Genesis 8:21, we read, “The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done” (NIV). Here again, is an anthropomorphism similar to the one in 6:6. The context of this passage regarding God’s heart is post-flood. Noah has transitioned into a desolate world. Having gone to great lengths to receive and care for the animals in the ark, he begins his new pilgrimage by worshiping God with an animal sacrifice. Given all that God has done on his behalf, it would appear to be a wise beginning indeed.

The offering of cattle was a sweet savor to God, and as it reached his throne room, God reflected “in his heart” about the current state of affairs on earth. He committed never again to drown mankind. The use of לֵב conveys God’s reasoning ability and deep-seated conviction. It should not be overlooked that it is in sharp contrast to the condition of man’s heart, which is described as evil and corrupt. Here, God acts out of a heart committed to holiness, justice, and grace.

It is also significant that God did not request this offering from Noah. Sacrifices pleasing to God are not bulls and goats, says the psalmist, but a contrite and broken spirit (Ps 51:17). What prompted this deep-hearted response from God himself? It was a man’s unpretentiousness and humble spirit.

The Heart Of God In The Historical Books

“The twelve books that comprise the historical books cover a large swath of history and contain some of the most important segments of the entire biblical narrative. Taken together, these books tell the story of ancient Israel’s formation, rise to prominence, collapse into moral and physical defeat, and restoration.”[12] This genre contains 149 references to uses of לֵב or לֵבָב. While most are in connection with human hearts, there are some exceptions.

A noteworthy reference to God’s heart in this genre is found in 1 Samuel 2, where a prophet known only as “a man of God” comes to the priest Eli, who is serving at the tabernacle in Shiloh, a city near the hill country of Ephraim. He delivers a dire message to Eli informing him of God’s severe displeasure with him for not exercising proper discipline over his sons, who have profaned God’s name as corrupt priests. As a result Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, would both be struck down dead on the same day, and the priesthood would pass from Eli’s family to another, one who would be more faithful and obedient to God’s commands. At the end of a tirade of judgment we read, “But I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in My heart and in My soul; and I will build him an enduring house, and he will walk before My anointed always” (1 Sam 2:35). Since the phrase “according to what is in my heart” could be translated “according to my will and desire,” it gives a glimpse into God’s heart, demonstrating his desire for servants who operate as faithful representatives of his character and reputation and in obedience to his commands.

It is similar to another passage in this genre, where Yahweh says to Jehu, “Because you have done well in executing what is right in my eyes, and have done . . . according to all that was in my heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel” (2 Kgs 10:30). Here we see that those who act according to what is in God’s heart, that is to say, who behave in a manner consistent with his will, are those who receive his blessing. We find also one of the more notable references in this regard when David is referred to as a man who “seeks after God’s heart” (1 Sam 13:14). How old was David when this was said of him? Probably around 15, when he received his first anointing by Samuel. Evidently, one does not need to be a biblical scholar or senior statesman of the church to seek after God’s heart. Surely David knew what he was seeking after, and he was determined enough at this young age to receive God’s affirmation for doing so.

This passage raises the question, What does it mean to seek after God’s heart? Perhaps former Dallas Theological Seminary president Charles Swindoll said it best. “It means your life is in harmony with the Lord. What is important to Him is important to you. What burdens Him burdens you. When He says, ‘Go to the right,’ you go to the right. When He says, ‘Stop that in your life,’ you stop it. When He says, ‘This is wrong and I want you to change,’ you come to terms with it because you have a heart for God.”[13]

The Heart Of God In Wisdom Literature

While many books of the Old Testament give us a historian’s view of God’s people and their experiences, the wisdom books provide us with a more pastoral glimpse at the state of their hearts. We see that despite the gap of time that separates us from ancient Israel, the Israelites grappled with the same faith issues that we do today: they asked tough questions about sin and suffering; they experienced joy and confidence in God’s love; they looked for God in life’s pleasures and trials alike; they sometimes entertained doubts and they looked to God for help both physical and spiritual.[14]

We see throughout the wisdom literature a heavy emphasis on God’s heart mentioned in reference to his reasoning and intellect rather than as a basis for emotion. “It is highly significant that leb or lebab occur by far more frequently in the wisdom literature—99 times in Proverbs alone, 42 times in Ecclesiastes.”[15]

The book of Job contains three references specifically mentioning God’s heart. Perhaps it is no wonder, given that this book is such a personal encounter between Job and God himself. The book is a lament of one man’s pain and his journey to discover the cause and eventual remedy. Along the way Job asks God a number of questions in his effort to bring clarity to his torment. At one point, he asks, “What is man that you make so much of him, and that you set your heart on him?” (7:17, ESV). “The Epicureans maintained that God paid no attention at all to this world, or to anything that happened in it, but dwelt secure and tranquil in the empyrean, with nothing to disturb, displease, or vex him.”[16] Job’s perspective, on the other hand, recognizes a God who involves himself in the affairs of man.

A few chapters later Job reflects on the manner in which God had crafted him in his mother’s womb, cared for his daily needs, and yet in some strange way purposed Job for his present series of calamities (10:8–22). In essence, Job is acknowledging the detailed manner in which God reasons, plans, and ordains the affairs of human life “in his heart.” In other words, nothing happens to man by chance or arbitrary misfortune.

Finally, in chapter 34 Elihu defends God’s actions: “If God were to set his heart on it, and gather in his spirit and his breath, all flesh would perish together and human beings would return to dust” (vv. 14–15, NET). Elihu affirms God’s ability to do whatever he pleases and intends in his heart. After all, he is God!

In the last reference to God’s heart found in this genre, we read, “The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the people. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations” (Ps 33:10–11, NIV). Here the author comes to realize that while the transient plans and determinations of the nations may come and go, God’s purposes remain fixed and steadfast. God is not subject to the whims that subjugate man’s decision-making processes.

The Heart Of God In The Prophets

Regarding the heart of God in the genre of the prophets, specifically four passages, we find a consistent theme. These verses speak of God’s intentional desire, clear conviction, and steadfast determination to bring to pass what he has planned in the future. In essence, God’s heart is set in its ways—he is simply waiting for the fixed point in time to enact his will. Here are the passages: “For the day of vengeance was in My heart, and My year of redemption has come” (Isa 63:4). “The anger of the Lord will not turn back until He has performed and carried out the purposes of His heart; in the last days you will clearly understand it” (Jer 23:20). “The fierce anger of the LORD will not turn back until He has performed and until He has accomplished the intent of His heart; In the latter days you will understand this” (30:24), and finally, “I will rejoice over them to do them good and will faithfully plant them in this land with all My heart and with all My soul” (32:41).

We know from the explicit references to God’s heart in the Old Testament that God’s heart is often in stark contrast to man’s. While man’s heart may be subject to emotional override, spontaneity, and a fallen state, God’s is not. Rarely do we find references to God’s heart that focus on emotion or feelings. The majority of these verses speak of God’s heart in terms of decisiveness, reason, and determination.

Hans Wolff summarizes these passages by saying, “God’s lebab and God’s nepes are spoken of here to attest to His steadfast will and His longing desire—in this case with regard to His plan for the future, to which His whole will is completely committed.”[17] Once God has determined in his heart to do something, whether it is in the present or the future, once God has purposed something in his will, it is set. Why would God change his mind? To do so would undermine the immutability of his character.

When David is described as being a man who sought after God’s heart, what is meant is David’s determination to please God with his humility, contrite spirit, integrity, and wholehearted obedience. It was consistent with what we saw in postflood Noah. Tenderness, humility, and the complete lack of pretense were their strength. Believers would do well to emulate such life values and priorities.

The Heart Of God In The Gospels

The New Testament presents a challenging set of circumstances. There is no list of passages that specifically reference the heart of God, no καρδία τοῦ θεοῦ so to speak.[18] However, let it be known that God’s heart is clearly revealed throughout the New Testament in his actions, the motives that prompt these actions, and the resulting lessons that can be derived while using some elementary critical thinking.

To discern the heart of God in the New Testament, one must look no farther than Jesus himself. The heart of Jesus and the heart of his Father were knit together as one. Jesus’s character and the priorities that his actions revealed came from his heavenly Father. To know the heart of Jesus was to know the heart of his Father.

Jesus himself affirms this homogeneity when he says to his disciples:

“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.” Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves” (John 14:7–11).

A couple of chapters later, Jesus speaks again to his disciples about the close proximity between himself and his Father:

These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; an hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the Father. In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father. I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again and going to the Father (16:25–28).

His disciples responded, “Now You are speaking plainly and are not using a figure of speech. Now we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; by this we believe that You came from God” (vv. 29–30).

To see the heart of God, one need only look at the works of Jesus on this earth in the Gospel records. Here we see the heart of a heavenly Father who seeks the lost, restores the brokenhearted, and opposes the proud and arrogant. Perhaps this is most clearly seen in the confrontation Jesus has with the religious leaders on the steps of the temple. Jesus has been speaking openly about coming to him as the source of living water (John 7:37–38), and that is followed by Jesus declaring himself to be the light of the world (8:12). As such, it is seen by many as a consistent pattern of self-revelation on Jesus’s part.

Violating the sanctity of the temple courtyard, these religious zealots have brought a woman who was caught in the most immoral of sexual acts—presumably the night before and held over until morning when court could be convened. They care very little about the fate of this woman, as their primary concern is to entrap Jesus in the interpretation of Moses’s law and to publicly humiliate him.

Rodney Whitacre remarks,

These opponents have a commendable zeal for righteousness, but theirs is a shallow righteousness that shows no concern for the soul of this woman. They are also being rather deceitful. There is no evidence that this law was carried out with any regularity, so they are raising a question in the name of loyalty to Moses, using a part of Moses’ teaching that they themselves most likely have not kept. Furthermore, since the law says both the man and the woman who commit adultery are to be killed, we are left wondering why the man was not brought in as well. It may be that he had escaped, but the fact that only the woman is brought raises suspicions and does not speak well of their zeal for the law of Moses; for if they were really committed, they would have brought the man as well. Indeed, the law makes it clear that stoning could only take place after a careful trial, which included the chance for the condemned to confess his or her wrong (m. Sanhedrin 6:1–4). The hypocrisy of the opponents is evident.[19]

C. S. Lewis commented on this passage,

If anyone thinks that Christians regard unchastity as the supreme vice, he is quite wrong. The sins of the flesh are bad, but they are the least bad of all sins. All the worst pleasures are purely spiritual. The pleasure of putting other people in the wrong, of bossing and patronizing and spoiling sport, and backbiting; the pleasures of power, of hatred. For there are two things inside me . . . they are the animal self and the diabolical self; and the diabolical self is the worst of the two. That is why a cold self-righteous prig who goes regularly to church may be far nearer to hell than a prostitute. But of course it is better to be neither![20]

The essence of this account for our purposes is not the fate of the woman or the humiliation of the religious zealots but rather the character of heart that is openly displayed in Jesus. Remember, to know the heart of Jesus is to know the heart of his Father. So, in this case, we see the heart of God as tender, compassionate, caring, and redemptive.

Throughout the Gospel accounts, the heart of God is reflected in the priorities of Jesus’s ministry. As Martin Lloyd-Jones notes, “The gospel of Jesus Christ is concerned about the heart: all its emphasis is upon the heart. Read the accounts which we have in the gospels of the teaching of our blessed Lord, and you will find that all along He is talking about the heart.”[21] The priorities of Jesus’s heart are seen in his opposition to self-righteousness and callous disregard of the outcast. They are reflected in his tenderness toward those who are humble and contrite in spirit, in his searching for the lost, concern for the sick, passion for the disenfranchised, and approachability. Here we see the heart of his Father in open display.

The Heart Of God In Acts

The historical book of Acts reveals the heart of God as he removes religious and cultural barriers that form an artificial boundary between himself and mankind. In the pages of this record we see Peter, the disciple who has reportedly never violated the Jewish dietary laws (10:14), being offended at God’s request that he consume food that Peter considers unclean. God reproves him and states, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy” (v. 15). This vision was a revelation not only for Peter but also for subsequent readers to understand that manmade barriers to association between Jews and Gentiles did not originate from God but traditional Pharisaism. God’s heart is one of outreach, extended toward all mankind regardless of cultural ancestry, geographic boundary, gender, age, economic status, or other superficial forms of distinction.

The Heart Of God In The Epistles

This theme continues throughout the genre of the New Testament epistles as well. God crosses over geographic and cultural divides through countless miraculous occurrences in order to reveal himself as ever reaching out to the lost. Christ living in us, viewed as the capstone of the mystery of God by Paul in the book of Ephesians, is testimony of God’s resolve to reveal what He had purposed in his heart at the dawn of time (Eph 1:4). This is a reminder of what we discovered in the Old Testament regarding the heart of God as steadfast and determined to bring to fruition his plans and purposes. The heart of God was thus fulfilled when Jesus’s redemption was made available to mankind. It brought about God’s good pleasure to see this occur in the fullness of his timing.

Lastly, the spiritual gifts recorded in the Epistles attest to God’s commitment to involve every believer in the fulfillment of his great commission (Matt 28:19–20). Paul teaches that to every believer is given a manifestation of the Spirit (1 Cor 12:7) for the express purpose of reaching the lost (e.g., the gifts of apostleship, evangelism, prophecy, and miracles) and building up the body of Christ, his church (e.g., the gifts of pastor, teacher, service, ruling, and exhortation, among others).

The Heart Of God In Revelation

The final biblical genre is found in the apocalyptic writings of the apostle John. Here we see the unfolding end of this world and the start of another. God now gathers redeemed mankind to himself and bestows eternal blessings and reward on those who have received the gracious gift of his Son, Jesus. God’s heart is revealed through the culmination of his predetermined plans, his foreordained campaigns are completed, and the timing that has been known only to himself is revealed and executed. Though it is not recorded in this final written record, it does not take much imagination to believe that bringing a close to this chapter in human history on earth and hearing the commencement of eternal worship— both angelic and human alike—would bring a sense of peace and joy to God’s heart.

Conclusion

It is clear from this brief analysis that God’s heart is focused on mankind’s well-being. When we sin, he is grieved. When we praise and worship him and look for ways to curb our baser desires and obey his directives, he is pleased in his heart. Man’s heart, however, is rarely God-focused. The juxtaposition between the state of concerns emanating from God’s heart versus mankind’s is stark by comparison. It is man that needs constant course correction. “The heart, therefore, has rightly been described as ‘the mission control center’ of human life.”[22] “Our thoughts, our motives, the words that we speak, our feelings and attitudes, and all our actions originate from our heart. In the words of Herman Ridderbos, ‘Man is led and governed ultimately from one point—the heart.’ ”[23]

Perhaps it is fitting to point out that the greatest commandment is “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart” (Matt 22:37). Love in this regard is far more than an emotional feeling; it is an intentional and well-thought-out commitment to form our thoughts, motives, and actions around those things that are valued by God himself.

If God’s heart priorities are for mankind to love him, worship him, and serve him with a heart that is undivided, then it behooves us to determine those things that are of value to our Creator. After all, who among us would not want to have the moniker “one who seeks after My heart”? Meanwhile, we read that “the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (2 Chron 16:9).

It has been my desire to live such a life since I made this my life verse while a young man in ministry preparation. I want to be noticed by my heavenly Father for doing his will and to be found living a life in harmony with his values, priorities, and desires. I can tell you in all honesty that it has not been easy, and I have failed in many respects, but I have not given up that quest, and I hope it will one day be said of me, “He finished well.”

The remainder of this series will explore the meaning of living that kind of life as a ministry leader. The second article will explore the heart of God as it relates to the preparation of a ministry leader. The third will focus on his heart in relation to the needs for social justice in our nation, and the final article will investigate his heart in relation to the family.

Notes

1. Keith N. Schoville, “Anthropomorphism,” in Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, ed. Walter A. Elwell (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1996), 27.
2. Charles C. Ryrie, Biblical Theology of the New Testament (Chicago: Moody, 1959), 12.
3. Bruce K. Waltke, “Heart,” in Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, ed. Walter A. Elwell (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1996), 331.
4. Lewis S. Chafer, Systematic Theology, vol. 2 (Grand Rapids: Kregel), 187–88.
5. W. E. Vine, Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, ed. F. F. Bruce (Old Tappen, NJ: Revell, 1981), 206–7. This paragraph and the next summarize portions of these pages. Scripture quotations in this article are from NASB unless noted otherwise.
6. Robert Saucy, Minding the Heart (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2013), 32.
7. They are Genesis 6:6; 8:21; Numbers 16:28; 1 Samuel 2:35; 13:14; 2 Samuel 7:21; 1 Kings 9:3; 2 Kings 10:31; 2 Chronicles 7:16; Job 7:17; 10:13; 34:14; Psalm 33:11; Lamentations 3:33; Jeremiah 3:15; 7:31; 19:5; 23:20; 30:24; 32:35, 41; 44:21; 48:36 (2x); Isaiah 63:4; Hosea 11:8.
8. Charles John Ellicott, Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (1905), comment on Genesis 6:4, http://www.studylight.org/commentaries/ebc/genesis-6.html.
9. Johannes Brenz, comment on Genesis 6:6 (Opera 1:92), as cited by Scott M. Manetsch, Timothy George, and John Lee Thompson, in Reformation Commentary on Scripture, Old Testament, vol. 1 (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2012), 239.
10. Thomas Constable, Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable (2012), comment on Genesis 6:4, http://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dcc/genesis-6.html.
11. John Calvin, Calvin’s Commentary on the Bible, comment on Genesis 6:4, http://www.studylight.org/commentaries/cal/genesis-6.html, emphasis added.
12. Andy Rau, “Tour of the Bible, Part 2: The Historical Books,” Bible Gateway Blog, February 18, 2011, https://www.biblegateway.com/blog/2011/02/tour-of-thebible-part-2-the-historical-books/.
13. Charles Swindoll, “Becoming a Man or Woman After God’s Own Heart,” Insight For Living Ministries, June 15, 2009, https://www.insight.org/resources/articlelibrary/ individual/becoming-a-man-or-a-woman-after-god’s-own-heart.
14. Andy Rau, “Tour of the Bible, Part 3: The Wisdom Books,” Bible Gateway Blog, March 13, 2011, https://www.biblegateway.com/blog/?s=March+13%2C+ 2011.
15. F. Stolz, “Leb,” Theologisches Wörterbuch zum Alten Testament, ed. G. Botterweck and H. Ringgren (1971), 861, as quoted in Hans W. Wolf, Anthropology of the Old Testament (London: SCM, 1974), 47.
16. Pulpit Commentary, http://biblehub.com/commentaries/job/7–17.htm.
17. Hans W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament (London: SCM, 1974), 56.
18. An excellent examination of the Greek term καρδία is presented in Elmer Towns’s, “The Meaning of Heart in the New Testament,” Grace Journal 7 (Spring 1986): 36–45.
19. Rodney A. Whitacre, John, IVP New Testament Commentary Series (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2007), 206.
20. C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: Macmillan, 1952), 95.
21. D. Martin Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount (London: InterVarsity, 1959), 1:108.
22. Bernard Ramm, Offense to Reason: A Theology of Sin (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1985), 41.
23. Robert Saucy, Minding the Heart (Grand Rapids, Kregel, 2013), 32, citing Herman Ridderbos, Paul: An Outline of His Theology, trans. John Richard de Witt (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1975), 177.