In Job 10, Job laments his suffering, questioning why God allows his misery despite his innocence. He expresses feelings of abandonment, confusion, and pain, pleading for understanding and mercy from God while struggling with divine justice. Job’s internal turmoil reflects his desire for clarity, hoping for God’s intervention or explanation for his distress. His words highlight the intense emotional and spiritual conflict experienced amid suffering.
God looks at the heart.
Job 10:5-6 (MSG): “You don’t look at things the way we mortals do. You’re not taken in by appearances, are You? Unlike us, You’re not working against a deadline. You have all eternity to work things out.”
In Job 10:5-6, Job reflects on how God perceives situations differently from humans. While humans tend to focus on what is visible and work under the pressure of time, God is not bound by these limitations. He sees the full scope of reality, unaffected by appearances or deadlines, working with an eternal perspective. This contrasts with our mortal understanding, which is restricted to the present moment and the superficial.
This theme of divine insight is also captured in 1 Samuel 16:7 (NRSV), where God reminds Samuel that His perspective is not like that of humans. While humans focus on external appearances, God looks at the heart, examining the true character and motivations of a person. “The Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7 (ESV): “But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.’”
This passage highlights that God does not choose based on outward factors like appearance or stature, but on the heart, where true motives lie. The idea is reinforced by the example of David, who was chosen by God not for his external qualities but for his devotion to God.
1 Samuel 13:14 (AMP): “But now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has sought out for Himself a man (David) after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as leader and ruler over His people, because you have not kept (obeyed) what the Lord commanded you.”
In Proverbs 21:2 the Lord reminds us that although people may think their ways are right, He alone weighs the hearts and motivations behind every action: “Every man’s way is right in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs and examines the hearts [of people and their motives].”
Search and examine me
This brings us to Psalm 139:23-24 (AMP), where the psalmist calls on God to search and examine his heart, acknowledging that only God knows his true thoughts and intentions: “Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart; Test me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.”
Jeremiah 17:10 (MSG) reflects on the deceitfulness of the human heart, which only God can truly understand. The Lord is the one who searches the heart and examines the mind, revealing the truth behind our actions: “The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out. But I, God, search the heart and examine the mind. I get to the heart of the human. I get to the root of things. I treat them as they really are, not as they pretend to be.”
God calls us to live with hearts devoted to Him, a devotion that goes beyond outward acts of righteousness. The Bible teaches that true worship and obedience come from the heart. It is important for believers to regularly examine their own hearts and motivations, seeking to align them with God’s will.