Proverbs declares that God hates a heart that devises wicked plans. Proverbs 6:16-19 (NASB) There are six things that the Lord hates, Seven that are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, A false witness who declares lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.
The heart refers to one’s physical, spiritual, and mental life. The word heart is used in Scripture to designate the whole inner person—including the motives, affections, feelings, desires, and thoughts. Heart, in this text, refers to a core being that creates imaginatively ungodly plans or one who at their core, intentionally schemes to commit secret sin. It is manipulative; influencing or attempt to influence the behaviour or emotions of others for one’s own purposes and or premeditated meaning to contemplate or devise beforehand.
Leslie Vernick identifies five indicators of an evil heart:
- Evil hearts are experts at creating confusion and contention. They twist the facts, mislead, lie, avoid taking responsibility, deny reality, make up stories, and withhold information.
- Evil hearts are experts at fooling others with their smooth speech and flattering words. But if you look at the fruit of their lives or the follow-through of their words, you will find no real evidence of godly growth or change. It’s all smoke and mirrors.
- Evil hearts crave and demand control and their highest authority is their own self-reference. They reject feedback, real accountability and make their own rules to live by.
- Evil hearts play on the sympathies of good-willed people, often trumping the grace card. They demand mercy but give none themselves. They demand warmth, forgiveness, and intimacy from those they harmed with no empathy for the pain they caused and no real intention of making amends or working hard to rebuild broken trust.
- Evil hearts have no conscience, no remorse. They do not struggle against sin or evil, they delight in it, all the while masquerading as someone of noble character.
The fact that our hearts are wicked is not given as an excuse for our behaviour; we are informed that God will investigate and judge our hearts. We must search our hearts and continually test our motives. God will always search our hearts and examine our secret motives.
Jeremiah 17:10 (NLT) “But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.”
Proverbs 4:23 (NASB) “Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.”
Solomon wrote Proverbs 24:8 (NLT) A person who plans evil will get a reputation as a troublemaker.
The Amplified Bible says, in Proverbs 24:8 (AMP) He who plans to do evil. Will be called a schemer or deviser of evil.
Jeremiah 17:9 (AMP) The heart is deceitful above all things And it is extremely sick; Who can understand it fully and know its secret motives?
1 Samuel 16:7 (NKJV) But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
Psalm 44:21 (NKJV) Would not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.