The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? "I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve." (Jeremiah 17:9-10)
Puzzling--This proverb states the impossibility of purifying the human heart and the difficulty of discerning one's heart. The proverb is followed by a word from God, who claims the ability that humans do not have, that is, the deep knowledge required in order to explore the human heart.
The word from God also claims a divine purpose for searching human hearts and for examining human minds, namely, so that conduct and deeds may be assessed, presumably in light of humans' motivations. If conduct and deeds in and of themselves are to be rewarded or punished, then why search the human heart? Why examine the human mind?
Thank God! The Lord takes into account our intentions and motivations when assessing our behavior. ...Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7c)
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