The meaning of "heart" in Hebrew (Shema 04)

In this series we’re talking about the ancient Jewish prayer called the Shema, found in Deuteronomy 6. This is a prayer of allegiance for the Hebrew people thousands of years ago. It has been prayed for centuries every morning and evening, so it’s kind of like our Pledge of Allegiance. It demonstrates the character of God, and shows us how to respond to him.

• Deuteronomy 6:4-5 Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.

In episode one: we talked about “listen”, the word “shema”. Episode two introduced “the Lord”. In episode three, we discussed “Love” or “ahava.” The second half of the series focuses on how to love God. The three words are “heart”, “soul”, and “strength.” By examining these words, we’re going to learn how we can also pray like this, and make a commitment like this, to love the Lord this way. So today’s word is “lev”, the Hebrew word for “heart.” 

When we talk about the heart, many people these days advocate following your heart: doing what you most WANT to do, or what FEELS right. But so many stories can be told about people who followed what they wanted or what felt good, but ended up with tragic consequences. To understand why, let’s take a look at how the Bible defines the “heart” and what that means for us.

Your Heart Is Where You Think and Feel

We think of the heart as the place where we feel. Biblically, it does include that. 

• Jeremiah 15:16 When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God of heaven’s armies.

This describes human emotions: joy and delight. But that’s not all the heart is. In biblical Hebrew, it also represents the place where our thoughts come from.

• Proverbs 14:33 Wisdom is enshrined in an understanding heart; wisdom is not found among fools.

In our culture we would say, “wisdom is enshrined in a person’s brain or head.” But the Hebrew language didn’t have a way to say that. They didn’t understand the role of your brain in your inner life. For them, it was the heart. So when the Shema says “Love God with all your heart,” it’s not just talking about feelings. That also includes the way you think.

Let’s add one more facet to this picture…

Your Heart Is Where You Make Choices

It’s the seat of your emotions. It’s the source of your thoughts. It’s also the home of your will. You might have a thought, or an emotion. What moves that to action is your will. It’s the faculty of choosing. In other words, we could say that the “heart” - biblically speaking - is the sum total of  your inner person. It’s not talking about the organ that beats to circulate blood. It’s your thoughts, feelings, and intentions. Your mind, emotions, and will. 

None of these exist independently of the others. When you have a feeling, it can feed your thoughts. If you continue to feed that in your mind - like a temptation, or a picture on your phone - it starts to play on your desires, which ends up affecting your choices.

So when we read “heart” think about the inner person. God is saying. Don’t just give your feelings to me, or just your thoughts, but surrender your entire inner self to me.

• Psalm 37:4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.

When we love the Lord with our whole heart, that changes the will / the intentions we have. 

• Proverbs 4:23 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

The Bible doesn’t teach us to “follow your heart.” It teaches us to “guard your heart.” In other words, guard your thoughts, your emotions, your intentions, because the inner person is such a key part of who you are. Whatever you allow to feed your mind, emotions and will, the Bible says all of these things together will determine the course of your life. We see this progression in the NT: 

• James 1:14-15 Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.

Your heart, with its thoughts, feelings, and intentions, eventually manifests itself in action. When that goes unchecked, your inner self can destroy you.

Let’s talk about why that is the case. There’s a reason why we guard our hearts and don’t just follow them wherever they lead.

Our Hearts Are Broken By Sin, But God Can Change Our Hearts

Here’s how we define sin: following your own opinions and feelings above God’s truth. Anytime we do that, it’s an expression of sin. because our inner self is fundamentally broken. It’s true of every human being, even the most admirable.

• Jeremiah 17:9 The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?

The next time someone tells you to follow your heart, read this verse! This warns us how easily we can be fooled by our hearts. Your mind can play tricks on you. Your emotions can lead you astray. Your will or intentions can undermine what’s best for you. Instead of following our hearts, we need to let God change our hearts. Think about what Jesus said:

• Mark 7:21-23 For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.

There’s something on this list to include everyone! Jesus was challenging the religious leaders of his day because they thought you could please God by just doing outward rituals. Jesus said, “That won’t do it. Because where sin comes from is not external. It’s deep within the inner person - the heart.” So when the Shema calls us to love the Lord our God with our whole heart, that’s a real challenge! Because left to themselves, our hearts don’t love God, don’t honor God, and don’t obey God.

So how can our hearts change, from being desperately wicked, deceitful, and defiled?

• Deuteronomy 30:6 The Lord your God will change your heart and the hearts of all your descendants, so that you will love him with all your heart and soul and so you may live!

In Deuteronomy 6, Moses is talking to Israel before they enter the promised land. Here in chapter 30, he’s bringing that speech to a close. He says: when you get into the promised land, if you really want to live - to have a full, satisfying life - here’s how. God will change your heart. God will change your inner person so that you will love him.

Don’t get caught up on moralism, which says: I’m going to be a better person. I’m going to try harder. I have to get control of my thoughts, emotions, and choices - to make better decisions. That’s not it! The only hope we have of a changed heart is when God changes it. You can try as hard as you want, but you cannot change your own heart. It’s broken and you can’t fix it. Only God can.

• Ezekiel 36:26 And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.

This is a promise God makes in the Old Testament. It’s related to his promise in Deuteronomy 30. But also to this promise in Jeremiah 31:

• Jeremiah 31:33 “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

God gives this incredible promise through Jeremiah, that he will put his instructions deep within us. He is going to write them on our hearts. The bad news is that our hearts are wicked. On our own, our thoughts, feelings, choices all lead us away from God. But here’s the good news: God can change our hearts. Can change us from the inside out.

The Takeaway

In the end, the command in the Shema to love God with all your heart is only possible if you get a new heart. That happens when you give your heart to God. To do so, you must recognize your need: that you are broken, you’re a sinner. Admit that your heart is desperately wicked. 

You must also give up trying to fix it yourself. You have to come to the place where your only hope is for God to do what only he can do. Instead of trusting your own efforts, you put your faith in Jesus alone, and trust what he did on the cross for you. Trust that he took your sin on himself. He took the penalty of all your wrong emotions, thoughts, intentions, and actions, and nailed it to the cross. 

The Bible says that when you come to Jesus in faith, he does something new in you. He changes you from the inside out.

• Romans 10:9-10 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved..

How can you have a right relationship with God? Deuteronomy 6 says: by listening. By acknowledging that the Lord is God, the Lord alone. By making a commitment to love him with all your heart. In Romans 10, that commitment starts by declaring that Jesus is Lord, and believing (or trusting) in him. 

When you do that, he gives you a new heart. He makes you new from the inside. Your mind, your emotions, your will - are all made new. You can make the prayer of Romans 10 your own by inviting God into your heart, to transform you.