1 Kings 8
Only God Knows The Hearts of Men
Only God Knows The Hearts of Men
39 Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men) —1 Kings 8:39 (KJV)
God Is Glorified
- Only the LORD knows the hearts of men. Sometimes, we see people behaving in one way or another, and we make judgments. We assume we can figure out why people behaved as they did. We think we know what was in their hearts.
- God reveals to us that only he knows what is in the heart of a man. God alone knows the motivation of a man. God alone knows why people do the things they do. God alone sees beyond a person's behavior and knows everything about it.
- Solomon does as we should do in every prayer, he gives glory to God. (1 Kings 8:22-53)
- Consider how we make judgments—think about what is the truth...
- Do we think for ourselves, "I know what he was, in fact, thinking when he acted that way?"
- Do we ever assume because, though a person says they did something for one reason, we know they did it for another reason?
- God alone sees into their hearts (our hearts)—be careful when we assume we can see where God alone can see.
- God alone sees into the hearts of men. For it is written:
24 But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, 25 And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man. —John 2:24-25 (KJV)
4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? —Matthew 9:4 (KJV)
47 And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by him, —Luke 9:47 (KJV)
4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? —Matthew 9:4 (KJV)
47 And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by him, —Luke 9:47 (KJV)
God Alone Knows The Hearts Of Men
- Jesus knew the hearts of these men. Jesus knows what God alone knows.
- Jesus does what God alone does. Jesus is God.
- We are not God. Jesus knows the hearts of men, because he is God.
- Do not assume we can judge the motivation of others, because we cannot see into their hearts.
- Jesus can see our hearts—do not think we can fool him at all.
- We judge all the time. We are called to clearly evaluate all things in the light of God's word in scripture. (1 Thessalonians 5:21)
- We must be able to say whether things are right or wrong. However, we cannot assume we know a person's motivation without hearing it from that person.
- Only God knows the hearts of men...
Glory To God
