Proverbs 21:2
“Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts.”
The word “weighs” in this verse is somewhat misleading. In the KJV, the word is “pondereth” and it is also misleading. It is the Hebrew word #8505 - “taken” It certainly can mean to weigh or to measure but it can also mean to regulate, to make even, or to adjust to the standard. To be sure, the KJV translators used the first part of the verse to define the context and the context defined which translation was chosen. Due to their choice, I believe that this verse has led many to judgment of themselves and others and has led to distancing between them and God. Therefore, it is more expedient to view the verse with the alternate translation of that word.
Every person sees absolutely nothing wrong with the way they do things. They can make excuses and reasonings for everything they do whether it is obnoxious or not- generally everyone thinks they are right about everything. This is the explanation of the first half of this verse there is no conjecture here. However, the second half of the verse, if left as is, implies that God is somehow sitting up in Heaven, arms folded, scowling down and accusing humans of at least hypocrisy and at most lying. It’s almost as if He is saying to all of mankind- “I know you think you’re right, but I know the truth- you are a liar and a hypocrite.” That is not what this verse actually says and to explain it in that way makes God the accuser of the brethren and defiles our opinions of the character of God.
God is not the accuser of the brethren- and brethren here can be any fellow man as opposed to just Christians. God does not accuse people- He corrects people. God uses His word to correct humans- He always has. God is in the business of saving people and not killing them. Two stark instances come to mind from the Old Testament- First when God cast Adam and Eve out of the Garden because He didn’t want them to live for eternity separated from Him by sin and second when He confused the languages because He didn’t want people’s fear-based pride to destroy all of mankind.
God wants to direct us using His word and that is the reality of Proverbs 21:2b- the Lord weighs the hearts should actually say that the Lord regulates, makes even, and adjusts the hearts of men so that they are in line with His word. It is this that causes people to rebel. A person will believe that the way they behave is correct and founded in reason. Then the Lord will minister to their hearts that their behavior is not correct or reasonable and the result will be either humility or rebellion depending on their current relationship with the Lord. If they choose to rebel, it will manifest in everyday from simply ignoring these perceptions to trying to convince themselves that there is no God. Those who are receptive to the voice and promptings of God, will humble themselves and allow Him to regulate their hearts to His standards. We do see this type of response from those who claim not to know God. We see that proclaimed atheists commit themselves to never murdering anyone or not speaking evil of people. What they do not realize is that they have no capacity as humans to make those choices nor carry them out on their own. They can only think that way because of God and that is why even they respond so aggressively against murderous tyrants like Hitler. God speaks to everyone’s heart until it becomes seared and when a heart becomes seared, a human can no longer “feel” any attribute that is associated with the nature of God- like love, peace, compassion, joy, understanding or even friendship.
Now the question is, are you going to continue to think you are right and justified in all of your actions and attitudes or are you going to allow the Lord to adjust your heart to align your behaviors and attitudes with the Word of God!
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