Loving God with all your Heart - Part 1

I take a slight detour today. I've been thinking about the great commandment the first great commandment to love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and soul and strength.

And particularly what it means to love God with your heart. Some of the readings I've done say that the Hebrew meaning of heart is broader than emotions and really encompasses the whole of our mind and understanding...including knowledge and thought to an inner depth within us. I'm not sure I quite articulated that correctly. So if you have a better way of saying it let me know.

This concept comes out I think in Jeremiah 31. Which is repeated in Hebrews 8.

Jer 31:31    Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
Jer 31:32    Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
Jer 31:33    But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Jer 31:34    And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

Heb 8:8    For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
Heb 8:9    Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
Heb 8:10    For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
Heb 8:11    And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

To look up heart I first searched my Bible concordance to see the large number of times the word heart is used. Too many. On the negative side the heart can be deceitful, rebellious, hardened, and all sorts of evil things can flow out of the heart. But on the positive side heart is the first thing listed in the great commandment.

I've been taking a look at the Geneva Bible and it's notes so I'll first put the Deuteronomy 6 passage from that source.

http://www.genevabible.org/files/Geneva_Bible/Old_Testament/Deuteronomy_F.pdf

The thing that struck me is that the next verse Deuteronomy 6:6 talks about how one is to put the commandments into the heart and that does seem more like a thinking kind of a process or an absorbing of what the commandments are, internalizing them and not just an emotional response.

6 (*) And these words which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart. (*) Deuteronomy 11:18 .

When you combine this with Jeremiah 31:33 you see that this is a work that the Lord does. We know from the New Testament that this is done by grace through the Holy Spirit working in our hearts.

I don't think this is done through a sudden infusion of miraculous special revelation into our hearts. But I think the Holy Spirit is working through our reading and understanding of the Scripture, of the Bible to write these commands on our hearts in a way that we actually get them and do them.

John explains this this way.

1Jn 2:3    And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
1Jn 2:4    He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
1Jn 2:5    But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

1Jn 5:2    By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
1Jn 5:3    For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

So perhaps a way of saying this is that this kind of love is not just emotional and not just a mental exercise but through the Holy Spirit has a deep impact. It's knowledge that is known, truth that is understood and internalized and becomes part of you.

There's more to this that I'd like to develop but just don't have the time right now.

I'd like to look further at first Corinthians 13.

1Co 13:1    Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
1Co 13:2    And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
1Co 13:3    And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

It impresses me how Paul in this passage really blows apart virtually everybody's idea of how to do works of love....but more on that later.

You are the great Commandment passages....

Deuteronomy 6
1 An exhortation to fear God, and keep his commandments, 5 Which is, to love him with all thine heart. 7 The same must be taught to the posterity. 16 Not to tempt God. 25 Righteousness is contained in the Law.

1 These now are the commandments, ordinances, and (*) laws, which the LORD your God commanded me to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it,
(*) Or, judgments.
2 That thou mightest (a) fear the LORD thy God, and keep all his ordinances, and his commandments which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son all the days of thy life, even that thy days may be prolonged.
(a) A reverent fear and love of God is the first beginning to keep God’s commandments.
3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and take heed to do it, that it may go well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily (b) in the land that floweth with milk and honey, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee.
(b) Which hath abundance of all things appertaining to man’s life.
4 Hear, O Israel, The LORD our God is LORD only;
5 And (*) thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy
soul, and with all thy might.
(*) Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:29-34; Luke 10:27 .
6 (*) And these words which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart. (*) Deuteronomy 11:18 .

From the King James version I'll look up this passage in Deuteronomy and also passages in the New Testament where Jesus speaks.

Deu 6:1    Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it:
Deu 6:2    That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.
Deu 6:3    Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey.
Deu 6:4    Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
Deu 6:5    And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
Deu 6:6    And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:


Mat 22:33    And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.
Mat 22:34    But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.
Mat 22:35    Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
Mat 22:36    Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Mat 22:37    Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38    This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39    And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40    On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Mar 12:28    And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
Mar 12:29    And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
Mar 12:30    And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
Mar 12:31    And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
Mar 12:32    And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
Mar 12:33    And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
Mar 12:34    And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.

Luk 10:25    And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
Luk 10:26    He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
Luk 10:27    And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
Luk 10:28    And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.