Some have in fact already turned away to follow Satan.
Summary: This passage provides an excellent opportunity to explore how God sees us and compare God’s view of humanity with our own.
How do you react to Paul’s words in this passage? Does it feel like God is losing the battle and Satan is winning? Do you fear that someone is bound for hell who should have been saved?
This passage provides us with an excellent opportunity to talk about two important things:
First, God “sees” us differently than we see ourselves.
Second is the importance of church discipline. (We will tackle this topic in Part II.)
Let’s begin with how God “sees” us.
First of all, the Bible tells us that God is not human (Numbers 23:19). (I realize that this statement opens up a can of worms when it comes to the question of Jesus, but bear with me for a few minutes as we work through this.)
Secondly, the Bible tells us God is Spirit (John 4:24).
Third, the Bible explains how God “sees” us:
“The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
God sees our hearts.
That is the deepest part of our inner being. It is like God’s eyes can penetrate through all of our thoughts and pretense and see every aspect of who we are. We can only see the outside of a person, what they say and do. We can sometimes guess at what lies beneath the surface, but we cannot know as God knows.
In the Parable of the Weeds (aka – The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares), Jesus explains what God sees when he looks at humanity (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43).
He sees us as seeds, planted in God’s field, where we grow until it is time for the harvest. God’s enemy, Satan, also plants seeds in this field (v 28). To protect the good seed, God instructs his servants to let them grow together until the harvest (v 30). He wants to make certain the wheat is not uprooted with the weeds (v 29).
Now let’s return to today’s passage.
Paul is talking specifically about younger widows, but the principle applies to all of us. When we break our pledge to Jesus and turn to indulging the things of the flesh, we are no longer walking with God. Some go so far as to end up following Satan.
Does this surprise God? Was God unable to “see” the “seed” in the person’s heart? Of course, he can see what is inside us! All of us!
Can we “see” what God sees? No, of course not. We are not God. All we can see is what a person does or says, and the hints of what is in their heart and mind that sometimes show beneath the surface.
Application: Trust God. He knows.
Food for Thought: If we cannot “see” people’s hearts the way God sees them, how does that limit what we can do and know?
If we cannot “see” people’s hearts the way God sees them, how does that limit what we can do and know?
“What we can do and know” are really tied very closely together. If we really “knew” everything about a person and the situation that person finds themselves in, we might be able to provide “just the thing,” assuming we have both the wisdom and resource to do so. Truth is, we have none of that; not the knowledge, not the wisdom, and not the resource. We do have the Holy Spirit. At its very simplest level, all we need to do is reject all thoughts of self, fear, and doubt and pray “Lord, I am willing, what would you have me do?” The Holy Spirit will intercede for us and provide the answer in His time. The biggest struggle I have with that is actually letting go of self, fear, and doubt. When I am able to give the Lord my will to do His Will, I can see Him moving in His time. The only limit is found in my own unwillingness to submit “all of it” to Him.
Jeremiah 17:9-10
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.
Romans 8:26-27
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Hi Chris,
Thank you! Thank you for wrestling with today’s question. I agree that leaning on God for guidance is our only valid option.
If we cannot “see” people’s hearts the way God sees them, how does that limit what we can do and know?
Romans 3:10-12, None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”
Psalm 14:1-3, The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good. 2 The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. 3 They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.
Behind every decision, dream, and struggle we find human passions and desires which will affect our motivations and reveal our heart’s true inclinations. The Bible speaks with authority about passions and desires, but a complete understanding of these is beyond our ability to fully comprehend?
In Genesis 3, we see Eve’s desire for the forbidden fruit which she believed would make her wise, but lead to disobedience. This pattern continues today: sinful desires and passions will often prioritize self over God.
Jeremiah 17:9, The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked.
What we can do and know is refrain from putting any physical being on a pedestal. We are all doing our best to get through this phase of our lives and will one day be held to account by God.
Today we can keep our eyes and ears open to the glimmers of hope and promise revealed to us by others and devote our strength to helping all those who may show even the slightest inclination of sending a cry for help. Our Job on earth is to reach out to the lame, not condemn them for limping.
Thank you, Ron!
What a powerful summary:
“Our Job on earth is to reach out to the lame, not condemn them for limping.”
Well said!