Daniel

Heart Preparation - 1 of 7

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Old Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2006-10-29

Synopsis: John Weaver introduces the principle of heart preparation, using King Rehoboam as a negative example. Rehoboam did evil because he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord. Weaver explains that heart preparation involves work, planning, and foresight, and that the heart is primarily the mind or understanding. Without a prepared heart, we naturally tend toward evil.

[John Weaver] 2 Chronicles chapter 12. And let me just say that this message today is going to be a very general introduction. I'm going to show you from the Bible what prompted my thoughts in just a moment. We're going to read the text. But I'm going to bring a message which I've entitled The Importance of a Prepared Heart. Next week, I want to continue this and show you how to prepare your heart The third week, if I get to continue it, which I'm planning on, is to show you how to prepare your heart to receive the Word. And the fourth message would be how to prepare your heart to teach the Word. So, if you'll look in your Bibles to 2 Chronicles chapter 12, beginning with verse 1, And it came to pass when Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him. And it came to pass in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shashak, king of Egypt, came up against Jerusalem. Now note, because they had transgressed against the Lord.

[John Weaver] You can't sin against God and get away with it. And he came with 1,200 chariots and three score thousand horsemen, and the people were without number, that came with him out of Egypt, the Lubins, the Supkins, and the Ethiopians. And he took the fifth cities, which pertained to Judah, and came to Jerusalem. Then came Shemiah the prophet to Rehoboam and to the princes of Judah that were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus saith the Lord, you have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak."

[John Weaver] Now, let me just ask you to come down, if you would please, to verse 14. Here we're continuing to read about King Rehoboam, and you read this very important statement. And he did evil. That is King Rehoboam. And he did evil. because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord. Now, I want you to stop just for one moment and think about the implications of verse 14. He, King Rehoboam, did evil. Why? Because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord. Now, when I talk about King Rehoboam, I want you to understand that we are talking about the grandson of King David, and the son of Solomon. Now David, the grandfather, was known as a man after God's own heart. Solomon was known for the wisdom that God had given him. And now the grandson is known for the evil and the wickedness that he has done. And I want you to look at verse 1. It's very enlightening. And it came to pass when Rehoboam had established the kingdom and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the Lord and all Israel with him."

[John Weaver] Now what did Rehoboam do? Rehoboam simply played along until he was in the right position, had the right amount of power, had control of the kingdom, and then he forsook the law of the Lord. Now, it was bad enough that the high civil ruler of the land forsook the law of the Lord, but when he did so, according to verse 1, he took all Israel with him. You've heard the old saying that one bad apple spoils the barrel. Well, that is certainly true when the one bad apple happens to be the high civil ruler in the land. But when you come down to verse 14, And you ask yourself, why did Rehoboam do evil? And the answer comes back, he did evil because he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to think about the other side of the coin just for a moment. Do you realize that we are absolutely prone to evil and wickedness? There is no preparation necessary for you and I to do wrong. I mean, we do wrong just absolutely naturally. No one had to teach us how to sin. No one had to teach us how to lie. No one had to teach us how to cheat. No one had to teach us how to lust. We sin naturally, normally, easily, readily, and willingly, and that's what God is saying. However, if we are not going to do that, then there is something that is absolutely necessary, and that is heart preparation.

[John Weaver] And the reason Rehoboam sinned was he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord. He did not prepare his heart to do God's will. He did not prepare his heart to pray. He did not prepare his heart to do anything that was right. And consequently, all he did was that which was evil and that which is wrong. So I want to deal today just with one point. And that is the principle of heart preparation.

[John Weaver] Now, if you look down to verse 14, the Bible says,"...and he re-evolved in evil..." Why?"...because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord."

[John Weaver] Now, the word prepared, and you're going to hear me say this several times during this message, the Hebrew word is the word KUN, K-U-W-N, but it's pronounced K-O-O-N. The word prepared is the Hebrew word KUN, And it literally occurs 219 times in our Bible. It is used in a multitude of ways, all of which indicate that heart preparation involves work, planning, foresight, determination, and skill. And I'm going to show you just a few of these verses in just a moment. But let me just tell you first hand, and right off the bat, that a prepared heart is not an accident.

[John Weaver] It is not something that happens on its own. It is not something that you were either born with and some have it and some do not have it. Moreover, a prepared heart is not something that God just simply gives or bestows upon people arbitrarily. A prepared heart is not something that you get by quote-unquote going forward in a church service. A prepared heart is not something that you get when you, quote, rededicate, end quote, your life. No. A prepared heart is something that must be developed and attained over a lifetime.

[John Weaver] Let me give you an illustration. If you would hold 2 Chronicles, but turn in your Bibles to 1 Timothy chapter 4 and look at verses 7 and 8. It's much like to the grace of godliness. Notice if you would please, 1 Timothy. Chapter 4 and verse 7. Look what the Bible says. But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. Now verse 8, 1 Timothy 4. For bodily exercise profiteth little, but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. Now go back to verse 7. He says, but refuse profane and old wives' fables. Don't listen, he says, to all the TV preachers and radio preachers, basically, because that's basically where you're getting your old wives' fables from. He says, but rather you exercise yourself rather unto godliness. I don't care how many people tell you, I don't care how many preachers say, well, you just come forward and that'll make everything right. It will not make everything right.

[John Weaver] Salvation is not going forward in the church. Godliness is not going forward in the church. Godliness is not making a decision. Salvation is not making a decision. Salvation is the work of God. Godliness is the work of God. And what he says in verse 7, you exercise yourself rather unto godliness. Now, the word exercise is the Greek word gyumnazo. from which we get our English words, gymnasium, gymnastics. Literally what he says is you gymnasticize yourself unto godliness.

[John Weaver] How many of you think that a gymnast just simply decides one day I'm going to be a gymnast and I'm going to go out and I'm going to do these wonderful acrobatic tricks and I'm going to do all these flips. I'm just going to do it. Shane, would you like to try that? Just decide. I can't even touch my toes. Sometimes I can't even see them. The point I'm trying to make is simple. If you are going to be a gymnast, what must you do daily, weekly, monthly, and annually? You must stretch and exercise and practice, practice, practice.

[John Weaver] That's exactly what God is saying. Exercise yourself, brethren, to Godliness. And the godly men in the Bible and the godly men in history did not wake up one morning and decide, I'm godly, isn't that wonderful? No! They developed a godly habit and a godly character and a godly mindset over a period of years. It was a lifetime goal and a lifetime achievement. So, when you're talking about heart preparation, don't just think, well, this is something that just happens.

[John Weaver] No, it does not happen. Let me just show you how heart preparation is in line with 1 Timothy 4 and verse 7. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, please, to 1 Chronicles chapter 12. 1 Chronicles chapter 12. And we're going to be looking at a number of places where this same word, Hebrew word, tune, is used and is translated in our Bibles as prepared.

[John Weaver] Now, I like this passage because this shows you the absolute necessity of work, planning, foresight that goes into heart preparation. In 1 Chronicles chapter 12 and verse 39 the Bible says this, And there they were with David three days eating and drinking for their brethren had prepared for them. So here these men that were with David for three days, eating and drinking, and notice if you would, for their brethren had prepared for them."

[John Weaver] Now, let me just lay something on you and think about this. Go back, if you would, to verse 36. I'm not going to take time to read the entire chapter. Let me just give you a smattering. Verse 36, and of Asher, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, 40,000. This doesn't count all these that are numbered before these, okay? Verse 37, and on the other side of Jordan of the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, with all manner of instruments of war for the battle, 120,000. That's 160,000 right there out of two verses. And all these men of war, that is all these that are mentioned in this entire chapter, all these men of war could keep rank, came with a perfect heart to Hebron to make David king over all Israel. And all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king. And they were with David three days, eating and drinking, for their brethren had prepared for them." We just read of 160,000 in two verses.

[John Weaver] That doesn't count all these others. Now, let me ask you this simple question. If you look at the context and you discover that these hundreds of thousands of men were there with David eating and drinking for three days, did that just happen? I mean, did the food just mysteriously appear out of nowhere? Did the drink just mysteriously appear? How about the utensils? How about the cooking? How about the seating arrangement? How about the table? Did all of that just happen? No, the Bible says that the men were there that had prepared for them. And if you're going to prepare a meal three times a day, For several hundred thousand men, you have your work cut out for you.

[John Weaver] You better do a lot of planning. You better have a lot of foresight. You better do a lot of thinking. You better do a lot of work. So the point I'm trying to make is here's the exact same word, and it always refers to foresight and planning and work. Look, if you would please in your Bibles to First Chronicles chapter 15 and verse 1. Here's the same word again, 1 Chronicles 15 and verse 1, And David made him houses in the city of David, and prepared a place for the ark of God, and pitched for it a tent. Now the Bible says that David prepared a place for the ark of God.

[John Weaver] Now if you think it was easy just to go out and pick out a space and clean it out to pitch the tabernacle, put the ark in, then you need to read the rest of the chapter. You'll find out all the priests, all the Levites, all the singers, all the musicians, everything that was involved. So when David prepared a place for the ark, it was not just that he was pitching a tent.

[John Weaver] He was preparing a worship service. He was preparing sacrifices. He is preparing for all of the people in order that they might worship the Lord.

[John Weaver] Now, So, the preparation for the tabernacle was not something that was done lightly or flippantly. Look in your Bibles at 1 Chronicles 22. Once again, I'm just showing you the word preparation. 1 Chronicles 22. And I want you to note, the word preparation here denotes an ongoing process.

[John Weaver] Now, I'm going to explain this in greater detail next week, Lord willing. But look at it in 1 Chronicles 22 verse 1. Then David said, this is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel. Now do you remember God did not allow David to build the temple, right? It was Solomon who built the temple. But David received the plans. And David prepared for the building of the temple. So he says in verse 1, then David said, this is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel. And David commanded to gather together the strangers that were in the land of Israel. And he sent masons to hew rock stones to build the house of God. And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails. for the doors of the gates, and for the joinings, and brass in abundance without weight, and also cedar trees in abundance for the Sidonians, and they of Tyre brought much cedar wood to David.

[John Weaver] And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be built before the Lord must be exceedingly magnificent, of fame and of glory throughout all the countries. I will therefore now make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death." What did David do? David said, I know about this house. It's going to require money, it's going to require materials, it's going to require time, and David started putting up materials well before Solomon ever got around to beginning the temple. In other words, preparation had to be made.

[John Weaver] Now, let me show you. Look in 1 Chronicles 29. I want to show you the depth of David's preparation for the temple. Same word now. 1 Chronicles 29, beginning there in verse 1. Furthermore, David King said unto the congregation, Solemn my son, whom God alone hath chosen is yet young and tender, and the work is great, for the palace is not for man, but for the Lord. Now look what David says. Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God. Wait a minute. Let me just stop.

[John Weaver] Do you remember that passage in Deuteronomy chapter six? Thou shalt love the Lord by God with all thy heart, with all thy might. What is your might? Well, in David's life, it was his money. doesn't just refer to strength, it refers to money. Look what he says, verse 2, Now I've prepared with all my might for the house of my God And here's how it means money.

[John Weaver] The gold for the things to be made of gold, the silver for the things of silver, and the brass for the things of brass, the iron for the things of iron, the wood for the things of wood, onyx stones and stones to be set, glistering stones of diverse colors and of all manner of precious stones, and marbles set in abundance. Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of my own proper good of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house, even three thousand talents of gold, the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses withal. And then, verse five, the gold for the things of gold, the silver for the things of silver, and for all the manner of work to be made by the hands of artificers.

[John Weaver] And who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the Lord?" What did David do? David said, I know all the gold and silver and precious stones and wood is going to be involved. I want to start now. I'm preparing. I'm laying up. This was something David did not once, not twice, but something David did constantly and continually.

[John Weaver] Now, when you read the word prepared. Sometimes that word is translated in our Bibles as fixed. The word Kuhn means to be prepared, to be fixed, to be steadfast, to be confirmed, to be arranged or directed toward a specific object.

[John Weaver] Now let me show you that. Look in your Bibles to Psalm 57 and we will take the time to read this Psalm because it is very important. I'll tell you what. Since you're in Psalm 57, go ahead and turn back in your Bibles to 1 Samuel 24, because I want you to see the context of this. 1 Samuel chapter 24, you just hold 1 Samuel 24, and we're going to read Psalm 57 first. So notice Psalm 57 verse 1. Look at the prayer that David prays.

[John Weaver] Be merciful unto me, O my God, be merciful unto me, for my soul trusteth in thee. Yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge until these calamities be overpassed. David says, I will cry unto God most high, unto God that performeth all things for me. He shall send from heaven and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. God shall send forth his mercy and truth. Now look what he says. My soul is among lions.

[John Weaver] And I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let thy glory be above the earth. They have prepared a net for my steps. My soul is bowed down. They dig a pit for me also into the midst whereof they are calling themselves."

[John Weaver] Then he says in verse 7, My heart is fixed. O God, my heart is fixed. I will sing and give praise.

[John Weaver] Now, let me tell you something that is very interesting about Psalm 57. Psalm 57 was written by David, especially during the time that he was being persecuted and hunted by King Saul. What was King Saul trying to do? He was trying to kill David. He wanted him dead. Psalm 57 deals with when Saul and his men are after David, and David and his men are now hiding in a cave. Basically, they're in a cave, Saul and his men do not know they're in the cave. And Saul and his men are on the outside.

[John Weaver] And that's why he keeps saying, my soul is among lions. I lie down even as them that are set on fire. Men whose teeth are spheres and arrows and a sharp sword. In other words, they're out to kill me.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to see what happens. Go back in your Bibles to 1 Samuel, chapter 24, beginning there with verse 1. Here's the historical background for Psalm 57. And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of Ein Gedi. Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats. And he came to the sheep-coats by the way, and there was a cave, and Saul went in to cover his feet, and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave. And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the Lord said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do unto him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privately. And it came to pass afterwards that David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt.

[John Weaver] And he said unto his men, The Lord forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the Lord's anointed, to stretch forth my hand against him, seeing he is anointed of the Lord. So David would not kill Saul. David would not allow his men to kill Saul.

[John Weaver] Now, the Bible says that he came to go into a cave. And I've probably told you this before, but I heard a preacher friend of mine years ago. He's talking about how Saul went into the cave and covered his feet and how that Saul evidently had poor circulation and his feet was cold. And when he got through preaching, I went up to him. I said, do you understand What that really is talking about, well he said he's had cold feet. I said no. That is a euphemism to say that Saul went to the bathroom. He went into the cave to use the bathroom privately. And while he was using the bathroom, David slipped up behind him and cut the robe of his skirt or the skirt of his robe, cut it off and David's heart smote him. And you read the rest of this chapter, Saul goes back outside of the cave, and then David comes out and says, you've heard I've been trying to kill you. Look at this. Here's part of your skirt.

[John Weaver] How I wanted to kill you, you were in my hands. I could have done that, but I didn't do that. And Saul, of course, says you're righteous and I'm wrong, etc. Now, listen to this. David had the perfect opportunity to kill Saul. David could have justified himself because Saul had already tried to kill David on numerous occasions. David could have claimed self-defense even though his life was not necessarily in imminent danger right at that point, but they had come out to kill him, and he knew that. Moreover, his men were urging him to kill.

[John Weaver] They said, now's the time that God has delivered your enemy into your hand. Take him now. Now's the time. If anyone had a right to kill his enemy, David had that right, for the whole purpose of Saul chasing David was for Saul to kill David. So if Saul then was killed by David, it would have been a plain act of self-defense or self-preservation, plain and simple. But I want you to note, David did not kill Saul. And if you go back in your Bible to Psalm 57, when he's talking about how all these men had come out to kill him, They've come out to herd him. They've prepared a net for him in verse 6. They've digged a pit for him in verse 6. Then he says in verse 7, My heart is fixed, O my God, my heart is fixed.

[John Weaver] I will sing and give praise. Here's what he said, My heart is prepared, O Lord, my heart is prepared. I will sing and give praise. Let me tell you what David had done. David had prepared his heart. in such a way that he was not going to have the kingdom by violence, by force, or by murder. He came to this position, if God wants me to be king, I'll be king. If God wants Saul dead, God will kill Saul. I'm not going to kill him. That's why he told his men, the Lord forbid that I should stretch forth my hand against the Lord's anointed. He wants king. I'm just not going to do that. If David, listen carefully now, if David had not already prepared his heart, if he did not already know what he was going to do in that situation, do you think he would have succumbed to the temptation to kill his enemy? Especially when all of his men were encouraging him to? And especially when his men says this is a day that the Lord hath delivered your enemy into your hand."

[John Weaver] This is God's providence. This is God's act. This is God's work. Take care of him now. David said, no. I'm not going to do it. My heart is fixed. My heart is prepared. I'm not going to take the kingdom by violence. I'm not going to take it by force. And David went on to tell his men, the time will come when Saul shall fall in battle or fall at some other man's hands.

[John Weaver] I will not do it. And that's what he means in Psalm 57 when he says, my heart is fixed. My heart is prepared. My heart is established. I've already set this thing up. I'm not going to falter from it. Now, when you read the word fixed, I told you that the Hebrew word kun means to be established, to be stable, to be secure, to be fixed, to be prepared, to be ready.

[John Weaver] When you get to the modern day dictionaries, you will find these definitions for fixed, firmly in position, stationary, not subject to change or variation, constant, firmly held in the mind, a fixed notion. The point I'm trying to make is this, folks. One of the keys of preparing our heart is to fix our heart beforehand. Of what we will do and will not do in a given situation or whenever we encounter temptation.

[John Weaver] Don't you think about this? Every one of us. Each of us. has our own weaknesses. Now, Maryland's weakness may not be mine, and mine may not be Ed's, and Ed's may not be Hobie's, but every one of us has our own weaknesses. Each one of us. And what we need to do is we need to think, if I'm going to sin, if I'm going to fall, probably I'm going to be tempted in these areas where I know I'm weaker or where I know I'm more susceptible. So what I'm going to do right now is I'm going to think through a scenario and I'm going to prepare my heart. And if I ever face that temptation, I'm going to say, no, I will not do this. I've thought this through. I know it's wicked. I know it's wrong. I will not yield to that temptation. That's what David meant when he said, my heart is fixed. Do you realize a prepared heart can do that which is right even in the most serious, heart-wrenching, and life-threatening circumstances.

[John Weaver] A prepared heart keeps us from giving in to temptation, no matter how beneficial, how alluring, or how enticing it may appear. Now, I want you to look in Psalm 108, because David says this again. And it's the same Hebrew word, qun, but it's translated fixed. Psalm 108 verse 1. David says, Oh God, my heart is fixed. I will sing and give praise even with my glory. Literally, he says my heart is prepared. I will sing and give praise. By the way, interestingly enough, back in Psalm 57, don't turn back there, but when he said my heart is fixed, I will sing and give praise. My heart is fixed, Oh God. Isn't it interesting? That every time he is challenged, with an opportunity to do wrong, he always says, I believe I'd rather sing and give praise to God.

[John Weaver] So, in other words, he takes his mind off the sin, off the temptation, off the pressure, and he puts his mind upon the Lord. Now, when you get to Psalm 108 in verse one, this is known as the warrior's morning song, M-O-R-N-I-N-G. The Warrior's Morning Song, in which David basically adores God and strengthens his heart before he enters into the conflicts of the day. And what he is saying, Lord, before I ever take up my sword, before I ever do anything, Lord, my heart is fixed.

[John Weaver] I want to sing and give praise to you. I want to do what's right. Even in my fighting, I'm still going to do what's right. There was an old Prussian soldier that used to pray to God And he would pray to his majesty's august ally. In other words, to the king's august ally. He's talking about God. And I'm thinking of Oliver Cromwell. And one of his battles, you remember, that was one of the major battles.

[John Weaver] He said in prayer, Lord, I shall be very busy this day. And in the midst of the heat of battle, I may forget thee, but oh Lord, do not thou forget me. So what he was saying is, Lord, my heart is really fixed on you, but if I don't have time to think about you every minute, Lord, please just don't forget me. Well, what he's saying is basically, I want my heart fixed. I want my heart prepared.

[John Weaver] Look in Psalm 112, verse 7. David says it again, talking about a godly man. He says this, he shall not be afraid of evil tidings. His heart is fixed. Trusting in the Lord.

[John Weaver] Now, let me ask you a question. Think about this. Suppose you went to the doctor tomorrow and he gave you a checkup and a test and then he told you. You have cancer. You'll be dead in 30 days. Well, what kind of attitude will a godly man have whose heart is prepared? What does the Bible say? He shall not be afraid of evil tidings. Why? His heart is prepared. His heart is prepared trusting in the Lord. What if you go to the bank tomorrow and they tell you that the IRS has confiscated all your money? Well, once you get over your initial anger, can you say, well, Lord, you gave and you took away. Blessed be your name. Or you could say, Lord, you gave it and let the devil take it away. But blessed be your name regardless.

[John Weaver] You see what I'm saying? The man who has a prepared heart is not going to be fearful of evil tidings. His heart is prepared.

[John Weaver] Now, let me read you just one little sentence that the old Robert Layton said concerning this. He's talking about the godly man. He said, his heart is fixed or prepared, ready and in arms for all services, resolved not to give back. able to meet all adventures and to stand its ground. God is unchangeable, and therefore faith is invincible, for it sets the heart on Him, fastens it there on the rock of eternity, then let the winds blow and storms arise, it cares not, for it is fixed upon God. Now, in each instance that we read the word fixed in the book of Psalms, you could substitute the word prepared And the meaning would be the same, because it is exactly the same word.

[John Weaver] Now, the Bible teaches us that Rehoboam did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord. Therefore, he did that which was evil.

[John Weaver] Now, let me give you something that I think is vitally important, and that is this. While Rehoboam may have been going through the ceremonies, may have been going through the rituals, may have been going through the practices of worshiping God outwardly. He was not sincere or genuine. He did not engage in that in earnest with a heartfelt desire. And all Rehoboam was doing was using God until he got to where he wanted to be. And then he forsook God and his law.

[John Weaver] The point being, I want you to see the worthlessness as well as the wickedness of hypocritical worship. What good did it do Rehoboam to go through the ceremonies and the rituals? None. What good did it do to our Lord? None. There was no heartfelt worship of God. There was no genuine seeking after God. In other words, it was totally, absolutely worthless. Do you realize, and I'm not making this a message on worship, although I could, but do you realize what Rehoboam did is exactly what most professing Christians do today?

[John Weaver] Do you know many people go to church only as a business venture? I mean, that's the place to make contacts. That's the place to meet people. That's the place to obtain votes. That's why a lot of your politicians go to church. I mean, it's a place to be entertained. It's a place to salve the conscious. And in some instances, it's just a free babysitting service for a few hours or up to a half day. when these buses go around and pick up the children of all these parents who are too lazy and too ruthless to take their children to church. And all they view church as is a free babysitting service.

[John Weaver] Rehoboam did not serve the Lord because he did not seek the Lord. People today do not worship God because their hearts are not prepared. They're not interested in seeking God. They're not interested in serving God. Rehoboam did not pray as Solomon prayed. He did not seek out the Lord as David his grandfather did. The truth of the matter is, Rehoboam did not consult God's Word to find out God's will, God's way for his life. He really didn't care. It was just something he had to do till he got in the position of power and then he forsook the Lord. Why did he sin? Because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord.

[John Weaver] Please remember, preparation involves work and foresight and planning. It's something that must be done now. Let me go a little further. The Bible says that Rehoboam sinned. Why? because he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord. Let me deal secondly today just with the word heart. I'm still dealing with this one point, the importance of heart preparation. I have preached in time past a message on keeping the heart. I preached two other messages on a prepared heart. And I'm going to reinforce today One truth that I brought forth in one of those messages.

[John Weaver] I hope that some of you automatically know this because you've been here for years and certainly you should have learned it by now. But not everybody's heard it and not everyone knows it. And because of the tape and CD ministry, I want everybody to know this as well. But the Bible says that Solomon prepared not his heart to keep the Lord. What in the world is the heart? When you ask someone what is the heart, they usually respond, well, the heart is the innermost being of man. Well, what is the innermost being of man? Well, it's the seed of affections. Well, what is the seed of affections? Well, it's the soul. Well, what's the soul? Well, the soul is the innermost being of man. And you go around and around in a circle and no one ever knows what the heart really is. Now, there is a command that God gives us in Proverbs 4, verse 23, and there the scripture says, Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.

[John Weaver] Now, the word keep in the Hebrew means to set double guards around it. You keep your heart above and before anything else. It's that important. But when God says, keep your heart with all diligence, Obviously, he is not talking about the physical organ in our chest. I don't know about you, but I am thankful that our hearts, and at least my heart, is an involuntary muscle. What does that mean? It means it beats whether I think about it or not. I'm so thankful I don't have to lie awake at night saying, beat, heart, beat, pump, heart, pump. It just does it.

[John Weaver] And one day, it will stop. And there's not one thing I can do about it. So, when God says, keep your heart, very obviously, He's not referring to the physical organ, for we have no control over the physical organ. So, what in the world is the heart? Well, I want you to turn in your Bibles, first of all, to the book of Genesis, chapter 6, And I want you to look at one verse here. Genesis chapter 6. I'm going to show you the very first time the word heart occurs in the Bible. I'm going to show you about five verses. But this one, Genesis 6 and verse 5 it is. Genesis 6 verse 5 is the very first time the word heart occurs in the Bible. In hermeneutics, which is the art or science of Bible interpretation, there is that which is known as the Law of First Mention. The Law of First Mention just simply says this, the very first time a word is used in the Bible, that is the way the word is going to be used throughout the Bible unless the context indicates otherwise.

[John Weaver] Okay? So, Every time you see the word heart, it's going to mean exactly what it means here, unless the context emphasizes otherwise. So, let's look at Genesis 6 and verse 5, and the Bible says, And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the false of his heart was only evil continually.

[John Weaver] Now, I don't know if you read that the way I read it just then, but there's something that speaks to me in verse 5. And that is this, whatever the heart is, it can imagine and it can think. Because God saw every imagination of the thoughts of the heart. Okay? So whatever the heart is, it can think and it can imagine. If you will turn over in your Bible to Genesis 27, I'll show you something else about the heart.

[John Weaver] Everybody knows the story about Jacob and Esau. And you remember how Jacob now has gotten the blessing from his father Isaac, and he's done it kind of deceitfully. So, in Genesis chapter 27 and verse 41, when Esau finds out about it, he's planning on killing Jacob. So, verse 41, Genesis 27 verse 41, And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing which his father had blessed him. And Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father at hand, then will I slay my brother Jacob.

[John Weaver] Now notice what the Bible said. Esau said in his heart. So according to Genesis 6 and verse 5, whatever the heart is, it can think and imagine. According to Genesis 27, 41, whatever the heart is, it can speak. For he said in his heart. Then if you look in Proverbs 5 and verse 12. Proverbs 5 and verse 12. Watch carefully. Proverbs 5 verse 12. And there's a multitude of verses you could use here, but this one should be sufficient. Proverbs 5 verse 12. And say, how have I hated instruction and my heart despised reproof? So whatever the heart is, it can either receive instruction or it can despise instruction.

[John Weaver] OK, now put it together. Whatever the heart is, according to Genesis 6 and verse 5, it can think and imagine. According to Genesis 27 and 41, it can speak.

[John Weaver] Now it can either receive or despise instruction. Then if you look in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 5, let me show you something else, verses 27 and 28, you're going to see that somehow the heart is intimately connected with the eyes. The heart is intimately connected with the eyes. Matthew 5, verse 27. Our Lord says, You have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery. But I say to you that whosoever looketh on a woman in lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. What? The heart is intimately connected with the eyes. Our Lord said, Whosoever looketh upon a woman in lust after her, looking with the eyes, have already committed adultery in his heart. So the heart can think and imagine, the heart can speak, the heart can either receive or despise instruction, and the heart, of course, is intimately connected with the eyes. Now, if you haven't put together what the heart is, go back in your Bibles to the book of Daniel, chapter 4, and let me show it to you point blank from the Word of God.

[John Weaver] The book of Daniel, chapter 4, and let's begin reading there with verse 16. Daniel 4, verse 16. Everyone knows the story of proud, arrogant, haughty Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. And God determines to teach Nebuchadnezzar a lesson. Everyone that's proud, God is able to abase, and He certainly abased Nebuchadnezzar. So verse 16, Daniel chapter 4, look what God says concerning Nebuchadnezzar. Let his heart be changed from man's and let a beast's heart be given unto him, and let seven times pass over him." Now, seven times is just the Chaldean way of saying seven years. So, God says, let his heart be changed from a man's and let a beast's heart be given unto him. Now, what is in Nebuchadnezzar that's going to be changed? Someone tell me. His heart. He's going to get a beast's heart. Alright? Let's skip down, if you would please, to verse 25. Daniel is giving now Nebuchadnezzar the interpretation of his dream. He says that they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beast of the field, and they shall make thee eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times, or seven years, shall pass over thee, till thou know that the Most

[John Weaver] High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. So he says, alright, you're going to be driven from men, and you're going to live with the beast for seven years, till you learn one lesson. God is sovereign, not you. So skip down to verse 28. All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon. The king spake and said, It is not this great Babylon that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power and for the honor of my majesty. Look now. While the word was in the king's mouth there fell a voice from heaven saying, O King Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken, the kingdom is departed from thee, now look, and they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee eat grass as oxen, and seven times or seven years shall pass over thee, until thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomever he will."

[John Weaver] The same hour was a thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar, and he was driven from men to eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagle's feathers, and his nails like bird claws." Now watch this, for seven years his hair matted like bird's feathers, his fingernails grew like claws, walking around Or crawling around I should say. Eating grass like an ox. What was he? He was insane. He was crazy.

[John Weaver] This condition is known as Boanthropy. When a man acts like a bovine or an animal. It's a real condition.

[John Weaver] Now let me ask you. What did God say was going to be changed In verse 16, his heart. His heart. You want to know what the heart is? Look at verse 34. At the end of the days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine what? Mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honored Him, who liveth forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, as the kingdom is from generation to generation." And if you want to know what the heart is, get down to verse 36. He says it another way, and at the same time, reason returned unto me." So what is the heart? The heart is the mind. It is the understanding. It is the reason. The reason God can see the thoughts and the imaginations of the heart is because the heart is your mind. The reason the heart can speak is the mind. The reason the heart can either receive or despise correction is the mind. The reason the heart is intimately connected with the eyes is the mind.

[John Weaver] Only occasionally Only occasionally does the word heart refer to the affections or the emotions in the Bible. 99 times out of 100, it refers to the mind, the understanding. In fact, the Hebrew word for heart is leb, L-E-B, and it is translated mind 12 times in our Bibles and understanding 10 times. When God says you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, that's with all your mind, with all your soul, with all your being.

[John Weaver] Now, let me show you one other word, because this word is sometimes confused as well. I want you to turn in your Bible to the book of Acts chapter 24. Because if I were to ask you. What is your conscience? I've heard people say, well, Brother Weaver, I'll tell you what the conscience is. The conscience is that little voice that when you start to do something wrong says, you better not do it. You know better than that. Well, people say that and that may be right, but they don't know why that it is right. Watch this. Look at Acts 24 and verse 16. Here the Apostle Paul says this, and herein do I exercise myself.

[John Weaver] to have always a conscience void of offense toward God and toward man." Now, Paul says, here is one area that I gymnasticize myself. This is one area that I really work out in, he says. I work out in having a conscience that is void of offense toward God and toward man. In other words, I'm not going to be mad at God and I'm not going to be mad at Brother Tim. I'm not going to be mad at Brother Tim. And I'm not going to be, you know, I'm just not going to carry a grudge. I'm not going to be hateful. Now, he said, I work it.

[John Weaver] I keep my heart clean. I keep my mind clean. I keep my conscience pure. That's what I want to do. Let me tell you what the word conscience means. The Greek word for conscience is shun adesis. Shun is a preposition that means with. Adesis is the Greek word to know. Your conscience is that which you know with. You take the English word conscience. Con is a preposition which means with. Science means know. Your conscience is that which you know with. You know what your conscience is? It's your mind. Same thing as your heart. It's your understanding. When you start to do something wrong and that little voice is eh, eh, eh, that's because you know better. You have better understanding than that. So when God commands you to keep your heart, He's commanding you to keep your mind. When your conscience convicts you, that's because in your mind you know what you're doing is wrong. So when He tells us that we are to have a prepared heart, what is He saying? That our minds should be constantly and continually prepared.

[John Weaver] They should be made up in advance. Our understanding. Our reasoning ability should be based upon the principles and the truth of Scripture. Hmm, that's what he's telling us now. Let me just kind of conclude today and I don't have a whole bunch of applications because I'm saving those. For a little bit later on. But I want you to think about this. We've learned two truths today. Two truths, both of them are vitally important.

[John Weaver] The first one is this, unless our hearts are prepared, we'll do that which is evil. Isn't that amazing? You just stop and think about, I have to do something to stop myself from sinning. I have to do something to stop myself from doing wrong. What must I do? I must prepare myself to do that which is right. I must learn to think correctly. I must learn to believe correctly.

[John Weaver] And the second truth that you've learned today is this, that your heart is your mind. It is your understanding. It is that which must be prepared. And unless your heart is prepared, you will disobey. You will do wickedly. It is impossible to stand for truth and righteousness and holiness without heart preparation. So you must ask the Lord. Teach me. To prepare my heart. Help me to prepare my heart because. Rehoboam did evil. Why? Because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord. The importance of a prepared heart is that unless it's prepared, we will end up sinning and disobeying and grieving our Heavenly Father. Let's pray. Father, we ask in the name of Jesus Christ that you would teach us Help us, Lord, build us up in the most holy faith. Lord, teach us the importance of preparing our heart and help us, Lord, to think right, to act right and to do right. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.

Heart Preparation - 1 of 7

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	21107143059
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Daniel
Genre	Sermon
Date	2006-10-29
Dictation Name
Book	Book 162: Heart Preparation — Chapter 1
Source Timed Segments	79

Formatted Transcript

Introduction to the Series

Weaver introduces a series on heart preparation, covering the importance, how to prepare, receiving the Word, and teaching the Word.

2 Chronicles chapter 12. And let me just say that this message today is going to be a very general introduction. I'm going to show you from the Bible what prompted my thoughts in just a moment. We're going to read the text. But I'm going to bring a message which I've entitled "The Importance of a Prepared Heart." Next week, I want to continue this and show you how to prepare your heart. The third week, if I get to continue it, which I'm planning on, is to show you how to prepare your heart to receive the Word. And the fourth message would be how to prepare your heart to teach the Word. So, if you'll look in your Bibles to 2 Chronicles chapter 12, beginning with verse 1:

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 12:1

"And it came to pass when Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him. And it came to pass in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem."

Now note, "because they had transgressed against the Lord."

Rehoboam's Evil and Its Cause

Rehoboam did evil because he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord, as stated in 2 Chronicles 12:14.

Now, let me just ask you to come down, if you would please, to verse 14. Here we're continuing to read about King Rehoboam, and you read this very important statement: "And he did evil"—that is King Rehoboam—"and he did evil because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord." Now, I want you to stop just for one moment and think about the implications of verse 14. He, King Rehoboam, did evil. Why? Because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord. Now, when I talk about King Rehoboam, I want you to understand that we are talking about the grandson of King David, and the son of Solomon. Now David, the grandfather, was known as a man after God's own heart. Solomon was known for the wisdom that God had given him. And now the grandson is known for the evil and the wickedness that he has done. And I want you to look at verse 1. It's very enlightening: "And it came to pass when Rehoboam had established the kingdom and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him."

The Natural Tendency to Sin

Humans sin naturally without preparation; doing right requires intentional heart preparation.

Now, I want you to think about the other side of the coin just for a moment. Do you realize that we are absolutely prone to evil and wickedness? There is no preparation necessary for you and I to do wrong. I mean, we do wrong just absolutely naturally. No one had to teach us how to sin. No one had to teach us how to lie. No one had to teach us how to cheat. No one had to teach us how to lust. We sin naturally, normally, easily, readily, and willingly, and that's what God is saying. However, if we are not going to do that, then there is something that is absolutely necessary, and that is heart preparation.

And the reason Rehoboam sinned was he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord. He did not prepare his heart to do God's will. He did not prepare his heart to pray. He did not prepare his heart to do anything that was right. And consequently, all he did was that which was evil and that which is wrong. So I want to deal today just with one point, and that is the principle of heart preparation.

The Meaning of 'Prepared' (Kun)

The Hebrew word 'kun' means prepared, fixed, established, and involves work, planning, foresight, determination, and skill.

Now, the word prepared—and you're going to hear me say this several times during this message—the Hebrew word is the word kun, K-U-N, but it's pronounced koon. The word prepared is the Hebrew word kun, and it literally occurs 219 times in our Bible. It is used in a multitude of ways, all of which indicate that heart preparation involves work, planning, foresight, determination, and skill. And I'm going to show you just a few of these verses in just a moment. But let me just tell you firsthand, and right off the bat, that a prepared heart is not an accident.

Heart Preparation as Exercise

Like physical exercise, heart preparation requires ongoing effort and discipline, as seen in 1 Timothy 4:7-8.

Let me give you an illustration. If you would hold 2 Chronicles, but turn in your Bibles to 1 Timothy chapter 4 and look at verses 7 and 8. It's much like the grace of godliness. Notice if you would please, 1 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 7. Look what the Bible says:

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 4:7-8

"But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness."

Now verse 8, 1 Timothy 4:

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 4:7-8

"For bodily exercise profiteth little, but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come."

Now go back to verse 7. He says,

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 4:7-8

"But refuse profane and old wives' fables."

Don't listen, he says, to all the TV preachers and radio preachers, basically, because that's basically where you're getting your old wives' fables from. He says, but rather you exercise yourself rather unto godliness. I don't care how many people tell you, I don't care how many preachers say, "Well, you just come forward and that'll make everything right." It will not make everything right.

Salvation is not going forward in the church. Godliness is not going forward in the church. Godliness is not making a decision. Salvation is not making a decision. Salvation is the work of God. Godliness is the work of God. And what he says in verse 7, you exercise yourself rather unto godliness. Now, the word exercise is the Greek word gymnazo, from which we get our English words gymnasium, gymnastics. Literally what he says is you gymnasticize yourself unto godliness.

How many of you think that a gymnast just simply decides one day, "I'm going to be a gymnast and I'm going to go out and I'm going to do these wonderful acrobatic tricks and I'm going to do all these flips. I'm just going to do it." Shane, would you like to try that? Just decide. I can't even touch my toes. Sometimes I can't even see them. The point I'm trying to make is simple. If you are going to be a gymnast, what must you do daily, weekly, monthly, and annually? You must stretch and exercise and practice, practice, practice.

That's exactly what God is saying. Exercise yourself, brethren, unto godliness. And the godly men in the Bible and the godly men in history did not wake up one morning and decide, "I'm godly, isn't that wonderful?" No! They developed a godly habit and a godly character and a godly mindset over a period of years. It was a lifetime goal and a lifetime achievement. So, when you're talking about heart preparation, don't just think, "Well, this is something that just happens." No, it does not happen. Let me just show you how heart preparation is in line with 1 Timothy 4 and verse 7. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, please, to 1 Chronicles chapter 12. 1 Chronicles chapter 12. And we're going to be looking at a number of places where this same word, Hebrew word kun, is used and is translated in our Bibles as prepared.

Biblical Examples of Preparation

Examples from 1 Chronicles show preparation involves planning and work, such as preparing food for David's men and preparing for the temple.

Now, I like this passage because this shows you the absolute necessity of work, planning, foresight that goes into heart preparation. In 1 Chronicles chapter 12 and verse 39 the Bible says this:

Scripture Reading — 1 Chronicles 12:39

"And there they were with David three days eating and drinking, for their brethren had prepared for them."

So here these men that were with David for three days, eating and drinking, and notice if you would,

Scripture Reading — 1 Chronicles 12:39

"for their brethren had prepared for them."

Now, let me just lay something on you and think about this. Go back, if you would, to verse 36. I'm not going to take time to read the entire chapter. Let me just give you a smattering. Verse 36: "And of Asher, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, 40,000." This doesn't count all these that are numbered before these, okay? Verse 37: "And on the other side of Jordan, of the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and of the half tribe of Manasseh, with all manner of instruments of war for the battle, 120,000." That's 160,000 right there out of two verses.

Scripture Reading — 1 Chronicles 12:39

"And all these men of war, that could keep rank, came with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel: and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king. And there they were with David three days, eating and drinking: for their brethren had prepared for them."

We just read of 160,000 in two verses.

That doesn't count all these others. Now, let me ask you this simple question. If you look at the context and you discover that these hundreds of thousands of men were there with David eating and drinking for three days, did that just happen? I mean, did the food just mysteriously appear out of nowhere? Did the drink just mysteriously appear? How about the utensils? How about the cooking? How about the seating arrangement? How about the table? Did all of that just happen? No, the Bible says that the men were there that had prepared for them. And if you're going to prepare a meal three times a day for several hundred thousand men, you have your work cut out for you.

You better do a lot of planning. You better have a lot of foresight. You better do a lot of thinking. You better do a lot of work. So the point I'm trying to make is here's the exact same word, and it always refers to foresight and planning and work. Look, if you would please in your Bibles to 1 Chronicles chapter 15 and verse 1. Here's the same word again: "And David made him houses in the city of David, and prepared a place for the ark of God, and pitched for it a tent." Now the Bible says that David prepared a place for the ark of God.

Now if you think it was easy just to go out and pick out a space and clean it out to pitch the tabernacle, put the ark in, then you need to read the rest of the chapter. You'll find out all the priests, all the Levites, all the singers, all the musicians, everything that was involved. So when David prepared a place for the ark, it was not just that he was pitching a tent. He was preparing a worship service. He was preparing sacrifices. He is preparing for all of the people in order that they might worship the Lord.

Now, so, the preparation for the tabernacle was not something that was done lightly or flippantly. Look in your Bibles at 1 Chronicles 22. Once again, I'm just showing you the word preparation. 1 Chronicles 22. And I want you to note, the word preparation here denotes an ongoing process.

Now, I'm going to explain this in greater detail next week, Lord willing. But look at it in 1 Chronicles 22 verse 1:

Scripture Reading — 1 Chronicles 22:1-5

"Then David said, This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel."

Now do you remember God did not allow David to build the temple, right? It was Solomon who built the temple. But David received the plans. And David prepared for the building of the temple. So he says in verse 1,

Scripture Reading — 1 Chronicles 22:1-5

"Then David said, This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel. And David commanded to gather together the strangers that were in the land of Israel; and he set masons to hew wrought stones to build the house of God. And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the joinings; and brass in abundance without weight; also cedar trees in abundance: for the Zidonians and they of Tyre brought much cedar wood to David."

"And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded for the Lord must be exceeding magnifical, of fame and of glory throughout all countries: I will therefore now make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death." What did David do? David said, I know about this house. It's going to require money, it's going to require materials, it's going to require time, and David started putting up materials well before Solomon ever got around to beginning the temple. In other words, preparation had to be made.

Now, let me show you. Look in 1 Chronicles 29. I want to show you the depth of David's preparation for the temple. Same word now. 1 Chronicles 29, beginning there in verse 1:

Scripture Reading — 1 Chronicles 29:1-5

"Furthermore David the king said unto all the congregation, Solomon my son, whom alone God hath chosen, is yet young and tender, and the work is great: for the palace is not for man, but for the Lord God."

Now look what David says:

Scripture Reading — 1 Chronicles 29:1-5

"Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God."

Wait a minute. Let me just stop. Do you remember that passage in Deuteronomy chapter 6? "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy might." What is your might? Well, in David's life, it was his money. It doesn't just refer to strength, it refers to money. Look what he says, verse 2:

Scripture Reading — 1 Chronicles 29:1-5

"Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God."

And here's how it means money.

"The gold for things to be made of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and the brass for things of brass, the iron for things of iron, and wood for things of wood; onyx stones, and stones to be set, glistering stones, and of divers colours, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance. Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house, even three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses withal." And then, verse 5: "The gold for things of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and for all manner of work to be made by the hands of artificers."

"And who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the Lord?" What did David do? David said, I know all the gold and silver and precious stones and wood is going to be involved. I want to start now. I'm preparing. I'm laying up. This was something David did not once, not twice, but something David did constantly and continually.

David's Fixed Heart in Psalm 57

David's heart was fixed (prepared) beforehand, enabling him to resist killing Saul when tempted.

"Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me. He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth." Now look what he says: "My soul is among lions." "And I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth. They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah."

Then he says in verse 7: "My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise." Now, let me tell you something that is very interesting about Psalm 57. Psalm 57 was written by David, especially during the time that he was being persecuted and hunted by King Saul. What was King Saul trying to do? He was trying to kill David. He wanted him dead. Psalm 57 deals with when Saul and his men are after David, and David and his men are now hiding in a cave. Basically, they're in a cave, Saul and his men do not know they're in the cave. And Saul and his men are on the outside.

And that's why he keeps saying, "My soul is among lions. I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword." In other words, they're out to kill me. Now, I want you to see what happens. Go back in your Bibles to 1 Samuel, chapter 24, beginning there with verse 1. Here's the historical background for Psalm 57.

Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 24:1-7

"And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi. Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats. And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave. And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the Lord said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily. And it came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt."

"And he said unto his men, The Lord forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the Lord's anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord." So David would not kill Saul. David would not allow his men to kill Saul. Now, the Bible says that he came to go into a cave. And I've probably told you this before, but I heard a preacher friend of mine years ago. He was talking about how Saul went into the cave and covered his feet and how that Saul evidently had poor circulation and his feet were cold. And when he got through preaching, I went up to him. I said, "Do you understand what that really is talking about?" Well, he said, "He had cold feet." I said, "No. That is a euphemism to say that Saul went to the bathroom. He went into the cave to use the bathroom privately." And while he was using the bathroom, David slipped up behind him and cut the skirt of his robe, cut it off, and David's heart smote him. And you read the rest of this chapter, Saul goes back outside of the cave, and then David comes out and says, "You've heard I've been trying to kill you. Look at this. Here's part of your skirt."

"How I wanted to kill you, you were in my hands. I could have done that, but I didn't do that." And Saul, of course, says, "You're righteous and I'm wrong," etc. Now, listen to this. David had the perfect opportunity to kill Saul. David could have justified himself because Saul had already tried to kill David on numerous occasions. David could have claimed self-defense even though his life was not necessarily in imminent danger right at that point, but they had come out to kill him, and he knew that. Moreover, his men were urging him to kill.

They said, "Now's the time that God has delivered your enemy into your hand. Take him now. Now's the time." If anyone had a right to kill his enemy, David had that right, for the whole purpose of Saul chasing David was for Saul to kill David. So if Saul then was killed by David, it would have been a plain act of self-defense or self-preservation, plain and simple. But I want you to note, David did not kill Saul. And if you go back in your Bible to Psalm 57, when he's talking about how all these men had come out to kill him, they've come out to herd him. They've prepared a net for him in verse 6. They've digged a pit for him in verse 6. Then he says in verse 7, "My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed."

"I will sing and give praise." Here's what he said: "My heart is prepared, O Lord, my heart is prepared. I will sing and give praise." Let me tell you what David had done. David had prepared his heart in such a way that he was not going to have the kingdom by violence, by force, or by murder. He came to this position: if God wants me to be king, I'll be king. If God wants Saul dead, God will kill Saul. I'm not going to kill him. That's why he told his men, "The Lord forbid that I should stretch forth my hand against the Lord's anointed." He wants king. I'm just not going to do that. If David—listen carefully now—if David had not already prepared his heart, if he did not already know what he was going to do in that situation, do you think he would have succumbed to the temptation to kill his enemy? Especially when all of his men were encouraging him to? And especially when his men said, "This is the day that the Lord hath delivered your enemy into your hand."

"This is God's providence. This is God's act. This is God's work. Take care of him now." David said, "No. I'm not going to do it. My heart is fixed. My heart is prepared. I'm not going to take the kingdom by violence. I'm not going to take it by force." And David went on to tell his men, "The time will come when Saul shall fall in battle or fall at some other man's hands."

"I will not do it." And that's what he means in Psalm 57 when he says, "My heart is fixed. My heart is prepared. My heart is established. I've already set this thing up. I'm not going to falter from it." Now, when you read the word fixed, I told you that the Hebrew word kun means to be established, to be stable, to be secure, to be fixed, to be prepared, to be ready.

The Heart as the Mind

The heart is primarily the mind, understanding, or reason, as shown in Genesis 6:5, Genesis 27:41, Proverbs 5:12, Matthew 5:27-28, and Daniel 4.

I hope that some of you automatically know this because you've been here for years and certainly you should have learned it by now. But not everybody's heard it and not everyone knows it. And because of the tape and CD ministry, I want everybody to know this as well. But the Bible says that Rehoboam prepared not his heart to seek the Lord. What in the world is the heart? When you ask someone what is the heart, they usually respond, "Well, the heart is the innermost being of man." Well, what is the innermost being of man? "Well, it's the seat of affections." Well, what is the seat of affections? "Well, it's the soul." Well, what's the soul? "Well, the soul is the innermost being of man." And you go around and around in a circle and no one ever knows what the heart really is. Now, there is a command that God gives us in Proverbs 4, verse 23, and there the Scripture says, "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."

Now, the word keep in the Hebrew means to set double guards around it. You keep your heart above and before anything else. It's that important. But when God says, "Keep your heart with all diligence," obviously, He is not talking about the physical organ in our chest. I don't know about you, but I am thankful that our hearts, and at least my heart, is an involuntary muscle. What does that mean? It means it beats whether I think about it or not. I'm so thankful I don't have to lie awake at night saying, "Beat, heart, beat. Pump, heart, pump." It just does it.

And one day, it will stop. And there's not one thing I can do about it. So, when God says, "Keep your heart," very obviously, He's not referring to the physical organ, for we have no control over the physical organ. So, what in the world is the heart? Well, I want you to turn in your Bibles, first of all, to the book of Genesis, chapter 6, and I want you to look at one verse here. Genesis chapter 6. I'm going to show you the very first time the word heart occurs in the Bible. I'm going to show you about five verses. But this one, Genesis 6 and verse 5 it is. Genesis 6 verse 5 is the very first time the word heart occurs in the Bible. In hermeneutics, which is the art or science of Bible interpretation, there is that which is known as the Law of First Mention. The Law of First Mention just simply says this: the very first time a word is used in the Bible, that is the way the word is going to be used throughout the Bible unless the context indicates otherwise.

Okay? So, every time you see the word heart, it's going to mean exactly what it means here, unless the context emphasizes otherwise. So, let's look at Genesis 6 and verse 5, and the Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Genesis 6:5

"And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."

Now, I don't know if you read that the way I read it just then, but there's something that speaks to me in verse 5. And that is this: whatever the heart is, it can imagine and it can think. Because God saw every imagination of the thoughts of the heart. Okay? So whatever the heart is, it can think and it can imagine. If you will turn over in your Bible to Genesis 27, I'll show you something else about the heart.

Everybody knows the story about Jacob and Esau. And you remember how Jacob now has gotten the blessing from his father Isaac, and he's done it kind of deceitfully. So, in Genesis chapter 27 and verse 41, when Esau finds out about it, he's planning on killing Jacob. So, verse 41:

Scripture Reading — Genesis 27:41

"And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob."

Now notice what the Bible said. Esau said in his heart. So according to Genesis 6 and verse 5, whatever the heart is, it can think and imagine. According to Genesis 27:41, whatever the heart is, it can speak. For he said in his heart. Then if you look in Proverbs 5 and verse 12. Proverbs 5 and verse 12. Watch carefully. Proverbs 5 verse 12. And there's a multitude of verses you could use here, but this one should be sufficient. Proverbs 5 verse 12: "And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof." So whatever the heart is, it can either receive instruction or it can despise instruction.

OK, now put it together. Whatever the heart is, according to Genesis 6 and verse 5, it can think and imagine. According to Genesis 27:41, it can speak. Now it can either receive or despise instruction. Then if you look in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 5, let me show you something else, verses 27 and 28, you're going to see that somehow the heart is intimately connected with the eyes. The heart is intimately connected with the eyes. Matthew 5, verse 27. Our Lord says,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 5:27-28

"Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."

What? The heart is intimately connected with the eyes. Our Lord said,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 5:27-28

"Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her,"

looking with the eyes,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 5:27-28

"hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."

So the heart can think and imagine, the heart can speak, the heart can either receive or despise instruction, and the heart, of course, is intimately connected with the eyes. Now, if you haven't put together what the heart is, go back in your Bibles to the book of Daniel, chapter 4, and let me show it to you point blank from the Word of God.

The book of Daniel, chapter 4, and let's begin reading there with verse 16. Daniel 4, verse 16. Everyone knows the story of proud, arrogant, haughty Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. And God determines to teach Nebuchadnezzar a lesson. Everyone that's proud, God is able to abase, and He certainly abased Nebuchadnezzar. So verse 16, Daniel chapter 4, look what God says concerning Nebuchadnezzar:

Scripture Reading — Daniel 4:16, 34, 36

"Let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him."

Now, seven times is just the Chaldean way of saying seven years. So, God says,

Scripture Reading — Daniel 4:16, 34, 36

"Let his heart be changed from a man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him."

Now, what is in Nebuchadnezzar that's going to be changed? Someone tell me. His heart. He's going to get a beast's heart. Alright? Let's skip down, if you would please, to verse 25. Daniel is giving now Nebuchadnezzar the interpretation of his dream. He says, "That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will."

So he says, "Alright, you're going to be driven from men, and you're going to live with the beasts for seven years, till you learn one lesson: God is sovereign, not you." So skip down to verse 28. "All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon. The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty? While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee. And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will."

"The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws." Now watch this, for seven years his hair matted like birds' feathers, his fingernails grew like claws, walking around—or crawling around, I should say—eating grass like an ox. What was he? He was insane. He was crazy. This condition is known as boanthropy. When a man acts like a bovine or an animal. It's a real condition.

Now let me ask you. What did God say was going to be changed? In verse 16, his heart. His heart. You want to know what the heart is? Look at verse 34. "And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation." And if you want to know what the heart is, get down to verse 36. He says it another way: "At the same time my reason returned unto me." So what is the heart? The heart is the mind. It is the understanding. It is the reason. The reason God can see the thoughts and the imaginations of the heart is because the heart is your mind. The reason the heart can speak is the mind. The reason the heart can either receive or despise correction is the mind. The reason the heart is intimately connected with the eyes is the mind.

Only occasionally does the word heart refer to the affections or the emotions in the Bible. 99 times out of 100, it refers to the mind, the understanding. In fact, the Hebrew word for heart is leb, L-E-B, and it is translated mind 12 times in our Bibles and understanding 10 times. When God says you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, that's with all your mind, with all your soul, with all your being.

Now, let me show you one other word, because this word is sometimes confused as well. I want you to turn in your Bible to the book of Acts chapter 24. Because if I were to ask you, "What is your conscience?" I've heard people say, "Well, Brother Weaver, I'll tell you what the conscience is. The conscience is that little voice that when you start to do something wrong says, 'You better not do it. You know better than that.'" Well, people say that and that may be right, but they don't know why it is right. Watch this. Look at Acts 24 and verse 16. Here the Apostle Paul says this: "And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men."

The Conscience as Knowledge

The conscience is that which you know with, essentially the mind, and must be exercised to be kept pure.

Now, Paul says, "Here is one area that I gymnasticize myself. This is one area that I really work out in," he says. "I work out in having a conscience that is void of offence toward God and toward men." In other words, I'm not going to be mad at God and I'm not going to be mad at Brother Tim. I'm not going to be mad at Brother Tim. And I'm not going to be, you know, I'm just not going to carry a grudge. I'm not going to be hateful. Now, he said, "I work it."

"I keep my heart clean. I keep my mind clean. I keep my conscience pure. That's what I want to do." Let me tell you what the word conscience means. The Greek word for conscience is suneidesis. Sun is a preposition that means with. Eidesis is the Greek word to know. Your conscience is that which you know with. You take the English word conscience. Con is a preposition which means with. Science means know. Your conscience is that which you know with. You know what your conscience is? It's your mind. Same thing as your heart. It's your understanding. When you start to do something wrong and that little voice is "eh, eh, eh," that's because you know better. You have better understanding than that. So when God commands you to keep your heart, He's commanding you to keep your mind. When your conscience convicts you, that's because in your mind you know what you're doing is wrong. So when He tells us that we are to have a prepared heart, what is He saying? That our minds should be constantly and continually prepared.

Conclusion: Two Key Truths

Without heart preparation we will do evil; the heart is the mind that must be prepared.

They should be made up in advance. Our understanding. Our reasoning ability should be based upon the principles and the truth of Scripture. Hmm, that's what he's telling us now. Let me just kind of conclude today and I don't have a whole bunch of applications because I'm saving those for a little bit later on. But I want you to think about this. We've learned two truths today. Two truths, both of them are vitally important.

The first one is this: unless our hearts are prepared, we'll do that which is evil. Isn't that amazing? You just stop and think about, I have to do something to stop myself from sinning. I have to do something to stop myself from doing wrong. What must I do? I must prepare myself to do that which is right. I must learn to think correctly. I must learn to believe correctly.

And the second truth that you've learned today is this: that your heart is your mind. It is your understanding. It is that which must be prepared. And unless your heart is prepared, you will disobey. You will do wickedly. It is impossible to stand for truth and righteousness and holiness without heart preparation. So you must ask the Lord, "Teach me to prepare my heart. Help me to prepare my heart because Rehoboam did evil. Why? Because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord." The importance of a prepared heart is that unless it's prepared, we will end up sinning and disobeying and grieving our Heavenly Father. Let's pray. Father, we ask in the name of Jesus Christ that you would teach us. Help us, Lord, build us up in the most holy faith. Lord, teach us the importance of preparing our heart and help us, Lord, to think right, to act right and to do right. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Necessity of Heart Preparation

Summary: Heart preparation is essential to avoid evil and seek the Lord; without it, sin is inevitable.

Evidence: Rehoboam did evil because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord (2 Chronicles 12:14).

Heart Preparation Requires Effort

Summary: Preparation involves work, planning, foresight, and discipline, akin to physical exercise.

Evidence: The Hebrew word 'kun' implies work; 1 Timothy 4:7-8 commands exercising unto godliness.

The Heart as the Mind

Summary: The biblical heart is primarily the mind, understanding, or reason, not merely emotions.

Evidence: Genesis 6:5 shows the heart thinks; Daniel 4 equates heart with reason and understanding.

Fixing the Heart Beforehand

Summary: A prepared heart is fixed in advance, enabling right choices in temptation, as David exemplified.

Evidence: David's heart was fixed (Psalm 57:7), so he refused to kill Saul despite opportunity.

Hypocritical Worship is Worthless

Summary: Outward rituals without a prepared heart are empty; Rehoboam used God until he gained power.

Evidence: Rehoboam forsook the Lord after establishing his kingdom (2 Chronicles 12:1).

Key Arguments

Sin is natural; righteousness requires preparation

Summary: Humans sin naturally and easily; doing right demands intentional heart preparation.

Evidence: We sin naturally, normally, easily, readily, and willingly; no preparation is necessary for evil.

Heart preparation is not instantaneous

Summary: A prepared heart is developed over a lifetime, not obtained by a single decision or event.

Evidence: A prepared heart is not something you get by going forward in a church service; it must be developed and attained over a lifetime.

Preparation involves fixing the mind on God's truth

Summary: Fixing the heart means deciding beforehand based on Scripture, enabling resistance to temptation.

Evidence: David's heart was fixed, so he would not take the kingdom by violence (Psalm 57:7; 1 Samuel 24).

The heart is the mind, not just emotions

Summary: The biblical heart refers to the mind, understanding, and reason, which must be guarded.

Evidence: In Daniel 4, Nebuchadnezzar's heart was changed to a beast's heart, meaning his reason was lost.

Scripture References

2 Chronicles 12:1

Context: Rehoboam forsook the law of the Lord after establishing his kingdom.

2 Chronicles 12:14

Context: Rehoboam did evil because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord.

1 Timothy 4:7-8

Context: Exercise thyself unto godliness; bodily exercise profits little, but godliness is profitable.

1 Chronicles 12:39

Context: Men prepared food for David's army, showing preparation requires work.

1 Chronicles 15:1

Context: David prepared a place for the ark of God.

1 Chronicles 22:1-5

Context: David prepared materials for the temple before his death.

1 Chronicles 29:1-5

Context: David prepared with all his might for the house of God, giving gold and silver.

Psalm 57:1-7

Context: David's heart is fixed (prepared) amid persecution; he will sing and give praise.

1 Samuel 24:1-7

Context: David spares Saul's life in the cave, showing his prepared heart.

Psalm 108:1

Context: O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise.

Psalm 112:7

Context: He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.

Proverbs 4:23

Context: Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

Genesis 6:5

Context: Every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Genesis 27:41

Context: Esau said in his heart, showing the heart can speak.

Proverbs 5:12

Context: My heart despised reproof, showing the heart can receive or reject instruction.

Matthew 5:27-28

Context: Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery in his heart.

Daniel 4:16, 34, 36

Context: Nebuchadnezzar's heart was changed to a beast's heart; his understanding returned, equating heart with mind.

Acts 24:16

Context: Paul exercised himself to have a conscience void of offence.

Historical References

King Rehoboam

Context: Grandson of David, son of Solomon, who did evil because he did not prepare his heart.

King David

Context: Prepared materials for the temple and fixed his heart to not kill Saul.

Oliver Cromwell

Context: Prayed before battle, 'Lord, I shall be very busy this day... do not thou forget me.'

Robert Leighton

Context: Quoted on the fixed heart: 'His heart is fixed or prepared, ready and in arms for all services.'

Important Quotes

And he did evil because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord.

Significance: Key verse summarizing the cause of Rehoboam's sin and the central theme of the message.

A prepared heart is not an accident.

Significance: Emphasizes that heart preparation requires intentional effort.

My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.

Significance: David's declaration of a prepared heart in the midst of trial.

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

Significance: Foundational command to guard the heart, which is the mind.

At the same time my reason returned unto me.

Significance: Nebuchadnezzar's testimony equating heart with reason.

Discussion Questions

Why is heart preparation necessary to avoid sin, according to the example of Rehoboam?

Context: Rehoboam did evil because he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord.

How does the Hebrew word 'kun' deepen our understanding of what it means to prepare our hearts?

Context: The word implies work, planning, foresight, determination, and skill.

In what ways is heart preparation similar to physical exercise, based on 1 Timothy 4:7-8?

Context: Paul commands exercising unto godliness, which requires consistent effort.

How did David's fixed heart enable him to resist the temptation to kill Saul?

Context: David had predetermined not to take the kingdom by violence.

Why is it important to understand the heart as the mind rather than just emotions?

Context: The heart thinks, imagines, speaks, and reasons; it is the seat of understanding.

What are some practical ways we can 'fix' our hearts beforehand to resist temptation?

Context: We should think through scenarios and decide in advance to obey God.

Applications

Intentionally prepare your heart daily

Summary: Recognize that doing right requires deliberate preparation; do not assume you will automatically choose righteousness.

Evidence: Rehoboam did evil because he prepared not his heart; we sin naturally without preparation.

Exercise your mind unto godliness

Summary: Just as physical training requires consistent effort, so does training your mind in godliness through Scripture and prayer.

Evidence: 1 Timothy 4:7-8 commands exercising unto godliness.

Fix your heart on God's truth beforehand

Summary: Decide in advance how you will respond to temptation, based on biblical principles, so you are not swayed in the moment.

Evidence: David's heart was fixed, enabling him to spare Saul.

Guard your mind diligently

Summary: Since the heart is the mind, protect it from evil influences and fill it with God's Word.

Evidence: Proverbs 4:23 commands keeping the heart with all diligence.

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T22:22:19Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T13:56:10Z

Clean Transcript

Heart Preparation - 1 of 7

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

2 Chronicles chapter 12. And let me just say that this message today is going to be a very general introduction. I'm going to show you from the Bible what prompted my thoughts in just a moment. We're going to read the text. But I'm going to bring a message which I've entitled "The Importance of a Prepared Heart." Next week, I want to continue this and show you how to prepare your heart. The third week, if I get to continue it, which I'm planning on, is to show you how to prepare your heart to receive the Word. And the fourth message would be how to prepare your heart to teach the Word. So, if you'll look in your Bibles to 2 Chronicles chapter 12, beginning with verse 1: "And it came to pass when Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him. And it came to pass in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem." Now note, "because they had transgressed against the Lord."
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You can't sin against God and get away with it. "And he came with 1,200 chariots and threescore thousand horsemen, and the people were without number that came with him out of Egypt; the Lubims, the Sukkiims, and the Ethiopians. And he took the fenced cities which pertained to Judah, and came to Jerusalem. Then came Shemaiah the prophet to Rehoboam and to the princes of Judah that were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus saith the Lord, Ye have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak."
#2 | 1:13 to 1:44 | cleaned
Now, let me just ask you to come down, if you would please, to verse 14. Here we're continuing to read about King Rehoboam, and you read this very important statement: "And he did evil"—that is King Rehoboam—"and he did evil because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord." Now, I want you to stop just for one moment and think about the implications of verse 14. He, King Rehoboam, did evil. Why? Because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord. Now, when I talk about King Rehoboam, I want you to understand that we are talking about the grandson of King David, and the son of Solomon. Now David, the grandfather, was known as a man after God's own heart. Solomon was known for the wisdom that God had given him. And now the grandson is known for the evil and the wickedness that he has done. And I want you to look at verse 1. It's very enlightening: "And it came to pass when Rehoboam had established the kingdom and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him."
#3 | 1:44 to 3:09 | cleaned
Now what did Rehoboam do? Rehoboam simply played along until he was in the right position, had the right amount of power, had control of the kingdom, and then he forsook the law of the Lord. Now, it was bad enough that the high civil ruler of the land forsook the law of the Lord, but when he did so, according to verse 1, he took all Israel with him. You've heard the old saying that one bad apple spoils the barrel. Well, that is certainly true when the one bad apple happens to be the high civil ruler in the land. But when you come down to verse 14, and you ask yourself, why did Rehoboam do evil? And the answer comes back, he did evil because he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord.
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Now, I want you to think about the other side of the coin just for a moment. Do you realize that we are absolutely prone to evil and wickedness? There is no preparation necessary for you and I to do wrong. I mean, we do wrong just absolutely naturally. No one had to teach us how to sin. No one had to teach us how to lie. No one had to teach us how to cheat. No one had to teach us how to lust. We sin naturally, normally, easily, readily, and willingly, and that's what God is saying. However, if we are not going to do that, then there is something that is absolutely necessary, and that is heart preparation.
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And the reason Rehoboam sinned was he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord. He did not prepare his heart to do God's will. He did not prepare his heart to pray. He did not prepare his heart to do anything that was right. And consequently, all he did was that which was evil and that which is wrong. So I want to deal today just with one point, and that is the principle of heart preparation.
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Now, if you look down to verse 14, the Bible says, "...and he did evil..." Why? "...because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord."
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Now, the word prepared—and you're going to hear me say this several times during this message—the Hebrew word is the word kun, K-U-N, but it's pronounced koon. The word prepared is the Hebrew word kun, and it literally occurs 219 times in our Bible. It is used in a multitude of ways, all of which indicate that heart preparation involves work, planning, foresight, determination, and skill. And I'm going to show you just a few of these verses in just a moment. But let me just tell you firsthand, and right off the bat, that a prepared heart is not an accident.
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It is not something that happens on its own. It is not something that you were either born with and some have it and some do not have it. Moreover, a prepared heart is not something that God just simply gives or bestows upon people arbitrarily. A prepared heart is not something that you get by quote-unquote "going forward" in a church service. A prepared heart is not something that you get when you, quote, "rededicate," end quote, your life. No. A prepared heart is something that must be developed and attained over a lifetime.
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Let me give you an illustration. If you would hold 2 Chronicles, but turn in your Bibles to 1 Timothy chapter 4 and look at verses 7 and 8. It's much like the grace of godliness. Notice if you would please, 1 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 7. Look what the Bible says: "But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness." Now verse 8, 1 Timothy 4: "For bodily exercise profiteth little, but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." Now go back to verse 7. He says, "But refuse profane and old wives' fables." Don't listen, he says, to all the TV preachers and radio preachers, basically, because that's basically where you're getting your old wives' fables from. He says, but rather you exercise yourself rather unto godliness. I don't care how many people tell you, I don't care how many preachers say, "Well, you just come forward and that'll make everything right." It will not make everything right.
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Salvation is not going forward in the church. Godliness is not going forward in the church. Godliness is not making a decision. Salvation is not making a decision. Salvation is the work of God. Godliness is the work of God. And what he says in verse 7, you exercise yourself rather unto godliness. Now, the word exercise is the Greek word gymnazo, from which we get our English words gymnasium, gymnastics. Literally what he says is you gymnasticize yourself unto godliness.
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How many of you think that a gymnast just simply decides one day, "I'm going to be a gymnast and I'm going to go out and I'm going to do these wonderful acrobatic tricks and I'm going to do all these flips. I'm just going to do it." Shane, would you like to try that? Just decide. I can't even touch my toes. Sometimes I can't even see them. The point I'm trying to make is simple. If you are going to be a gymnast, what must you do daily, weekly, monthly, and annually? You must stretch and exercise and practice, practice, practice.
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That's exactly what God is saying. Exercise yourself, brethren, unto godliness. And the godly men in the Bible and the godly men in history did not wake up one morning and decide, "I'm godly, isn't that wonderful?" No! They developed a godly habit and a godly character and a godly mindset over a period of years. It was a lifetime goal and a lifetime achievement. So, when you're talking about heart preparation, don't just think, "Well, this is something that just happens."
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No, it does not happen. Let me just show you how heart preparation is in line with 1 Timothy 4 and verse 7. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, please, to 1 Chronicles chapter 12. 1 Chronicles chapter 12. And we're going to be looking at a number of places where this same word, Hebrew word kun, is used and is translated in our Bibles as prepared.
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Now, I like this passage because this shows you the absolute necessity of work, planning, foresight that goes into heart preparation. In 1 Chronicles chapter 12 and verse 39 the Bible says this: "And there they were with David three days eating and drinking, for their brethren had prepared for them." So here these men that were with David for three days, eating and drinking, and notice if you would, "for their brethren had prepared for them."
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Now, let me just lay something on you and think about this. Go back, if you would, to verse 36. I'm not going to take time to read the entire chapter. Let me just give you a smattering. Verse 36: "And of Asher, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, 40,000." This doesn't count all these that are numbered before these, okay? Verse 37: "And on the other side of Jordan, of the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and of the half tribe of Manasseh, with all manner of instruments of war for the battle, 120,000." That's 160,000 right there out of two verses. "And all these men of war, that could keep rank, came with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel: and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king. And there they were with David three days, eating and drinking: for their brethren had prepared for them." We just read of 160,000 in two verses.
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That doesn't count all these others. Now, let me ask you this simple question. If you look at the context and you discover that these hundreds of thousands of men were there with David eating and drinking for three days, did that just happen? I mean, did the food just mysteriously appear out of nowhere? Did the drink just mysteriously appear? How about the utensils? How about the cooking? How about the seating arrangement? How about the table? Did all of that just happen? No, the Bible says that the men were there that had prepared for them. And if you're going to prepare a meal three times a day for several hundred thousand men, you have your work cut out for you.
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You better do a lot of planning. You better have a lot of foresight. You better do a lot of thinking. You better do a lot of work. So the point I'm trying to make is here's the exact same word, and it always refers to foresight and planning and work. Look, if you would please in your Bibles to 1 Chronicles chapter 15 and verse 1. Here's the same word again: "And David made him houses in the city of David, and prepared a place for the ark of God, and pitched for it a tent." Now the Bible says that David prepared a place for the ark of God.
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Now if you think it was easy just to go out and pick out a space and clean it out to pitch the tabernacle, put the ark in, then you need to read the rest of the chapter. You'll find out all the priests, all the Levites, all the singers, all the musicians, everything that was involved. So when David prepared a place for the ark, it was not just that he was pitching a tent.
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He was preparing a worship service. He was preparing sacrifices. He is preparing for all of the people in order that they might worship the Lord.
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Now, so, the preparation for the tabernacle was not something that was done lightly or flippantly. Look in your Bibles at 1 Chronicles 22. Once again, I'm just showing you the word preparation. 1 Chronicles 22. And I want you to note, the word preparation here denotes an ongoing process.
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Now, I'm going to explain this in greater detail next week, Lord willing. But look at it in 1 Chronicles 22 verse 1: "Then David said, This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel." Now do you remember God did not allow David to build the temple, right? It was Solomon who built the temple. But David received the plans. And David prepared for the building of the temple. So he says in verse 1, "Then David said, This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel. And David commanded to gather together the strangers that were in the land of Israel; and he set masons to hew wrought stones to build the house of God. And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the joinings; and brass in abundance without weight; also cedar trees in abundance: for the Zidonians and they of Tyre brought much cedar wood to David."
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"And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded for the Lord must be exceeding magnifical, of fame and of glory throughout all countries: I will therefore now make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death." What did David do? David said, I know about this house. It's going to require money, it's going to require materials, it's going to require time, and David started putting up materials well before Solomon ever got around to beginning the temple. In other words, preparation had to be made.
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Now, let me show you. Look in 1 Chronicles 29. I want to show you the depth of David's preparation for the temple. Same word now. 1 Chronicles 29, beginning there in verse 1: "Furthermore David the king said unto all the congregation, Solomon my son, whom alone God hath chosen, is yet young and tender, and the work is great: for the palace is not for man, but for the Lord God." Now look what David says: "Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God." Wait a minute. Let me just stop.
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Do you remember that passage in Deuteronomy chapter 6? "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy might." What is your might? Well, in David's life, it was his money. It doesn't just refer to strength, it refers to money. Look what he says, verse 2: "Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God." And here's how it means money.
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"The gold for things to be made of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and the brass for things of brass, the iron for things of iron, and wood for things of wood; onyx stones, and stones to be set, glistering stones, and of divers colours, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance. Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house, even three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses withal." And then, verse 5: "The gold for things of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and for all manner of work to be made by the hands of artificers."
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"And who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the Lord?" What did David do? David said, I know all the gold and silver and precious stones and wood is going to be involved. I want to start now. I'm preparing. I'm laying up. This was something David did not once, not twice, but something David did constantly and continually.
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Now, when you read the word prepared, sometimes that word is translated in our Bibles as fixed. The word kun means to be prepared, to be fixed, to be steadfast, to be confirmed, to be arranged or directed toward a specific object.
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Now let me show you that. Look in your Bibles to Psalm 57 and we will take the time to read this Psalm because it is very important. I'll tell you what. Since you're in Psalm 57, go ahead and turn back in your Bibles to 1 Samuel 24, because I want you to see the context of this. 1 Samuel chapter 24, you just hold 1 Samuel 24, and we're going to read Psalm 57 first. So notice Psalm 57 verse 1. Look at the prayer that David prays.
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"Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me. He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth." Now look what he says: "My soul is among lions."
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"And I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth. They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah."
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Then he says in verse 7: "My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise."
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Now, let me tell you something that is very interesting about Psalm 57. Psalm 57 was written by David, especially during the time that he was being persecuted and hunted by King Saul. What was King Saul trying to do? He was trying to kill David. He wanted him dead. Psalm 57 deals with when Saul and his men are after David, and David and his men are now hiding in a cave. Basically, they're in a cave, Saul and his men do not know they're in the cave. And Saul and his men are on the outside.
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And that's why he keeps saying, "My soul is among lions. I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword." In other words, they're out to kill me.
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Now, I want you to see what happens. Go back in your Bibles to 1 Samuel, chapter 24, beginning there with verse 1. Here's the historical background for Psalm 57. "And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi. Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats. And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave. And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the Lord said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily. And it came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt."
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"And he said unto his men, The Lord forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the Lord's anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord." So David would not kill Saul. David would not allow his men to kill Saul.
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Now, the Bible says that he came to go into a cave. And I've probably told you this before, but I heard a preacher friend of mine years ago. He was talking about how Saul went into the cave and covered his feet and how that Saul evidently had poor circulation and his feet were cold. And when he got through preaching, I went up to him. I said, "Do you understand what that really is talking about?" Well, he said, "He had cold feet." I said, "No. That is a euphemism to say that Saul went to the bathroom. He went into the cave to use the bathroom privately." And while he was using the bathroom, David slipped up behind him and cut the skirt of his robe, cut it off, and David's heart smote him. And you read the rest of this chapter, Saul goes back outside of the cave, and then David comes out and says, "You've heard I've been trying to kill you. Look at this. Here's part of your skirt."
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"How I wanted to kill you, you were in my hands. I could have done that, but I didn't do that." And Saul, of course, says, "You're righteous and I'm wrong," etc. Now, listen to this. David had the perfect opportunity to kill Saul. David could have justified himself because Saul had already tried to kill David on numerous occasions. David could have claimed self-defense even though his life was not necessarily in imminent danger right at that point, but they had come out to kill him, and he knew that. Moreover, his men were urging him to kill.
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They said, "Now's the time that God has delivered your enemy into your hand. Take him now. Now's the time." If anyone had a right to kill his enemy, David had that right, for the whole purpose of Saul chasing David was for Saul to kill David. So if Saul then was killed by David, it would have been a plain act of self-defense or self-preservation, plain and simple. But I want you to note, David did not kill Saul. And if you go back in your Bible to Psalm 57, when he's talking about how all these men had come out to kill him, they've come out to herd him. They've prepared a net for him in verse 6. They've digged a pit for him in verse 6. Then he says in verse 7, "My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed."
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"I will sing and give praise." Here's what he said: "My heart is prepared, O Lord, my heart is prepared. I will sing and give praise." Let me tell you what David had done. David had prepared his heart in such a way that he was not going to have the kingdom by violence, by force, or by murder. He came to this position: if God wants me to be king, I'll be king. If God wants Saul dead, God will kill Saul. I'm not going to kill him. That's why he told his men, "The Lord forbid that I should stretch forth my hand against the Lord's anointed." He wants king. I'm just not going to do that. If David—listen carefully now—if David had not already prepared his heart, if he did not already know what he was going to do in that situation, do you think he would have succumbed to the temptation to kill his enemy? Especially when all of his men were encouraging him to? And especially when his men said, "This is the day that the Lord hath delivered your enemy into your hand."
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"This is God's providence. This is God's act. This is God's work. Take care of him now." David said, "No. I'm not going to do it. My heart is fixed. My heart is prepared. I'm not going to take the kingdom by violence. I'm not going to take it by force." And David went on to tell his men, "The time will come when Saul shall fall in battle or fall at some other man's hands."
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"I will not do it." And that's what he means in Psalm 57 when he says, "My heart is fixed. My heart is prepared. My heart is established. I've already set this thing up. I'm not going to falter from it." Now, when you read the word fixed, I told you that the Hebrew word kun means to be established, to be stable, to be secure, to be fixed, to be prepared, to be ready.
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When you get to the modern day dictionaries, you will find these definitions for fixed: firmly in position, stationary, not subject to change or variation, constant, firmly held in the mind, a fixed notion. The point I'm trying to make is this, folks. One of the keys of preparing our heart is to fix our heart beforehand of what we will do and will not do in a given situation or whenever we encounter temptation.
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Don't you think about this? Every one of us. Each of us has our own weaknesses. Now, Maryland's weakness may not be mine, and mine may not be Ed's, and Ed's may not be Hobie's, but every one of us has our own weaknesses. Each one of us. And what we need to do is we need to think, if I'm going to sin, if I'm going to fall, probably I'm going to be tempted in these areas where I know I'm weaker or where I know I'm more susceptible. So what I'm going to do right now is I'm going to think through a scenario and I'm going to prepare my heart. And if I ever face that temptation, I'm going to say, "No, I will not do this. I've thought this through. I know it's wicked. I know it's wrong. I will not yield to that temptation." That's what David meant when he said, "My heart is fixed." Do you realize a prepared heart can do that which is right even in the most serious, heart-wrenching, and life-threatening circumstances?
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A prepared heart keeps us from giving in to temptation, no matter how beneficial, how alluring, or how enticing it may appear. Now, I want you to look in Psalm 108, because David says this again. And it's the same Hebrew word, kun, but it's translated fixed. Psalm 108 verse 1: "O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory." Literally, he says my heart is prepared. I will sing and give praise. By the way, interestingly enough, back in Psalm 57—don't turn back there—but when he said, "My heart is fixed, I will sing and give praise. My heart is fixed, O God." Isn't it interesting that every time he is challenged with an opportunity to do wrong, he always says, "I believe I'd rather sing and give praise to God."
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So, in other words, he takes his mind off the sin, off the temptation, off the pressure, and he puts his mind upon the Lord. Now, when you get to Psalm 108 in verse 1, this is known as the warrior's morning song, M-O-R-N-I-N-G. The warrior's morning song, in which David basically adores God and strengthens his heart before he enters into the conflicts of the day. And what he is saying, "Lord, before I ever take up my sword, before I ever do anything, Lord, my heart is fixed."
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"I want to sing and give praise to you. I want to do what's right. Even in my fighting, I'm still going to do what's right." There was an old Prussian soldier that used to pray to God, and he would pray to his majesty's august ally. In other words, to the king's august ally. He's talking about God. And I'm thinking of Oliver Cromwell. And in one of his battles, you remember, that was one of the major battles.
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He said in prayer, "Lord, I shall be very busy this day. And in the midst of the heat of battle, I may forget thee, but O Lord, do not thou forget me." So what he was saying is, "Lord, my heart is really fixed on you, but if I don't have time to think about you every minute, Lord, please just don't forget me." Well, what he's saying is basically, "I want my heart fixed. I want my heart prepared."
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Look in Psalm 112, verse 7. David says it again, talking about a godly man. He says this: "He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord."
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Now, let me ask you a question. Think about this. Suppose you went to the doctor tomorrow and he gave you a checkup and a test and then he told you, "You have cancer. You'll be dead in 30 days." Well, what kind of attitude will a godly man have whose heart is prepared? What does the Bible say? "He shall not be afraid of evil tidings." Why? His heart is prepared. His heart is prepared trusting in the Lord. What if you go to the bank tomorrow and they tell you that the IRS has confiscated all your money? Well, once you get over your initial anger, can you say, "Well, Lord, you gave and you took away. Blessed be your name." Or you could say, "Lord, you gave it and let the devil take it away. But blessed be your name regardless."
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You see what I'm saying? The man who has a prepared heart is not going to be fearful of evil tidings. His heart is prepared.
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Now, let me read you just one little sentence that the old Robert Leighton said concerning this. He's talking about the godly man. He said, "His heart is fixed or prepared, ready and in arms for all services, resolved not to give back, able to meet all adventures and to stand its ground. God is unchangeable, and therefore faith is invincible, for it sets the heart on Him, fastens it there on the rock of eternity, then let the winds blow and storms arise, it cares not, for it is fixed upon God." Now, in each instance that we read the word fixed in the book of Psalms, you could substitute the word prepared and the meaning would be the same, because it is exactly the same word.
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Now, the Bible teaches us that Rehoboam did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord. Therefore, he did that which was evil.
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Now, let me give you something that I think is vitally important, and that is this. While Rehoboam may have been going through the ceremonies, may have been going through the rituals, may have been going through the practices of worshiping God outwardly, he was not sincere or genuine. He did not engage in that in earnest with a heartfelt desire. And all Rehoboam was doing was using God until he got to where he wanted to be. And then he forsook God and his law.
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The point being, I want you to see the worthlessness as well as the wickedness of hypocritical worship. What good did it do Rehoboam to go through the ceremonies and the rituals? None. What good did it do to our Lord? None. There was no heartfelt worship of God. There was no genuine seeking after God. In other words, it was totally, absolutely worthless. Do you realize—and I'm not making this a message on worship, although I could—but do you realize what Rehoboam did is exactly what most professing Christians do today?
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Do you know many people go to church only as a business venture? I mean, that's the place to make contacts. That's the place to meet people. That's the place to obtain votes. That's why a lot of your politicians go to church. I mean, it's a place to be entertained. It's a place to salve the conscience. And in some instances, it's just a free babysitting service for a few hours or up to a half day, when these buses go around and pick up the children of all these parents who are too lazy and too ruthless to take their children to church. And all they view church as is a free babysitting service.
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Rehoboam did not serve the Lord because he did not seek the Lord. People today do not worship God because their hearts are not prepared. They're not interested in seeking God. They're not interested in serving God. Rehoboam did not pray as Solomon prayed. He did not seek out the Lord as David his grandfather did. The truth of the matter is, Rehoboam did not consult God's Word to find out God's will, God's way for his life. He really didn't care. It was just something he had to do till he got in the position of power and then he forsook the Lord. Why did he sin? Because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord.
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Please remember, preparation involves work and foresight and planning. It's something that must be done now. Let me go a little further. The Bible says that Rehoboam sinned. Why? Because he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord. Let me deal secondly today just with the word heart. I'm still dealing with this one point, the importance of heart preparation. I have preached in time past a message on keeping the heart. I preached two other messages on a prepared heart. And I'm going to reinforce today one truth that I brought forth in one of those messages.
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I hope that some of you automatically know this because you've been here for years and certainly you should have learned it by now. But not everybody's heard it and not everyone knows it. And because of the tape and CD ministry, I want everybody to know this as well. But the Bible says that Rehoboam prepared not his heart to seek the Lord. What in the world is the heart? When you ask someone what is the heart, they usually respond, "Well, the heart is the innermost being of man." Well, what is the innermost being of man? "Well, it's the seat of affections." Well, what is the seat of affections? "Well, it's the soul." Well, what's the soul? "Well, the soul is the innermost being of man." And you go around and around in a circle and no one ever knows what the heart really is. Now, there is a command that God gives us in Proverbs 4, verse 23, and there the Scripture says, "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."
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Now, the word keep in the Hebrew means to set double guards around it. You keep your heart above and before anything else. It's that important. But when God says, "Keep your heart with all diligence," obviously, He is not talking about the physical organ in our chest. I don't know about you, but I am thankful that our hearts, and at least my heart, is an involuntary muscle. What does that mean? It means it beats whether I think about it or not. I'm so thankful I don't have to lie awake at night saying, "Beat, heart, beat. Pump, heart, pump." It just does it.
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And one day, it will stop. And there's not one thing I can do about it. So, when God says, "Keep your heart," very obviously, He's not referring to the physical organ, for we have no control over the physical organ. So, what in the world is the heart? Well, I want you to turn in your Bibles, first of all, to the book of Genesis, chapter 6, and I want you to look at one verse here. Genesis chapter 6. I'm going to show you the very first time the word heart occurs in the Bible. I'm going to show you about five verses. But this one, Genesis 6 and verse 5 it is. Genesis 6 verse 5 is the very first time the word heart occurs in the Bible. In hermeneutics, which is the art or science of Bible interpretation, there is that which is known as the Law of First Mention. The Law of First Mention just simply says this: the very first time a word is used in the Bible, that is the way the word is going to be used throughout the Bible unless the context indicates otherwise.
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Okay? So, every time you see the word heart, it's going to mean exactly what it means here, unless the context emphasizes otherwise. So, let's look at Genesis 6 and verse 5, and the Bible says, "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."
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Now, I don't know if you read that the way I read it just then, but there's something that speaks to me in verse 5. And that is this: whatever the heart is, it can imagine and it can think. Because God saw every imagination of the thoughts of the heart. Okay? So whatever the heart is, it can think and it can imagine. If you will turn over in your Bible to Genesis 27, I'll show you something else about the heart.
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Everybody knows the story about Jacob and Esau. And you remember how Jacob now has gotten the blessing from his father Isaac, and he's done it kind of deceitfully. So, in Genesis chapter 27 and verse 41, when Esau finds out about it, he's planning on killing Jacob. So, verse 41: "And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob."
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Now notice what the Bible said. Esau said in his heart. So according to Genesis 6 and verse 5, whatever the heart is, it can think and imagine. According to Genesis 27:41, whatever the heart is, it can speak. For he said in his heart. Then if you look in Proverbs 5 and verse 12. Proverbs 5 and verse 12. Watch carefully. Proverbs 5 verse 12. And there's a multitude of verses you could use here, but this one should be sufficient. Proverbs 5 verse 12: "And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof." So whatever the heart is, it can either receive instruction or it can despise instruction.
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OK, now put it together. Whatever the heart is, according to Genesis 6 and verse 5, it can think and imagine. According to Genesis 27:41, it can speak.
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Now it can either receive or despise instruction. Then if you look in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 5, let me show you something else, verses 27 and 28, you're going to see that somehow the heart is intimately connected with the eyes. The heart is intimately connected with the eyes. Matthew 5, verse 27. Our Lord says, "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." What? The heart is intimately connected with the eyes. Our Lord said, "Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her," looking with the eyes, "hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." So the heart can think and imagine, the heart can speak, the heart can either receive or despise instruction, and the heart, of course, is intimately connected with the eyes. Now, if you haven't put together what the heart is, go back in your Bibles to the book of Daniel, chapter 4, and let me show it to you point blank from the Word of God.
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The book of Daniel, chapter 4, and let's begin reading there with verse 16. Daniel 4, verse 16. Everyone knows the story of proud, arrogant, haughty Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. And God determines to teach Nebuchadnezzar a lesson. Everyone that's proud, God is able to abase, and He certainly abased Nebuchadnezzar. So verse 16, Daniel chapter 4, look what God says concerning Nebuchadnezzar: "Let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him." Now, seven times is just the Chaldean way of saying seven years. So, God says, "Let his heart be changed from a man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him." Now, what is in Nebuchadnezzar that's going to be changed? Someone tell me. His heart. He's going to get a beast's heart. Alright? Let's skip down, if you would please, to verse 25. Daniel is giving now Nebuchadnezzar the interpretation of his dream. He says, "That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will."
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So he says, "Alright, you're going to be driven from men, and you're going to live with the beasts for seven years, till you learn one lesson: God is sovereign, not you." So skip down to verse 28. "All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon. The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty? While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee. And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will."
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"The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws." Now watch this, for seven years his hair matted like birds' feathers, his fingernails grew like claws, walking around—or crawling around, I should say—eating grass like an ox. What was he? He was insane. He was crazy.
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This condition is known as boanthropy. When a man acts like a bovine or an animal. It's a real condition.
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Now let me ask you. What did God say was going to be changed? In verse 16, his heart. His heart. You want to know what the heart is? Look at verse 34. "And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation." And if you want to know what the heart is, get down to verse 36. He says it another way: "At the same time my reason returned unto me." So what is the heart? The heart is the mind. It is the understanding. It is the reason. The reason God can see the thoughts and the imaginations of the heart is because the heart is your mind. The reason the heart can speak is the mind. The reason the heart can either receive or despise correction is the mind. The reason the heart is intimately connected with the eyes is the mind.
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Only occasionally does the word heart refer to the affections or the emotions in the Bible. 99 times out of 100, it refers to the mind, the understanding. In fact, the Hebrew word for heart is leb, L-E-B, and it is translated mind 12 times in our Bibles and understanding 10 times. When God says you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, that's with all your mind, with all your soul, with all your being.
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Now, let me show you one other word, because this word is sometimes confused as well. I want you to turn in your Bible to the book of Acts chapter 24. Because if I were to ask you, "What is your conscience?" I've heard people say, "Well, Brother Weaver, I'll tell you what the conscience is. The conscience is that little voice that when you start to do something wrong says, 'You better not do it. You know better than that.'" Well, people say that and that may be right, but they don't know why it is right. Watch this. Look at Acts 24 and verse 16. Here the Apostle Paul says this: "And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men."
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Now, Paul says, "Here is one area that I gymnasticize myself. This is one area that I really work out in," he says. "I work out in having a conscience that is void of offence toward God and toward men." In other words, I'm not going to be mad at God and I'm not going to be mad at Brother Tim. I'm not going to be mad at Brother Tim. And I'm not going to be, you know, I'm just not going to carry a grudge. I'm not going to be hateful. Now, he said, "I work it."
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"I keep my heart clean. I keep my mind clean. I keep my conscience pure. That's what I want to do." Let me tell you what the word conscience means. The Greek word for conscience is suneidesis. Sun is a preposition that means with. Eidesis is the Greek word to know. Your conscience is that which you know with. You take the English word conscience. Con is a preposition which means with. Science means know. Your conscience is that which you know with. You know what your conscience is? It's your mind. Same thing as your heart. It's your understanding. When you start to do something wrong and that little voice is "eh, eh, eh," that's because you know better. You have better understanding than that. So when God commands you to keep your heart, He's commanding you to keep your mind. When your conscience convicts you, that's because in your mind you know what you're doing is wrong. So when He tells us that we are to have a prepared heart, what is He saying? That our minds should be constantly and continually prepared.
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They should be made up in advance. Our understanding. Our reasoning ability should be based upon the principles and the truth of Scripture. Hmm, that's what he's telling us now. Let me just kind of conclude today and I don't have a whole bunch of applications because I'm saving those for a little bit later on. But I want you to think about this. We've learned two truths today. Two truths, both of them are vitally important.
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The first one is this: unless our hearts are prepared, we'll do that which is evil. Isn't that amazing? You just stop and think about, I have to do something to stop myself from sinning. I have to do something to stop myself from doing wrong. What must I do? I must prepare myself to do that which is right. I must learn to think correctly. I must learn to believe correctly.
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And the second truth that you've learned today is this: that your heart is your mind. It is your understanding. It is that which must be prepared. And unless your heart is prepared, you will disobey. You will do wickedly. It is impossible to stand for truth and righteousness and holiness without heart preparation. So you must ask the Lord, "Teach me to prepare my heart. Help me to prepare my heart because Rehoboam did evil. Why? Because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord." The importance of a prepared heart is that unless it's prepared, we will end up sinning and disobeying and grieving our Heavenly Father. Let's pray. Father, we ask in the name of Jesus Christ that you would teach us. Help us, Lord, build us up in the most holy faith. Lord, teach us the importance of preparing our heart and help us, Lord, to think right, to act right and to do right. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T22:22:19Z

Heart Preparation - 1 of 7

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver introduces the principle of heart preparation, using King Rehoboam as a negative example. Rehoboam did evil because he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord. Weaver explains that heart preparation involves work, planning, and foresight, and that the heart is primarily the mind or understanding. Without a prepared heart, we naturally tend toward evil.

Introduction to the Series

Weaver introduces a series on heart preparation, covering the importance, how to prepare, receiving the Word, and teaching the Word.

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 12:1

"And it came to pass when Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him. And it came to pass in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem."

Now note, "because they had transgressed against the Lord."

Rehoboam's Evil and Its Cause

Rehoboam did evil because he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord, as stated in 2 Chronicles 12:14.

The Natural Tendency to Sin

Humans sin naturally without preparation; doing right requires intentional heart preparation.

The Meaning of 'Prepared' (Kun)

The Hebrew word 'kun' means prepared, fixed, established, and involves work, planning, foresight, determination, and skill.

Heart Preparation as Exercise

Like physical exercise, heart preparation requires ongoing effort and discipline, as seen in 1 Timothy 4:7-8.

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 4:7-8

"But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness."

Now verse 8, 1 Timothy 4:

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 4:7-8

"For bodily exercise profiteth little, but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come."

Now go back to verse 7. He says,

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 4:7-8

"But refuse profane and old wives' fables."

Biblical Examples of Preparation

Examples from 1 Chronicles show preparation involves planning and work, such as preparing food for David's men and preparing for the temple.

Now, I like this passage because this shows you the absolute necessity of work, planning, foresight that goes into heart preparation. In 1 Chronicles chapter 12 and verse 39 the Bible says this:

Scripture Reading — 1 Chronicles 12:39

"And there they were with David three days eating and drinking, for their brethren had prepared for them."

So here these men that were with David for three days, eating and drinking, and notice if you would,

Scripture Reading — 1 Chronicles 12:39

"for their brethren had prepared for them."

Scripture Reading — 1 Chronicles 12:39

"And all these men of war, that could keep rank, came with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel: and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king. And there they were with David three days, eating and drinking: for their brethren had prepared for them."

We just read of 160,000 in two verses.

Now, I'm going to explain this in greater detail next week, Lord willing. But look at it in 1 Chronicles 22 verse 1:

Scripture Reading — 1 Chronicles 22:1-5

"Then David said, This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel."

Scripture Reading — 1 Chronicles 22:1-5

"Then David said, This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel. And David commanded to gather together the strangers that were in the land of Israel; and he set masons to hew wrought stones to build the house of God. And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the joinings; and brass in abundance without weight; also cedar trees in abundance: for the Zidonians and they of Tyre brought much cedar wood to David."

Now, let me show you. Look in 1 Chronicles 29. I want to show you the depth of David's preparation for the temple. Same word now. 1 Chronicles 29, beginning there in verse 1:

Scripture Reading — 1 Chronicles 29:1-5

"Furthermore David the king said unto all the congregation, Solomon my son, whom alone God hath chosen, is yet young and tender, and the work is great: for the palace is not for man, but for the Lord God."

Now look what David says:

Scripture Reading — 1 Chronicles 29:1-5

"Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God."

Scripture Reading — 1 Chronicles 29:1-5

"Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God."

And here's how it means money.

David's Fixed Heart in Psalm 57

David's heart was fixed (prepared) beforehand, enabling him to resist killing Saul when tempted.

Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 24:1-7

"And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi. Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats. And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave. And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the Lord said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily. And it came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt."

The Heart as the Mind

The heart is primarily the mind, understanding, or reason, as shown in Genesis 6:5, Genesis 27:41, Proverbs 5:12, Matthew 5:27-28, and Daniel 4.

Okay? So, every time you see the word heart, it's going to mean exactly what it means here, unless the context emphasizes otherwise. So, let's look at Genesis 6 and verse 5, and the Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Genesis 6:5

"And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."

Scripture Reading — Genesis 27:41

"And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob."

Scripture Reading — Matthew 5:27-28

"Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."

What? The heart is intimately connected with the eyes. Our Lord said,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 5:27-28

"Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her,"

looking with the eyes,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 5:27-28

"hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."

Scripture Reading — Daniel 4:16, 34, 36

"Let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him."

Now, seven times is just the Chaldean way of saying seven years. So, God says,

Scripture Reading — Daniel 4:16, 34, 36

"Let his heart be changed from a man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him."

The Conscience as Knowledge

The conscience is that which you know with, essentially the mind, and must be exercised to be kept pure.

Conclusion: Two Key Truths

Without heart preparation we will do evil; the heart is the mind that must be prepared.

Heart Preparation - 1 of 7

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	21107143059
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Daniel
Genre	Sermon
Date	2006-10-29
Dictation Name
Book	Book 162: Heart Preparation — Chapter 1
Source Timed Segments	79

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction to the Series: Weaver introduces a series on heart preparation, covering the importance, how to prepare, receiving the Word, and teaching the Word.
Rehoboam's Evil and Its Cause: Rehoboam did evil because he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord, as stated in 2 Chronicles 12:14.
The Natural Tendency to Sin: Humans sin naturally without preparation; doing right requires intentional heart preparation.
The Meaning of 'Prepared' (Kun): The Hebrew word 'kun' means prepared, fixed, established, and involves work, planning, foresight, determination, and skill.
Heart Preparation as Exercise: Like physical exercise, heart preparation requires ongoing effort and discipline, as seen in 1 Timothy 4:7-8.
Biblical Examples of Preparation: Examples from 1 Chronicles show preparation involves planning and work, such as preparing food for David's men and preparing for the temple.
David's Fixed Heart in Psalm 57: David's heart was fixed (prepared) beforehand, enabling him to resist killing Saul when tempted.
The Heart as the Mind: The heart is primarily the mind, understanding, or reason, as shown in Genesis 6:5, Genesis 27:41, Proverbs 5:12, Matthew 5:27-28, and Daniel 4.
The Conscience as Knowledge: The conscience is that which you know with, essentially the mind, and must be exercised to be kept pure.
Conclusion: Two Key Truths: Without heart preparation we will do evil; the heart is the mind that must be prepared.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Sin is natural; righteousness requires preparation

Humans sin naturally and easily; doing right demands intentional heart preparation.

We sin naturally, normally, easily, readily, and willingly; no preparation is necessary for evil.

Heart preparation is not instantaneous

A prepared heart is developed over a lifetime, not obtained by a single decision or event.

A prepared heart is not something you get by going forward in a church service; it must be developed and attained over a lifetime.

Preparation involves fixing the mind on God's truth

Fixing the heart means deciding beforehand based on Scripture, enabling resistance to temptation.

David's heart was fixed, so he would not take the kingdom by violence (Psalm 57:7; 1 Samuel 24).

The heart is the mind, not just emotions

The biblical heart refers to the mind, understanding, and reason, which must be guarded.

In Daniel 4, Nebuchadnezzar's heart was changed to a beast's heart, meaning his reason was lost.

Scripture References

2 Chronicles 12:1: Rehoboam forsook the law of the Lord after establishing his kingdom.
2 Chronicles 12:14: Rehoboam did evil because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord.
1 Timothy 4:7-8: Exercise thyself unto godliness; bodily exercise profits little, but godliness is profitable.
1 Chronicles 12:39: Men prepared food for David's army, showing preparation requires work.
1 Chronicles 15:1: David prepared a place for the ark of God.
1 Chronicles 22:1-5: David prepared materials for the temple before his death.
1 Chronicles 29:1-5: David prepared with all his might for the house of God, giving gold and silver.
Psalm 57:1-7: David's heart is fixed (prepared) amid persecution; he will sing and give praise.
1 Samuel 24:1-7: David spares Saul's life in the cave, showing his prepared heart.
Psalm 108:1: O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise.
Psalm 112:7: He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.
Proverbs 4:23: Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
Genesis 6:5: Every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Genesis 27:41: Esau said in his heart, showing the heart can speak.
Proverbs 5:12: My heart despised reproof, showing the heart can receive or reject instruction.
Matthew 5:27-28: Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery in his heart.
Daniel 4:16, 34, 36: Nebuchadnezzar's heart was changed to a beast's heart; his understanding returned, equating heart with mind.
Acts 24:16: Paul exercised himself to have a conscience void of offence.

Historical References

King Rehoboam: Grandson of David, son of Solomon, who did evil because he did not prepare his heart.
King David: Prepared materials for the temple and fixed his heart to not kill Saul.
Oliver Cromwell: Prayed before battle, 'Lord, I shall be very busy this day... do not thou forget me.'
Robert Leighton: Quoted on the fixed heart: 'His heart is fixed or prepared, ready and in arms for all services.'

Important Quotes

And he did evil because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord.

Key verse summarizing the cause of Rehoboam's sin and the central theme of the message.

A prepared heart is not an accident.

Emphasizes that heart preparation requires intentional effort.

My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.

David's declaration of a prepared heart in the midst of trial.

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

Foundational command to guard the heart, which is the mind.

At the same time my reason returned unto me.

Nebuchadnezzar's testimony equating heart with reason.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

Why is heart preparation necessary to avoid sin, according to the example of Rehoboam?

[Context]

Rehoboam did evil because he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord.

[Question]

How does the Hebrew word 'kun' deepen our understanding of what it means to prepare our hearts?

[Context]

The word implies work, planning, foresight, determination, and skill.

[Question]

In what ways is heart preparation similar to physical exercise, based on 1 Timothy 4:7-8?

[Context]

Paul commands exercising unto godliness, which requires consistent effort.

[Question]

How did David's fixed heart enable him to resist the temptation to kill Saul?

[Context]

David had predetermined not to take the kingdom by violence.

[Question]

Why is it important to understand the heart as the mind rather than just emotions?

[Context]

The heart thinks, imagines, speaks, and reasons; it is the seat of understanding.

[Question]

What are some practical ways we can 'fix' our hearts beforehand to resist temptation?

[Context]

We should think through scenarios and decide in advance to obey God.

Applications

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T13:56:10Z