Proverbs to Live By – Keep Your Heart With Diligence

“Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23 (KJV).

I chose to use the King James Version of Proverbs 4:23, for that is the version from which I memorized the verse when I was quite young.  The New English version renders it “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”  Eugene H. Peterson’s The Message Bible states: “Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life starts.”  Heart in Proverbs (and, indeed, throughout the Bible) refers to the center of one’s inner life.  “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7, KJV). Jeremiah wrote:  “the heart is deceitful above all things” (17:9), but he also said, “And I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God:  for they shall return unto me with their whole heart” (Jeremiah 24:7).  And in the Beatitudes, Jesus taught us, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).  Paul knew that with the heart a person came to salvation: “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10, KJV).  It is no wonder, then, that the writer of Proverbs urged that we keep the heart with all vigilance (or diligence), for from it spring the issues of life, among which are the conviction to be saved from sin, the faith to turn to Jesus for forgiveness and salvation, and the knowledge to listen to and follow God in conduct of life.  Ezekiel substantiated the result of repentance and turning to God, saying He would : “make you a new heart and a new spirit” (Ezekiel 18:31).

We are to keep our heart “with all vigilance”—or “with all diligence.”  To keep vigil is to set a guard, to keep watch, to be awake and aware.  It was a common practice in biblical times to have a watchtower at city gates to which guards were assigned to keep watch over the city and to allow only those with authentic passes to enter.  Likewise, a vigil was set over fields to keep marauders from the harvest.  We’re familiar in our day with identification badges, pass codes, and even guards at places that faithfully check credentials.  Diligence is akin to vigilance, with the added idea of being persistent, steady and exerting effort.  The New International Version translates Proverbs 4:23:  “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”  If we allow the wellspring of our being to be polluted, the contamination will spread and the appetites we thought were under control will produce wrong ways of thinking and acting.  In his comments on Proverbs 4:23, Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe notes:  “The Bible warns us to avoid a double heart (Psalm 12:2), a hard heart (Proverbs 28:14), a proud heart (Proverbs 21:4), an unbelieving heart (Hebrews 3:12), a cold heart (Matthew 24:12), and an unclean heart (Psalm 51:10).  And this prayer comes from Psalm 139:23: “Search me, O God, and know my heart.” [The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT. Colorado Springs: Cook, 2007, p. 1065].  

J. Edwin Orr used the words form Psalm 139:23 as the basis of his hymn with these words which are a prayer:  “Search me, O God, and know my heart today;/Try me, O Savior, know my thoughts, I pray./See if there be some wicked way in me;/Cleanse me from ev’ry sin and set me free.”  As we set a vigil over our heart, it would be wise to remember Orr’s words and the tune by Edward J. Hopkins that accompanies the words and sing them daily as our sincere prayer.

Prayer for Restoration

“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.  Cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.  Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation; and uphold me with Thy free spirit.” –Psalm 51:10-12 (KJV. Read Psalm 51).

Psalm 51 is known as a penitential psalm.  The note to “the choirmaster” at the beginning of the Psalm explains that it is a psalm of David after the prophet Nathan confronted the king about his sinful encounter with Bathsheba, wife of Uriah, and of arranging for the death of her husband by sending him into the thick of battle.  The account of Nathan’s confrontation and rebuke of King David can be read in 2 Samuel 12:1-14.  Although David’s personal prayer of confession, penitence and plea for restoration, this psalm is also a universal hymn by which anyone who is truly seeking the Lord may express the sincere desire for restoration.

It is well for us to study the progression of this psalm as an example for our own prayer for restoration to fellowship with God.  “Have mercy on me, O God.” (v. 1)  Without God’s mercy—His unmerited favor—we can hardly hope for restoration.  If He considers our sin and its consequent punishment without our sinful condition being tempered with His mercy, there is little hope of reconciliation with Him   “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity.”  A plea for cleansing precedes any hope for restoration.  “I acknowledge my transgression and my sin is ever before me” (v. 3).  How weighted down is the sinner with the knowledge of his transgression.  He recognizes that, even if the sin is against others, he has sinned against God.  Through verse nine the confession of sin and the affirmation of God’s omniscience are acknowledged.  “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (v. 10)  The confessor of sin is now ready to make his petition before God; only God can take hold of a sinful heart and make it right; only God has the power to renew the human spirit and not cast him away and to “restore the joy of Thy salvation.”  With penitence, confession and restoration accomplished, the forgiven sinner then makes vows to God that involve what he will do for God:  “Then will I teach transgressors Thy ways” (v. 13), “my tongue shall sing aloud of Thy righteousness (v. 14); “my mouth shall show forth Thy praise (v. 15).  He considers what sacrifices the Lord desires most and determines that “a broken spirit and a broken and contrite heart” (v. 17) are far superior to any other sacrifices.  Then and only then, after complete heart-surrender to God will He be pleased with and accept any offerings we present to Him.  God is not interested in our seeking to buy His favor.  He looks on the heart.  Indeed, we need to pray daily, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”

Although originating with King David who reigned from about 1005 to 965 B. C., this psalm is for any age and any person who sincerely seeks with a penitent heart to approach God and experience spiritual renewal.  Confession which is an admission, declaration or acknowledgement of a condition is definitely a part of worship.  We have long heard the adage, “Honest confession is good for the soul.”  Confession of sin is a part of both private and public worship.  The important element we must remember and seek is to be sincere and honest in our confession, and in our pleas following confession.  What better prayer can we pray than that our heart be made right with God?  “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” 

Prayer:  Today, Lord, we confess our sins and ask Your forgiveness.  Let us know the joy of deliverance and restoration.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.