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HisCovenant -> RE: Study of the heart (6/10/2008 10:07:19 AM)
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Sometimes they used the word for "kidneys," but the word studies I have done show that "heart" was used as well as a seat for emotions, feelings, the soul and the mind- the last two being the surprise for me, as I have always been taught that the heart, mind, and soul were three totally separate things. Through studying the heart, I have come to believer they are intertwined. See below for more specific "proof."
Little_1- I do think it's significant that heart is used more in the OT than the NT for two reasons: 1. They weren't indwelt by the Holy Spirit like we are, so specific instructions needed to be given to believers on guarding the heart. They didn't have the help we have. 2. The God of the OT was full of grace and wanted love from the believers. I think the longing God spoke of for the Israelite's heart is proof that God of the OT wasn't just wrathful, but is that same loving God today as He was then.
I'm finally ready to start this thread and found you'd already started, DD. Thanks! [:D]
Here's a bit of what I found when I studied the heart and emotions. There's loads of info on how the heart is connected to emotions and how both God can change our heart and man can change his heart. I encourage you to take a concordance and observe everything the Bible says about the heart and feelings, because it is eye-opening. The most comprehensive passage I found was Proverbs 2-7. There were two surprises for me- 1. heart, mind, soul are often interchangeable words and 2. Man can change His heart. I've always been taught that only God can change the heart... but that's not what the Bible says. My formatting won't hold, so it's a little difficult to read. Sorry about that. I tried!
1)Feelings, Heart & Mind are the same/related.
a)Definitions (numbers are Strongs):
(i)Comprehensive summaries of Heart that go along with what Bible says that I don't have room to copy.
(1)Harper’s Bible Dictionary
(2)Easton’s Bible Dictionary
(ii)Greek-
(1)Feeling
(a)1096 Genomai- came to pass; became known
(b)5426 Phroneo- to have understanding
(2)Heart
(a)2588 Kardia- seat of desires, emotions, & thoughts
(b)4698 Splagchnon- entrails; seat of passions
(iii)Hebrew
(1)Feelings
(a)5315 Nephesh- the entire being of man including mind, &, emotion
(b)4578 Meah- Internal Organs, seat of good and bad emotions translated as heart in Ps 40:8
(c)71 Qereb- Entrails, place of thoughts and emotions
(2)Heart
(a)3820 Leb- inner man, thoughts, heart, soul
(b)3824 Lebab- entire inner man
b)Heart and feelings connected (2 Kings 6:11, 1Chron 15:29, Neh 2:2, Ps 4:7, 10:3, Jeremiah 11:20,
Zeph 1:12,Lk 24:32)
c)Heart and mind connected (Deut 29:4, Josh23:14, 1 Kings 3:9, Ps 4:4, Mt 15:19, Mk 2:6-8)
d)Heart and actions connected (Ex25:2, Ps 101; Eccl 7:7, 10:2, Rev 2:23)
e)Heart can be good or bad (Gen 6:5, 8:21, 20:5, 2 Kings 10:15, 1 Chron 29:17; Prov 28:26)
f)Heart can be hidden (Ps 40:21, James 1:26)
g)Heart can be visible to all (Prov 14:33, Lk2:35)
h)God changes man’s heart (1 King 18:37)
i)Man can change heart (Lev 26:41, 1 Chron 16:10, Ps 69:32, 78:8, Jer 4:4, John 14:27)
2)Changing the mind and actions leads to feelings changing.
a)God strengthens what’s in heart (Ps 10:17, 81:12)
b)Man can strengthen heart (Deut 10:16, Ps 27:14)
c)Actions/ thoughts of self or others affect heart (Deut 11:16, 20:8, 1 Kings 11:2-12:26, Jer 4:18; Mt
13:15; Rom 1; Phil 4:6-9)
d)Dwell on something in heart, it comes out in actions (Deut 8:14, Ps 119:11, 141:3-4, Prov 2, 4:20-23;
6-7; Jer 7:24, Mt 5:21,12:34)
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