by Jeffrey R. Snell
A Scripture verse often cited in support of the view that all men's, non-believers and believers, hearts are corrupt is Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" Taken at face value, this word is direct and clearly states the case. However, as with all of God's Word, context is critical to accurate exegesis. The time, place, and writer must be considered if the passage of Scripture would be understood and correctly applied. Here, Jeremiah has just finished writing the words of God describing the idolatry of Judah and His judgement upon His people. God's final word following that judgement, though, is a hopeful promise: "But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him." (Jer. 17:7) Then Jeremiah, in response, expresses what he has observed in the human heart in verse 9, asking who can understand. To which the Lord replies in verse 10: "I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind...." So while the human heart is obscure and a mystery to Jeremiah (and often to us), it is not so to God. In fact, He sees in and through each man's heart perfectly and is surprised by nothing. (I Sam. 16:7) In the Jeremiah passages and others, God has indeed acknowledged the wretchedness of the human heart. The critical question, therefore, is: Has the Lord done anything about it?
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