In 1 Samuel 16, God instructed Samuel to visit the house of Jesse, where Samuel would find the one who God had chosen to be the next king of Israel. When Samuel looked at David’s older brother Eliab, he assumed that he was the one God had chosen to be king because of his appearance (verse 6).
God responded to this assumption by saying, “Don’t look on his face, or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for I don’t see as man sees. For man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (verse 7).
God knows the hearts of all people (Acts 1:24). He sees each of us as we truly are. As Hebrews 4:13 says, “There is no creature that is hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and laid open before the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account.”
God not only knows every word ever spoken and every action ever taken, he knows every thought of our hearts.
This is seen in the example of Simon the (former) sorcerer. Simon became a Christian in Acts 8, and sinned shortly after becoming a Christian. In verse 22 of the chapter, Simon was told, “Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.”
Notice what it was that Simon needed to be forgiven of. While we can sin through actions and words, Acts 8:22 shows that we can also sin in the heart.
Matthew 5:27-28 is another passage that demonstrates this principle. There 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.”
Sins such as that identified by Jesus in Matthew 5:28 are not as obvious to others, but God is fully aware every time such sin is committed.
God is also aware of our motives when doing things in service to Him. He knows whether we are doing the right things for the right reasons.
God saw right through the scribes and Pharisees who did all their religious works “to be seen by men” (Matt. 23:5). He sees through the “show” of righteousness put on by those today whose service to Him is not sincere.
More generally, God knows whether our affection is truly set on things above or set on things on the earth (Col. 3:2). He knows if we are laying up treasure in heaven or on earth (Matt. 6:19-20).
He knows if each one of us has an “honest and good heart” (Luke 8:15) that is truly committed to pleasing Him no matter the cost, or if one’s heart is such that a certain comfort or pleasure in life is valued more highly than pleasing Him.
While God’s perfect knowledge of our hearts is frightening to the hypocrite, it is a comfort to the faithful. The phrase, “God knows my heart” can (and should) be more of a relief than a concern. Such comfort is contingent, though, on each of us doing our part to purify our hearts.
The instruction David gave to Solomon in 1 Chronicles 28:9 is appropriate for us to consider today. There he told Solomon to “serve [God] with a perfect heart and with a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts, and understands all the imaginations of the thoughts…”
As the hymn alludes to, each of us should sincerely examine ourselves and ask, “is my heart right with God?”
– Michael Hickox