Heart Posture
I’ve heard it claimed that …
The Hebrew Bible (Genesis to Malachi, a.k.a. the Old Testament) is “no longer relevant.”
We should “unhitch” ourselves from the Hebrew Bible.
The Hebrew Bible is secondary to the New Testament.
However, if we look to Scripture, many passages refute the belief that the Hebrew Bible is irrelevant, secondary, old, or outdated.
Part of the confusion likely arises because people conflate the Law of Moses (which is a conditional covenant made with Israel) with the entirety of the Hebrew Bible. In actuality, the Law of Moses is only one part of the Hebrew Bible. And just like the other covenants, it should be read within the wider context of the biblical narrative. When the author of Hebrews, for example, writes that the “first covenant” is “becoming obsolete and growing old” and “about to disappear,” he is referring to the Law of Moses, not the entirety of the Hebrew Bible (Hebrews 8:13).
The ongoing relevance of the Hebrew Bible is consistently taught throughout the New Testament (2 Timothy 3:16), and if we want to apply the entire Bible to our lives, we can’t ignore what the Hebrew Bible has to teach us.
The topic of our heart posture comes up repeatedly in the Hebrew Bible (see Isaiah 1, for example). God has never wanted religious practice without the right heart behind it. We see an example of how important heart posture is in 2 Chronicles 30.
In this passage, Hezekiah has just come to power as Judah’s king. His father, Ahaz, was a wicked ruler who worshiped false gods, even going so far as to sacrifice his own sons to idols (2 Chronicles 28:3).
One of the first things Hezekiah did after he became king was to cleanse the Temple in Jerusalem and reinstate temple worship. Then, he desired all his countrymen to celebrate the Passover, so he sent out couriers to all the people to gather for this feast. Unfortunately, “some laughed at them with scorn and mocked them,” but others “humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem” (2 Chronicles 30:10–11).
We see the same two responses happening today when an announcement of truth concerning God is made: Some mock, while others humble themselves. If you are someone who proclaims truth to a world that is in desperate need of it, please keep this in mind. There are always some who will respond with scorn and some who will accept. Our job is to share the truth in a gracious, Spirit-led way and leave the results up to God.
Hezekiah’s idea to celebrate Passover came from his heart posture. It is interesting that God responded favorably to Hezekiah and the people, despite them not following His commands about when and how to celebrate the feast:
When: Passover was commanded by God to be celebrated in the first month (Exodus 12). But under Hezekiah, Judah celebrated Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month. Not only that, but they decided to make the celebration two weeks long, instead of the seven days commanded:
“For the king and his princes and all the assembly in Jerusalem had decided to celebrate the Passover in the second month…” (2 Chronicles 30:2).
“The whole assembly decided to celebrate the feast another seven days, so they celebrated the seven days with joy” (2 Chronicles 30:23).
How: Everyone was supposed to be consecrated before observing Passover. But “a multitude of the people” who participated were not consecrated:
“A multitude of the people, many from Ephraim and Manasseh, and Issachar and Zebulun, had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover contrary to what was written” (2 Chronicles 30:18).
Hezekiah recognized the nation was departing from what was written in the Law, and he interceded for the people:
“May the good LORD pardon everyone who prepares his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, though not according to the purification rules of the sanctuary.” (2 Chronicles 30:18–19)
God responded favorably to both Hezekiah and the people. Why? Because their heart posture was correct, even though they were “not doing it right” according to what God had prescribed. “So the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people” (2 Chronicles 30:20), and their worship was accepted in His sight. The writer of Chronicles tells us “there was great joy in Jerusalem, because there was nothing like this in Jerusalem since the days of Solomon the son of David, King of Israel.”
Written by Levi, Life in Messiah Executive Director
What is your heart posture today? People may be divided into three groups: scorners, skeptics, and seekers. Scorners reject the truth. Skeptics question the truth. Seekers pursue the truth. Where would God place you on that scale?
Is there anyone in your circle who has the right heart posture but needs our grace because they are not always “doing it right”? Have you ever been in their shoes and received the grace of others?
Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (NIV). Jesus taught His disciples the same principle in Luke 6:45. What is one way we can actively guard our hearts in Messiah?