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Jeremiah 17:9
Jeremiah 17:9 tells us, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (NKJV). Recently, I was asked what this passage is teaching and wanted to give some thoughts on it in this forum. What are some things we learn from Jeremiah 17:9?
Jeremiah 17:9 is sometimes used as a passage to defend the Calvinistic doctrine of total hereditary depravity, which teaches man is born completely immoral inheriting the sin of Adam. Since this doctrine is so widely held by so-called Christians we want to make a few observations as to whether Jeremiah 17:9 teaches this doctrine. First, the passage does not say one’s heart is deceitful and desperately wicked from the time one is born. Rather, Jeremiah 17:9 seems to be addressing the sort of heart that one has when one “trusts in man” and his “heart departs from the Lord” (Jeremiah 17:5, NKJV). The very language of Jeremiah 17:5 should tell us one’s heart is not initially totally depraved but becomes depraved when one allows it to depart from the Lord and trust in something or someone else. Second, the passage is not teaching the heart must be stuck in a condition of being deceived or wickedness. The Bible is constantly providing warnings against being deceived and admonitions about not being deceived (Deuteronomy 11:16; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; 15:33; Galatians 6:7; Ephesians 5:6; Colossians 2:4, 8; 2 Thessalonians 2:3; James 1:16; 1 John 3:7). If the heart was guaranteed to be deceived no matter what, then these warnings and admonitions would be pointless! God expects us to have purity of heart and such is possible (Psalm 24:2; 73:1; Matthew 5:8; 2 Corinthians 7:1; 1 Timothy 1:5; 2 Timothy 2:22; James 4:8; 1 Peter 1:22). Therefore the concept the heart is desperately wicked and there is nothing one could ever do to change that fact is certainly not in harmony with the Scriptures. Jeremiah 17:9 does not teach a person is born with a totally depraved heart or that one cannot help but be deceived and desperately wicked in heart.
Jeremiah 17:9 does provide us a warning against trusting ourselves or following our heart. Many people today encourage others to “follow your heart.” Yet if the heart is deceitful above all things, the heart is certainly not a reliable guide for what we should or should not do. Rather than trusting our heart (Proverbs 28:26) or doing whatever seems right to us (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25) we need to make sure we instead trust God with our heart (Proverbs 3:5-6) and allow Him to direct our steps (Jeremiah 10:23; Psalm 119:133). Our feelings and our human reasoning can result in us deceiving ourselves. Instead of trusting our unreliable feelings and thoughts, let us trust in the reliable word of God which contains for us the words of truth (John 17:17).
Jeremiah 17:9 warns us the heart can be desperately wicked. The Bible demonstrates how when people quit trusting in God and allow the devil a place in their heart (Ephesians 4:27) they are led to desperately wicked things. Think about the example of Judas who allowed Satan to enter his heart (Luke 22:3) and as a result was led to betray Jesus. Think about Ahab who allowed himself to be influenced by the wicked Jezebel to act terribly wicked (1 Kings 21:25). Let’s recognize the great potential for evil which is within each and every one of us if we are not careful to keep our heart diligently (Proverbs 4:23).
Jeremiah 17:9 ends with the question, “Who can know it?” (NKJV). The answer is given in the next verse, “I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give to every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings” (Jeremiah 17:10, NKJV). God knows perfectly what is going on in the hearts of man (Hebrews 4:13; 1 Chronicles 28:9; Psalm 44:21). As a result, He is perfectly equipped to judge man accurately and will hold us accountable for the thoughts of our hearts (Acts 8:22). Let’s allow God through His word to help us see our heart as it truly is (Psalm 139:23-24) and create in us a clean heart (Psalm 51:10).
