"All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes, but the LORD weigheth the spirits."
Proverbs 16:2
Part 2
Yesterday: I Think I’m Okay!
“All the ways of a man.”
“Are clean in his own eyes.”
What God thinks of me, or what I think of me? Who is the best Judge of me?
Today: But What does God Think?
“But the LORD.”
In our Bibles, the “LORD” in all capitals is the translation of Jehovah, the personal name Yahweh. This name “was held by the later Jews to be so sacred that it was never pronounced except by the high priest on the great Day of Atonement when he entered into the most holy place.”[1] Jehovah is the eternal, self-existent One, the great “I AM.”
“And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you” (Exodus 3:14).[2]
His standards are always perfect and right. And it is God who is humankind’s Judge. “God judges the world by identifying and condemning sin and by vindicating and rewarding the righteous. God exercises temporal judgment on the world and on his people; final judgment will take place when Jesus Christ returns.”[3]
The LORD,
“Weigheth the spirits.”
God goes after our motives. He sees our hearts and motives. He knows why we are doing what we do. We can never fool Him!
“The LORD Weigheth”
This ancient word that describes how our LORD checks our “spirits” means that He will “… regulate, measure, estimate, ponder, balance, make even, level, weigh, be equal, be weighed out, test, prove” our “spirits” our motives telling Him why we did what we did (see BDB).[4] He will not make any mistakes in His judgment.
“A person may think nothing is wrong with what he does; outwardly, it may seem innocent. But God knows his heart, whether the motives behind his actions are pure or not. The Lord judges people on the basis of why they act … because He sees human hearts ….[5]
“But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his [Saul’s] countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).
Since God carefully evaluates our hearts, we need to honestly compare our way of thinking and doing with His righteous standard. If we do not make the comparison against His holy model, we will not know if our practices measure up to His requirements or not. Caution: don’t be a “fool.” The “fool” never checks his ways against God’s ideals.
Quote: “The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts” (Proverbs 17:3).
[1] Easton, M. G. (1893). In Easton’s Bible dictionary. New York: Harper & Brothers.
[2] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ex 3:14). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[3] Manser, M. H. (2009). Dictionary of Bible Themes: The Accessible and Comprehensive Tool for Topical Studies. London: Martin Manser.
[4] Brown, Driver, Briggs. Brown-Driver-Briggs’ Hebrew Definitions, the electronic version in eSword.
[5] Buzzell, S. S. (1985). Proverbs. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 940). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books. The emphasis is theirs.