Singleness of Heart: Part 2 – Jeremiah 32:39

Growing with God: A daily devotional with Tonia Slimm.

Jeremiah 32:39 (NIV)

“I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them.”

Jeremiah 32:39 (MSG)

“I’ll make them of one mind and heart, always honoring me, so that they can live good and whole lives, they and their children after them.”

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“…and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may [reverently] fear Me forever, for their own good and for the good of their children after them.” -AMPLIFIED

“As with other new covenant passages, God promised inner transformation that would bring blessing to successive generations (for the good of them and their children).” ~David Guzik

The Lord has reminded Jeremiah that He will renew His covenant with the people, declaring:

“They will be my people, and I will be their God.” -Jeremiah 32:39 (CSB)

As we look at today’s text, we will further give attention to what being single of heart means, for we find the Lord stating:

“I will unite them behind a single desire and purpose: to revere and worship Me forever for their own good and for the good of all who will come after them.” -(VOICE)

Immediately we can learn a few things from the Lord’s Message about singleness of heart:

1.) It will be the Lord who does the work that brings about singleness of heart.

2.) Singleness of heart brings unity.

3.) Singleness of heart reminds us of our purpose, to worship the Lord.

The Lord will bring about a change in heart, a new way of thinking, of acting, a new attitude.

Let’s take a look at how a few of the other translations convey this change of heart and mind:

“I will make their thoughts and desires pure. Then they will realize that, for their own good and the good of their children, they must worship only me. They will even be afraid to turn away from me. I will make an agreement with them that will never end, and I won’t ever stop doing good things for them. With all my heart I promise that they will be planted in this land once again.” -(CEV)

“I will make them want to be truly one people. They will have one goal. They will truly want to worship me all their lives. They will do this for their own good and for their children after them.” -(ICB)

“…and I will give them one heart and one way, so that they will fear Me always, for their own good and for the good of their children after them.” -(NASB)

Let us have singleness of heart, not a heart that is looking elsewhere for satisfaction, fulfillment or anything else. Because a heart that is double-minded seeks its own way, not the Lord’s.

“One heart—all seeking the Lord with one accord, in contrast to their state when only scattered individuals sought Him. ~Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

“And I will give them one heart and mind to worship me forever, for their own good and for the good of all their descendants.” -(TLB)

“One heart, and one way. Under the new covenant they will with one consent walk in the one narrow path of right-doing Matthew 7:14. Forever, i. e., every day, constantly.” ~Albert Barnes

Scripture speaks a lot about the heart and what it should and should not be like. It should be duly noted that when there is any change in the heart, it happens because the Lord is at work in that heart.

God will not tolerate a divided heart, or a double minded one:

“Their heart is divided (faithless); now they must bear their guilt and punishment. The Lord will break down [the horns of] their altars; He will destroy their idolatrous pillars.” -Hosea 10:2 (AMP)

“The splinter of divided loyalty shatters your compass and leaves you dizzy and confused.” -James 1:8 (VOICE)

A stubborn and unrepentant heart is an invitation for God’s judgement:

“But because of your callous stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are [deliberately] storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.” -Romans 2:5 (AMP)

God cannot stand a heart that is divided down the middle:

“Come close to the one true God, and He will draw close to you. Wash your hands; you have dirtied them in sin. Cleanse your heart, because your mind is split down the middle, your love for God on one side and selfish pursuits on the other.” -James 4:8 (VOICE)

God desires to remove the heart of stone and replaces it with a heart of flesh, He wants to give us a heart transplant:

“I will give them a new will—an undivided heart—and plant a new spirit within them; I will remove their cold, stony heart and replace it with a warm heart of flesh. Then they will follow My commands and uphold My laws and actually do as I say. They will be My people, and I will be their God.” -Ezekiel 11:19-20 (VOICE)

Our prayer should echo the Psalmist, who prayed that the Lord would give them a clean heart, and a deeper desire to know Him:

“Create in me a clean heart, O God; restore within me a sense of being brand new. Do not throw me far away from Your presence, and do not remove Your Holy Spirit from me. Give back to me the deep delight of being saved by You; let Your willing Spirit sustain me.” -Psalm 51:10-12 (VOICE)

“Blessed are those who are pure in heart—they will see God.” ~Jesus (Matthew 5:8 VOICE)

My friend, we all need a change of heart. We must allow God to remove that heart of stone within and allow Him to replace it with a heart of flesh, otherwise we will never be able to please Him. If you are asking for Him to create within you a clean heart, then submit to Him. May our prayer echo that of Jesus’ “Yet not My will, but Your will, be done.”

“God is the shaper of your heart. God does not display his work in abstract terms. He prefers the concrete, and this means that at the end of your life one of three things will happen to your heart: it will grow hard, it will be broken, or it will be tender. Nobody escapes.” ~Ravi Zacharias

My Prayer:

Adonai Elohim, my Great Lord, I need a heart change. I realize the fact that there are times that I still insist on doing things my own way, not yours. I have been stubborn, and disobedient. Please forgive me Lord. Change my heart. Help me to be transformed, undivided, not double-minded. I choose to submit to your will in my life, help me to walk in your ways. “Create pure thoughts in me and make me faithful again.” -(CEV) Thank you, Lord.