Surely the Bible is as complete as it ought to be, i.e., nothing is missing within its pages as far as vital direction and sagacious instructions are concerned. It is indeed a faithful rendering of divine wisdom appreciated mostly by those who are poor in spirit (Matt. 5:3), for it offers supernal insight and can lead the hearer to constructive reflections and considerations.
About us humans
To say we are simple creatures would amount to a false claim. For in actuality we are extremely complex. This is true about our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual makeup. Added to it, the Fall has complicated our existence, and life per se has become an existential challenge ushering us in its mazelike paths and eventualities.
No wonder man has defined himself with the perplexity of a Blaise Pascal:
What a chimera, then is man! What a novelty! What a monster, what a chaos, what a contradiction, what a prodigy! Judge of all things, feeble worm of the earth, depositary of truth, a sink of uncertainty and error, the glory and the shame of the universe.”
Or with the amazement of an Alexander Pope:
Placed on this isthmus of a middle state, a being darkly wise, and rudely great: With too much knowledge for the sceptic side, with too much weakness for the stoic’s pride, he hangs between; in doubt to act, or rest; in doubt to deem himself a god, or beast; in doubt his mind or body to prefer; born but to die, and reasoning but to err; alike in ignorance, his reason such, whether he thinks too little, or too much: chaos of thought and passion, all confused; still by himself abused, or disabused; created half to rise, and half to fall; great lord of all things, yet a prey to all; sole judge of truth, in endless error hurled: The glory, jest, and riddle of the world!”
One may agree or disagree with these definitions, but one thing is certain, as far as the material world is concerned, man differs from all other creatures. For instance, it is written of him and written authoritatively:
Both the inward thought and the heart of man are deep.” (Psalm 64:6)
I suggest it is this depth that places man in a unique place. He, above all other creatures, can fabricate stories from the depth of his heart, stories so well conceived that they have the power to hypnotize the fabricator and make him credulous of their substantiality.
The case of Sanballat
The Scripture is saturated with narratives exposing the complexity of man’s heart. One of them is found in the Book of Nehemiah. It reads:
Then, the fifth time, Sanballat sent his aide to me with the same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter 6 in which was written: “It is reported among the nations—and Geshem says it is true—that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and therefore you are building the wall. Moreover, according to these reports you are about to become their king 7 and have even appointed prophets to make this proclamation about you in Jerusalem: ‘There is a king in Judah!’ Now this report will get back to the king; so come, let us meet together.” (Nehemiah 6:5-7 NIV)
Now let’s have a look to Nehemiah’s answer:
Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say are being done, but you invent them in your own heart.” (Nehemiah 6:8)
So here we have Sanballat inventing things in his heart. I suggest that this misleading ability is exercised quite often, and exercised not only by pagans as Sanballat but also by us Christians. Actually one of the traits belonging to these sorts of figments is that they are usually prompted by some egocentric motives aiming at self-elevation or at demeaning another in view to advance one’s own cause. Needless to say, these inventions are never constructive. They are, at their very core, misleading and delusive.
One of the things the Scripture declares about man is particularly noteworthy. It says:
“Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.” (Ecclesiastes 7:29 KJV)
Here we are told that man, in his moral freedom, has departed from uprightness by means of inventions. This will always be the legacy of mental constructions bereft of truth and objectivity. They will slowly eat us up from inside out until the constructor returns to a place of sincerity and truth (1 Cor. 5:8).
About the heart’s inventions
The inventions referred to in this article might or might not be believed by the inventor. But the person who keeps inventing them will, sooner than later, accept them as substantial. It is so because the inventor has permitted these mendacities to usurp the place the truth should occupy. Paul, writing to Christians, expresses his amazement in these words:
Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?” (Gal. 4:16)
When the heart reaches such a state it will invent stories to conceal what is truly the case, for as Jesus attests, truth is often difficult to accept: “But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me” (John 8:43). Here the difficulty resides in the fact that truth has no respect of persons and will by no means make concessions. It comes as it is and will never accept to be disguised to suit the desire of the hearer. Once the truth is rejected no vacuum is possible, the heart will quickly react and carve inventions to find a place of solace. And beware:
“One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper; one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble.” (Proverbs 17:20 KJV) “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matt. 12:34)
In brief, inventing things in our heart will never yield good fruits. It might lull the inventor to sleep on the laps of falsehood, but sooner than latter he will be forced to awake and face reality in all its colors.
Conclusively, blessed is the man who bows before the truth and adheres to it with absolute surrender. Such a person shall know the truth, and the truth shall make him free (John 8:32).
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You may also want to read: Speaking the truth in our heart
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