“Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts…All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirits” (Proverbs 21:2; 16:2).
God’s omniscience is so comprehensive, He knows the inner depths of your heart (Prov. 20:27). Though they may be hidden to other, Jehovah knows the actual motives you have for every action you take.
Many a man on occasion has done the right thing with wrong motives. And, when he has successfully camouflaged his impure or evil motives, he can easily deceive himself as well.
A wise man knows that self-justification and self-deception are self-inflicted and provide a certain path to spiritual self-destruction. Though king Saul clearly disobeyed God when he had been instructed to attack Amalek and utterly destroy all that they have—not sparing any man, woman, infant, nursing child, ox, sheep, camel, or donkey (1 Sam. 15:3), Saul believed himself to be right and pure before God—“I have performed the commandment of the Lord” (1 Sam. 15:13).
Only after Samuel’s stern and uncompromising rebuke (1 Sam. 15:14-23) did Saul finally come around to God’s way of thinking: “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice” (1 Sam. 15:24).
God knows your heart which can be deceitful and desperately wicked (Jer. 17:9).
Be wise: Beware of impure motives and the allure of self-deception they come wrapped in.
