David uses the phrase, “hath said in his heart,” three times in Psalm 10 to describe the thoughts of a proud and wicked man. In this verse the godless man imagined his prosperity continuing forever while in verses 11 and 13 he expressed his belief that God would not hold him accountable for his actions.
Such foolish musings are to be expected of a rebel who has determined to live a wicked life. However, this line of thinking isn’t confined to evil men. For instance, when the Lord promised Abraham that Sarah would be impregnated, “Then Abraham… said in his heart, ‘Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?’” (Genesis 17:17 KJV) Thus, the father of our faith temporarily gave over to blatant unbelief.
Likewise, we later find David himself entertaining questionable thoughts within his heart. After being on the run from Saul for some time, he decided to consult himself rather than the Lord. “David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines…” (1 Samuel 27:1 KJV) He then moved his entire army into the territory of the Lord’s enemies.
And finally, just after God graciously committed the northern tribes of Israel into his care, “Jeroboam said in his heart… If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto… Rehoboam king of Judah.” (1 Kings 12:26-27 KJV) His musings brought him to the conclusion that he should set up idolatrous altars in Israel as an alternative to the Temple in Jerusalem.
The truth is that every story in the Bible is an example of someone behaving in some manner—whether good or bad—after first pondering his course of action within his heart. Nevertheless, examining the various usages of this phrase regarding the human heart provides a nice crosssection of humanity—from two of the godliest lives found in the Bible all the way down to the wicked atheist.
Each of these examples holds one thing in common: when the person consulted his own heart rather than the Lord for direction in life the results were disastrous. May this little exercise serve as an apt reminder for all of us to always, always consult God before making important decisions.