Topical Bible: Truth: Write, Upon the Tables of the Heart

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The concept of truth in the Bible is profound and multifaceted, often intertwined with the nature of God, His Word, and His covenant with humanity. The phrase "write upon the tables of the heart" evokes the imagery of internalizing divine truth, making it an integral part of one's being and moral compass.

Biblical Foundation

The idea of writing truth upon the heart is rooted in the Old Testament, where God emphasizes the importance of His laws and commandments being internalized by His people. In Proverbs 3:3, we find the exhortation: "Let kindness and truth never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart." . This verse underscores the necessity of making truth a permanent fixture in one's life, not merely an external adherence but an internal conviction.

Similarly, in Jeremiah 31:33, God speaks of a new covenant with the house of Israel: "I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people." . This prophetic declaration points to a transformative relationship with God, where His truth is not just known but lived out from the heart.

The Heart as the Seat of Truth

In biblical anthropology, the heart is often seen as the center of human will, emotion, and intellect. Writing truth upon the heart implies a deep, personal commitment to God's ways. It suggests that truth is not merely an abstract concept but a guiding principle that shapes one's character and actions.

The New Testament continues this theme, emphasizing the role of the Holy Spirit in guiding believers into all truth. In John 16:13, Jesus promises, "However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth." . The indwelling of the Holy Spirit ensures that truth is not only written on the heart but also actively lived out in the believer's life.

Truth in the Life of a Believer

For the believer, writing truth upon the heart involves a continual process of learning, meditation, and application of God's Word. Psalm 119:11 states, "I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You." . This verse highlights the protective and purifying power of internalized truth, serving as a safeguard against sin and a guide for righteous living.

Moreover, the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 3:3 speaks of believers as "a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts." . This metaphor illustrates the transformative impact of the Gospel, where believers become living epistles, embodying the truth of Christ in their daily lives.

Practical Implications

Writing truth upon the heart requires intentionality and discipline. It involves regular engagement with Scripture, prayer, and reflection, allowing God's truth to permeate every aspect of life. This internalization of truth leads to a life marked by integrity, wisdom, and a deep relationship with God.

In a world often characterized by relativism and shifting moral standards, the biblical call to write truth upon the heart remains a timeless and essential pursuit for those who seek to live in accordance with God's will.

Nave's Topical Index

Proverbs 3:3
Let not mercy and truth forsake you: bind them about your neck; write them on the table of your heart:
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Sin's Writing and Its Erasure
... tablets of the heart' are like waxen tables on which ... acts of temper, or triflings
with truth, or yieldings ... ask Him to make them clean and write upon them His ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/sins writing and its erasure.htm

The Inward Laws
... hearts, and in their minds will I write them. ... a supreme moment when consecration
lays its all upon the altar ... facts and of the rightness of the truth; there must ...
/.../howard/standards of life and service/xviii the inward laws.htm

Conformed to the Image of Christ
... of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my ... the image of Christ is indelibly
impressed upon our souls ... It is no longer truth about Him that must fill our ...
/.../smith/the god of all comfort/chapter 16 conformed to the.htm

Twelfth Sunday after Trinity Gospel Transcends Law.
... the people were turned from the truth and betrayed ... The main thing which moved him
to write this second ... rock as the Ten Commandments written upon tables of stone ...
/.../luther/epistle sermons vol iii/twelfth sunday after trinity gospel.htm

Habakkuk-On his Watch-Tower
... The truth and the faithfulness and the power of God ... And the Lord answered me and
said, Write the vision ... cruelty and all their opression, come up upon us,"not ...
/.../whyte/lord teach us to pray/ix habakkuk-on his watch-tower.htm

God Hath Made Manifest
... other, he might make our test of the truth of their ... the Fathers,) neither did he
come to write without purpose ... the care of the three to dwell upon the account ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on the gospel of saint matthew/homily i god hath made.htm

What did Moses Write?
... Old Testament Scriptures as containing precious and saving truth. ... people Moses was
again commanded to write these words ... it is added, "he wrote upon the tables ...
/.../gladden/who wrote the bible/chapter ii what did moses.htm

The Authority and Utility of the Scriptures
... were but tongues and pens to speak and write it unto ... to engrave the characters of
that law and truth into the ... faith and love preached in the word upon the soul ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/lecture iii the authority and.htm

"Who Walk not after the Flesh, but after the Spirit. "
... the believer, and gives his testimony to his truth.(162 ... His election hath a seal
upon it,""The Lord knoweth ... the Lord?" None can, until the Lord write over his ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon iii who walk not.htm

What Crouches at the Door
... instances which might demonstrate the solemn truth, was that ... those pages on which
you write with sympathetic ink ... You are writing your biography upon the fleshly ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/what crouches at the door.htm