Proverbs 15:11
Death and Destruction are before the Lord—
how much more the hearts of humans!
The original words used here were Hell and Abaddon – the dwelling place of the dead. They lay open before him like a book to be read. He can see into parts of existence that we aren’t capable of seeing. We can’t see Hell and don’t know what it’s like. We can’t see where the dead live. We don’t know the nastiness that is those things, but God sees it all.
All we see is the world God created for us to see. We see people. We don’t see the aspects of this world that we know are there. But God does. He sees it all. And even more than all those things that He sees, He see our hearts. He knows what is inside of us. This idea will become more clear in the next chapter of Proverbs.
God knows exactly the kind of person you are. He knows who you are in your heart. He knows the motives behind what you do. He knows why you do what you do. He knows when you’re doing something for the right reasons and when you’re not. He knows when you’re doing something to be kind and when you’re doing something to manipulate. He knows when you’re being humble and when you’re being proud.
Even if you can cover it up, and get all those around you to believe what you want them to believe even if it’s completely different than what’s true – God knows exactly the kind of person you are.
And, there is something else you should know too. God has given some an extra sensitivity to that. I don’t think there is anyone who walks the planet who can see what’s in a person’s heart. But, there are those whom God has blessed with the ability to see beyond actions and into motives. So, you should be careful, because just when you think you’ve got everyone fooled, God might put someone around you who knows better.
The point of this proverb isn’t just to scare you into submission. But, it’s a time to reflect on what’s going on in your heart. If your motives aren’t right, fix them. God knows, and He is the only one that truly matters. God can read your heart like a book.
