Jer 17:9 reads as follows:
The heart it deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
The NET Bible has the following footnote:
The background for this verse is Deu 29:18-19 (Deu 29:17-18 HT) and Deu 30:17.
The Deuteronomy texts read thusly:
Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood. And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst. (Deut 29:18-19)
But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them. (Deut 30:17)
Obviously, the "heart" (which refers to the mind, will, and disposition of a man, not merely the muscle) is that of a person in a state of grievous sin (e.g., apostasy).
I focus on this Jeremiah text as it is often used against the Latter-day Saint understanding of testimony and its relationship to our knowledge of Gospel truth. Of course, this verse has been answered many times before, including the following response from Jeff Lindsay:
Here is the question I received from someone who was preparing to be baptized and had been hit with anti-Mormon arguments from his friends:
"The Book of Mormon and the Latter-day Saints tell us to pray about the Book of Mormon, saying that God will give an answer to our heart. But Jeremiah 17:9 says that the heart is deceitful above all things. How can I reconcile this?"
In the Bible, the word "heart" is often synonymous with mind and soul (e.g., Luke 24:38 - "Why do thoughts arise in your hearts?"). Yes, the human heart and mind can be full of sin and deceit. But when God reveals His will to us, how else can it be revealed but through the mind or heart? Your friends are arguing against the concept of revelation from God to the heart or mind of man. That's contrary to the whole essence of the Bible! As for what the Bible teaches about the human heart and revelation from God, look at these examples:
· In Jeremiah 20:9, we read of Jeremiah having the word of God like a fire in his heart, driving him to overrule his decision to quit preaching (a decision of his mind, presumably). Jeremiah doesn't think his heart is deceiving him! It's the receptacle for the revelation of the word of God in him.
· In Acts 16:14-15, we read of Lydia becoming converted to the Gospel because the Lord opened her heart.
· In Galatians 4:6, we read that God "sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts."
· In Phil. 4:6-8, we read of the importance of prayer, of seeking truth, and of having God (not human influences) keep our heart and mind.
· In 2 Pet. 1:19-21, we read of "the more sure word of prophecy" that comes from inspiration from the Holy Ghost. Heeding it can cause the "day star to arise in our hearts." That sounds like a pretty good thing.
· In Acts 2:37,38, people who heard the word of God were pricked in their hearts. They were being converted, and in this process, they felt something in their hearts that led them to ask what they should do next (answer: be baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost).
· In Luke 24:32, those who walked with the resurrected Christ along the road to Emmaus, not recognizing him, afterwards noted how their hearts had burned within them as He had taught them. This was not deceit, but a plain manifestation of divine influence.
· In Ephesians 3: 16-19, Paul asks that God would strengthen the Ephesians "by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith." This influence of the Spirit on our soul, heart or mind (the inner man) will help us "to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge." In other words, to really comprehend the things of God, we cannot rely on logic and knowledge, but need the revelation of the Spirit to the inner man.
· In Matthew 16: 16-17, we find a similar concept plainly taught by Christ to Peter. Peter knew that Jesus was the son of God not because flesh and blood had revealed it (flesh and blood symbolize mortal factors, which I believe would include human logic), but because it was revealed to Peter by the Father.
Critics of the Church must have spent many hours finding a way to twist some verse to deny the principle of revelation to the heart of man. Jeremiah 17:9 doesn't really do that - it's just Jeremiah's complaint about wicked humans. I agree that human thoughts and intents and plans are weak and fallible and often wicked. But we're asking people to turn away from human influences and turn to God, in prayer, seeking inspiration through the spirit. Is praying to God wrong? Is seeking revelation from God wrong? That's almost the position that the anti-Mormons take. And in place of inspiration from God, what do they offer? Their human thoughts, human logic, human interpretations of scripture and human creeds, which came from the hearts and minds of humans. Hmm....
What are the anti-Mormons so afraid of? They virtually beg others to NOT pray. Do they have so little faith in God that they fear souls will be lost if people pray to Him and seek His Spirit to guide them in matters of faith? They deny the Holy Ghost; they deny revelation from God. Well did Nephi write that it is Satan, not God, who teaches a man not to pray (2 Nephi 32:8,9).
Interestingly, the LXX renders Jer 17:9 rather differently than the Hebrew. The LXX reads:
βαθεῖα ἡ καρδία παρὰ πάντα καὶ ἄνθρωπός ἐστιν καὶ τίς γνώσεται αὐτόν
The New English Translation of the Septuagint renders this verse as follows:
The heart is deep above all else, and so is man, and who shall understand him?
The translators of the LXX clearly did not understand this verse to refer to the fallen nature of man’s “heart”; quite the opposite, actually.
