WHO KNOWS THE HEART
If only God truly knows the human heart, why does He sometimes choose to reveal its secrets to His prophets and servants? How can believers today discern the difference between spiritual revelation and personal perception when it comes to matters of the heart? What can we learn from Pharaoh’s hardened heart about resisting God’s will, and how might similar resistance show up in us? Why is it often harder to love people whose hearts and motives God has revealed to us and how does the Spirit help us do so?
It can be one of the greatest challenges for prophets and seers, to see the wickedness hidden in a person’s heart, and yet still be required to love them. Scripture affirms that only God fully knows the human heart, yet in His sovereignty, He chooses to reveal its secrets to His prophets and servants when it fulfills His purpose.
That revelation can feel like both a gift and a weight to discern betrayal, envy, or deceit, and still obey the command to love, to bless, and to do no harm.
David knew that tension well. He saw Saul’s heart, felt his spear, and yet spared his life. He understood that the anointing of God demands restraint, mercy, and trust in divine justice.
Sometimes the true test of a prophet is not what you see, but how you respond to what God shows you.
But David said to Abishai, “Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless? -1 Samuel 26:9
The idea that only God knows a man’s heart is firmly grounded in Scripture. However, the Bible also shows that God reveals insights about men’s hearts to His prophets and servants when He chooses. Here are the key passages:
However, the Bible also shows that God reveals insights about the hearts of men to His prophets and servants when He chooses. Scripture teaches that while God alone fully knows the heart, He can and does reveal what is hidden when it serves His divine purpose. As Paul wrote, “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God” (1 Corinthians 2:10).
Distinction Between Human Wisdom and God’s Wisdom
In 1 Corinthians 2, Paul is addressing the believers in Corinth, a city known for its philosophy, rhetoric, and worldly wisdom. Many of its people were impressed by eloquence and intellect, but Paul makes a clear distinction between human wisdom and God’s wisdom. He teaches that the truths of the gospel cannot be discovered by human reasoning or learning; they are revealed only by the Holy Spirit.
When Paul says, “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit,” he is referring to the truths mentioned in verse 9: “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” Human understanding cannot comprehend the things of God through natural means; they must be spiritually revealed.
The phrase “For the Spirit searcheth all things” does not imply that the Holy Spirit is ignorant or in need of learning. It is a metaphor describing the Spirit’s complete knowledge and deep understanding of all things, including what lies far beyond human reach. When Paul adds, “Yea, the deep things of God,” he is referring to God’s hidden truths, divine purposes, and eternal realities. The Holy Spirit has full access to the very depths of God, just as a person’s own spirit knows their innermost thoughts (verse 11).
The Spirit of God is all-knowing and perfectly understands the mind of God. He reveals divine truths to believers not through human intellect but through revelation. This verse reminds us that understanding Scripture, discerning God’s will, and receiving spiritual insight depend completely on the work of the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 2:10 teaches that only the Holy Spirit can reveal the deep things of God. Human wisdom can never uncover divine truth; it comes solely through revelation. The Spirit’s “searching” is not inquiry or discovery but the expression of perfect knowledge, which He graciously unveils to those who walk with Him.
Rember God Told Moses About Pharaoh’s Hard Heart
God did tell Moses that Pharaoh would have a hard heart. This is a repeated theme in the book of Exodus. Sometimes Scripture says that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and other times it says that Pharaoh hardened his own heart. Both truths stand side by side, revealing both divine sovereignty and human responsibility.
Here are the key verses from the King James Version:
Exodus 4:21 - And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.
Exodus 7:3–4 - And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt.
Pharaoh’s Heart Is Described as Hardened
Exodus 7:13–14 - And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said. And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh’s heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go.
Exodus 9:12 - And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken unto Moses.
Exodus 9:34–35 - And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children of Israel go.
God warned Moses that Pharaoh would have a hard heart. God both permitted and used Pharaoh’s stubbornness to demonstrate His power and glory in delivering Israel. As Scripture later affirms, “For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth” (Romans 9:17).
God’s knowledge of the human heart is never merely for judgment but for revelation and redemption. From Pharaoh’s hardened heart to the repentant heart of David, God reveals what is hidden in people to fulfill His greater purpose. He knew Pharaoh’s pride and used it to display His power and deliver His people, showing that even resistance can serve His plan. Throughout Scripture, God exposes hearts; whether proud, deceitful, or humble—not to destroy, but to redeem, teach, and reveal His glory. His insight into every heart proves His sovereignty, and His willingness to share that insight through His Word and Spirit draws humanity back to Himself.
God sees every heart, uses every heart, and reveals hearts so that all may know His power, mercy, and plan of salvation.
