Hosea 10
2 Their heart is divided; now they are held guilty. He will break down their altars; He will ruin their sacred pillars.
Psalms 86
11 Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name.
The divided heart causes guilt before God. He hates it and always resists it. He complains here about His people, Israel; but it is also true of the Church and the individual in particular.
Divided loyalty, not just minor doctrinal opinions but a bitter, harsh spirit among God’s people, is fatal. Jesus said that a “house divided against itself cannot stand.” This is true in all realms and especially one’s own personal life.
The heart of a person brings awful consequences, if its loyalty is in other areas besides God Almighty only.
1. The corruption and sickness from a divided heart:
Not just a sick foot with a limp, or an eye which is blinded, etc – one can still survive to a measure. But a divided heart is the centre of everything that happens to you. Everything else will be influenced, every thought, wish, desire, ethics, all becomes diseased. If you read the Holy War by John Bunyan the devil (Diabolus) says to the King, Shaddai, “I will give up all of Mansoul if you will just allow me to live in the castle of the heart.”
The divided heart brings death, for the most important part cannot survive.
The person with the divided heart is often not conscious of his condition and is not so visible. A worldly Christian is noticeable. But hypocrisy reigns in the divided heart.
Human beings are more disgusted by hypocrisy than any other fault.
Spurgeon says: If thou be a worldling, be a worldling. If thou serve Satan, serve him. If Baal be god, serve him, but mask not thy service of self and sin by a pretended service of God. Appear to be what thou art, tear off thy masks. The church was never meant to be a masquerade. Stand out in thy true colors. If thou preferest Satan’s shrine say so, and let men know it, but if thou wilt serve God, serve him, and do it heartily, as knowing him who is a jealous God.
The original translation for a divided heart is “Their heart flatters them; now are they found faulty.” The same divided heart will flatter you that you’re actually deep, spiritual, broad-minded, generous to other opinions, etc.
But the heart is “deceitful above all things” and is able to bluff you that darkness is light.
2. Characteristics of the divided heart: formality and doctrinal “purity” is of greatest importance to him. He has the form of godliness but lacks the power.
Inconsistency, says Spurgeon, is the main mark. A saint sometimes and a sinner in other situations.
Lack of seriousness about spirtual condition. Flippancy and playing with the things of God and of satan.
3. Effects: unhappy, because of inner conflict. A bird cannot sit on two brances. God said “how long will you sit between two opinions – Baal and Me?”.
God will not use you for He uses the cleansed vessel that is of one mind.
Such a person is a danger to the those around him because of his false testimony. Others can get infected with his leaven.
The Olympic athlete, Marion Jones, is now in sadness and disgrace and because of her danger to the world of sports she has been “removed”.
4. Future results: God’s anger, and eternal wrath. Not just the lightning of last week but a fearful future. The wheat and the chaff (because of the divided heart) is burnt.
The answer is a united, pure heart. In Ps 86 A united heart is a happy heart; hence David says, “Unite my heart to fear thy name.”.
Opposite of a divided heart is a “pure heart”. James says purify your hearts you men of double mind. The precious Blood of Jesus has the power to cleanse, make pure and “unite” the heart.