You should know by now that most of the Psalms are
about calling on us to trust in God. In this Psalm, David and his men were
hiding in a cave. He prayed to God.
He affirms his steadfast faith in God: “My heart is
fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise” (57:7). What
does it mean “My heart is fixed”?
My heart is fixed, O God – The Hebrew word for
“fixed” is “kûn”. The word means “to be firm, be stable, be
established; to be fixed, be securely determined; to prepare, be ready”
(BDB Definition, e-sword).
David’s men tried to get him to kill Saul and seize
the throne which was rightfully his, but David wouldn’t do it. Why? His own
words about this instance say, “My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed:
I will sing and give praise” (Ps. 57:7). If David had not already fixed his
heart on what he would and would not do, he would have succumbed to the
pressure of that moment. But he had already fixed his heart against taking
Saul’s life.
David’s heart was firm and decided. He did not waver
in his purpose. He would not be “swayed” or “moved” by the events that had
occurred. His heart was firmly fixed on God. He did not doubt His justice, His
goodness, His mercy; and, even in his trials, he was ready to praise Him, and
was “resolved” to praise Him. The repetition of the word “fixed” gives emphasis
and intensity to the expression, and is designed to show in the strongest
manner that his heart, his purpose, his confidence in God, did not waver in the
slightest degree.
James says: “A double minded man is unstable in all
his ways” (James 1:8). It is a mind that is not fixed; it isn’t firm and
decisive. A double-minded Christians has his heart pulled in two directions -
one side of the heart desires for heavenly things and the other half for worldly
things - trying to secure both worlds. Our Lord says it is impossible to do so:
“Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24).
The prophet Elijah at Mount Carmel asked the people
who were gathered to watch the contest between the prophets of Baal and him: “How
long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal,
then follow him” (1 Kings 18:21). The Scripture says “the people
answered him not a word.” Barnes commented: “They wished to unite the
worship of Yahweh with that of Baal - to avoid breaking with the past and
completely rejecting the old national worship, yet at the same time to have the
enjoyment of the new rites, which were certainly sensuous, and probably impure”
(Barnes’ Notes, e-sword).
The "halting between two opinions" is
one of the great evils of all times.The world is fond of compromises, and the
same spirit finds its way into the Church. Professed Christians have been
compromising between truth and error, evil and good, and pleasure and holiness.
Liberal Christians want the best of both worlds – heaven and earth. They want
to go to heaven and at the same time, serving the devil here. They desire to
please God and the devil at the same time. The sad part is those who do so
always ended up losing God: “For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this
present world” (2 Timothy 4:10). A heart not fixed in God will ultimately
be plucked out completely.
We see the importance of a fixed heart. A fixed heart
is determined and steadfast; it will never be moved. A heart firmly fixed in
God will remain faithful. Is your heart fixed on God?
Jimmy Lau
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