What is a whole heart?

WHOLE HEARTED-LEV SHALEM

In 2 Chronicles 25:2, it says that Amaziah "did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, yet not with a whole heart."  The phrase 'whole heart' in Hebrew is lev shalem.  It means a whole, unfragmented, uncompromised heart.  The parallel verse in 2 Kings 14:4 states that Amaziah did what was right in the sight of the Lord "yet not like David his father".  It implies that David had an unfragmented heart towards the Lord, a lev shalem.  He didn't compromise his relationship with the Lord, no matter who or what was coming against him.

By Amaziah not having a whole heart, he got into all sorts of trouble and a premature death.  Let's look at how not serving the Lord with a whole heart leads to a miserable life.  Amaziah did not take away the high places; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on them.  High places were places given to idol worship; the worshippers believing that the higher up they were, the closer they were to god.  What is the highest place on a human?  Their head.  For our purpose, we'll say it's our mind.  The mind is the true battleground for the human.  The mind, the will, and the emotions are all united in one entity called the soul.  There are many aspects of the human heart and soul, just as there are many chambers in the physical heart.  When the Psalmist says, "Bless the Lord, O my soul AND all that is within me" (Psalm 103:1), he indicates that there are chambers inside of us that can bless the Lord.  The high place of the mind is where we entertain thoughts, which lead to feelings and actions.

Amaziah did what was right in obeying the Law of the Lord.  He put his father's murderers to death.  But not their children.  The law of Moses states that the sons will not be put to death for the sins of their fathers.  He was obedient to the law here.  Yet, he hired Israelites to be in his army, for which the prophet later rebuked him because the Lord was not with Israel the way He was with Judah.  He was still victorious in his battle because "God has power to help and to bring down" (2 Ch. 25:8).

But after his victory over the sons of Seir, he brought their gods back home and bowed down to them.  One can see that not having a whole heart ('lev shalem') like David's, led Amaziah to give in to idol worship.  He left a chamber in his heart open and idol worship crept in.  This gave way to other sins.

After this, Amaziah, in his arrogance, wants to confront the king of Israel in a face off.  The king of Israel rebukes him saying, "Your heart has become proud in boasting" (2 Ch. 25:19).   The heart that is not fully given to the Lord will leave itself open to pride, boasting, and many other critters that should be kept out.  In this case, his heart was divided between serving the Lord and serving himself.  James says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."  This scripture is fulfilled in Amaziah's life:  "But Amaziah would not listen, for it was from God, that He might deliver them into the hand of the Joash because they had sought the gods of Edom." (v. 20)

Amaziah died a miserable death.  His heart was not fully given to serving the Lord.  It was fragmented and compromised.  He allowed other things to creep in and lead him down a path of destruction.  What an example for us today.

"Lord, give us a whole heart.  Bind up the chambers that are open and vulnerable to compromise.  Create in us a 'lev shalem'-a whole heart.  In the Name of Jesus."