"The Hardened Heart"

"He croucheth, and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones." (Psalms 10:10) So, here we are, with what might seem like a verse that depicts the actions of one who deceives with humility, and the triumphs over his prey with the work of his underlings. Does this sound like the work of someone familiar? Maybe so; but do we actually know the power of desire? Sure, we might think that we have a grip on what desire can become, or that it is something that we can switch off, as if it were to be controlled in such a way; but it will only rest until it is sparked up again. If by chance we were speaking of the wickedness that is within a man's heart, then who might the "poor" be, and what is David speaking of? The primary definition of this word "poor" is that of defence, as in that which would be considered as fortification; much like a ditch that might be surrounding the walls of a castle; which is really a poor excuse for a deterrent from the enemy. It can also mean an army, or a host; primarily rendered as the host of the afflicted. Then when we look at the meanings of "croucheth" and "humbleth", we are given a picture of a broken heart that has cast down it's defences. This I believe is something that can be closely associated with a parable that Jesus shared about the seeds that were sown on stony places, or a hard heart. In Matthew 13:20 & 21, Jesus explains this parable as such: "But he that receiveth the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; yet hath he not root in himself, but endureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended". Now, you may be wondering how desire fits into that which Jesus was just talking about, yes? In John 12:25, Jesus says, "He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal". To put this in a little better perspective, we can look at the meaning of "fall by his strong ones"; for it is a picture of falling into a snare which is made up of something stronger; not necessarily something which is stronger by nature, but has been made stronger than that which is poor. What this would be, is the desire that we have to be loved and accepted in this life, for whatever reason that might be, whether it be for companionship, or prosperity, or to just be accepted into the social network; but whatever the reason, because there was no ground for the word to take root within our heart, the word that was received with gladness has been diminished, and has been taken over by the desire for this life; a life of fellowship with this world, over the fellowship with the Living God...