I came across a discussion (somewhere?) several weeks ago concerning the meaning of “broken heart and contrite spirit.”1 Some viewed “broken” and “contrite” in a negative light, as in the quashing of personality, desires, independence, self-esteem, self-worth, self-respect, and so forth—a condition that was to them completely unacceptable, even contemptible.
When viewed only from mortal perspective and experience, broken and contrite can seem offensive and demeaning, but from God’s higher perspective,2 what might He mean by “broken heart and contrite spirit”?
Could “broken and contrite” be the remedy to one of God’s most frequent laments—the hardened condition of the human heart?—a déjà vu lament that begins in Genesis and then echoed down the ages.3
And GOD saw that the wickedness[4] of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Old Testament | Genesis 6:5)
… behold, there are many that harden their hearts against the Holy Spirit, that it hath no place in them; wherefore, they cast many things away which are written and esteem them as things of naught. (Book of Mormon | 2 Nephi 33:2; see others below.5)
How can we ever imagine that we know enough to pursue our own way7 into the eternities with our limited vision and memory in this season of probation and testing? Isn’t this one of the great tests—to break away from our attachments to the things, temptations, and wisdom of the world and trust in the transrational God?
Perhaps the best synopsis of “broken and contrite” is found in this familiar, but oft-forgotten verse:
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Old Testament | Proverbs 3:5-6)And perhaps the best example is the Psalm of Nephi.8
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1. Old Testament | Psalms 34:18 ~ The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
Old Testament | Psalms 51:17 ~ The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, …
Book of Mormon | 2 Nephi 2:7 ~ Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered.
Book of Mormon | 3 Nephi 9:20 ~ And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not.
Book of Mormon | 3 Nephi 12:19 - 20 ~ And behold, I have given you the law and the commandments of my Father, that ye shall believe in me, and that ye shall repent of your sins, and come unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. Behold, ye have the commandments before you, and the law is fulfilled. Therefore come unto me and be ye saved; for verily I say unto you, that except ye shall keep my commandments, which I have commanded you at this time, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Book of Mormon | Ether 4:15 ~ … when ye shall call upon the Father in my name, with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, then shall ye know that the Father hath remembered the covenant which he made unto your fathers, O house of Israel.
Book of Mormon | Moroni 6:2 ~ Neither did they receive any unto baptism save they came forth with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, and witnessed unto the church that they truly repented of all their sins.
Doctrine and Covenants | Section 59:8 ~ Thou shalt offer a sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in righteousness, even that of a broken heart and a contrite spirit.
2. Old Testament | Isaiah 55:8-9 ~ For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
3. http://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.ca/2014/01/gods-lament.html
4. (straying from truth and purpose? falling victim to The Three Temptations?)
5. Old Testament | Deuteronomy 8:13-14, 17 ~ And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; … And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.
Old Testament | Joshua 24:23 ~ Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel.
Book of Mormon | Alma 12:10-11 ~ And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full. And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell.
Book of Mormon | Alma 12:34-35 ~ Therefore, whosoever repenteth, and hardeneth not his heart, he shall have claim on mercy through mine Only Begotten Son, unto a remission of his sins; and these shall enter into my rest. And whosoever will harden his heart and will do iniquity, behold, I swear in my wrath that he shall not enter into my rest.
Book of Mormon | Alma 34:31-32 ~ Yea, I would that ye would come forth and harden not your hearts any longer; for behold, now is the time and the day of your salvation; and therefore, if ye will repent and harden not your hearts, immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you. For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.
Book of Mormon | Helaman 7:17-18 ~ O repent ye, repent ye! Why will ye die? Turn ye, turn ye unto the Lord your God. Why has he forsaken you? It is because you have hardened your hearts; yea, ye will not hearken unto the voice of the good shepherd; yea, ye have provoked him to anger against you.
Book of Mormon | Helaman 12:2 ~ Yea, and we may see at the very time when he doth prosper his people, yea, in the increase of their fields, their flocks and their herds, and in gold, and in silver, and in all manner of precious things of every kind and art; sparing their lives, and delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; softening the hearts of their enemies that they should not declare wars against them; yea, and in fine, doing all things for the welfare and happiness of his people; yea, then is the time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God, and do trample under their feet the Holy One—yea, and this because of their ease, and their exceedingly great prosperity.
Doctrine and Covenants | Section 20:15 ~ But those who harden their hearts in unbelief, and reject it, it shall turn to their own condemnation—
Book of Mormon | Alma 34:9 ~ For it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made.
Doctrine and Covenants | Section 112:13 ~ …if they harden not their hearts, and stiffen not their necks against me, they shall be converted, and I will heal them.
6.Flesh: http://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.ca/2014/11/the-flesh.html ;
Spirit: http://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.ca/2014/11/the-divided-soul.html
7. Our Own Way vs. The Way, the Truth, and the Light:
Old Testament Isaiah 65:2 ~ I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts;
New Testament Romans 10:2-3 ~ For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
New Testament Philippians 2:21 ~ For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's.
Book of Mormon Helaman 6:31 ~ [Y]ea, the more part of them had turned out of the way of righteousness, and did trample under their feet the commandments of God, and did turn unto their own ways, and did build up unto themselves idols of their gold and their silver.
Doctrine and Covenants Section 1:16 ~ They seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own god, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance is that of an idol, which waxeth old and shall perish in Babylon, even Babylon the great, which shall fall.
Doctrine and Covenants Section 56:14 ~ Behold, thus saith the Lord unto my people—you have many things to do and to repent of; for behold, your sins have come up unto me, and are not pardoned, because you seek to counsel in your own ways.
Doctrine and Covenants Section 82:6 ~ And the anger of God kindleth against the inhabitants of the earth; and none doeth good, for all have gone out of the way.
Old Testament | 1 Samuel 12:24 ~ Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.
Old Testament | 1 Kings 8:61 ~ Let your heart therefore be perfect with the LORD our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.
Old Testament | Psalms 147:3 ~ He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
8. Psalm of Nephi: Book of Mormon | 2 Nephi 4:15-35
And upon these I write the things of my soul, and many of the scriptures which are engraven upon the plates of brass. For my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the learning and the profit of my children.
~ Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard.
~ Nevertheless, notwithstanding the great goodness of the Lord, in showing me his great and marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth: O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities.
~ I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me.
~ And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted.
~ My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep.
~ He hath filled me with his love, even unto the consuming of my flesh.
~ He hath confounded mine enemies, unto the causing of them to quake before me.
~ Behold, he hath heard my cry by day, and he hath given me knowledge by visions in the night–time.
~ And by day have I waxed bold in mighty prayer before him; yea, my voice have I sent up on high; and angels came down and ministered unto me.
~ And upon the wings of his Spirit hath my body been carried away upon exceedingly high mountains. And mine eyes have beheld great things, yea, even too great for man; therefore I was bidden that I should not write them.
~ O then, if I have seen so great things, if the Lord in his condescension unto the children of men hath visited men in so much mercy, why should my heart weep and my soul linger in the valley of sorrow, and my flesh waste away, and my strength slacken, because of mine afflictions?
~ And why should I yield to sin, because of my flesh? Yea, why should I give way to temptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my peace and afflict my soul? Why am I angry because of mine enemy?
~ Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul.
~ Do not anger again because of mine enemies. Do not slacken my strength because of mine afflictions.
~ Rejoice, O my heart, and cry unto the Lord, and say: O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation.
~ O Lord, wilt thou redeem my soul? Wilt thou deliver me out of the hands of mine enemies? Wilt thou make me that I may shake at the appearance of sin?
~ May the gates of hell be shut continually before me, because that my heart is broken and my spirit is contrite! O Lord, wilt thou not shut the gates of thy righteousness before me, that I may walk in the path of the low valley, that I may be strict in the plain road!
~ O Lord, wilt thou encircle me around in the robe of thy righteousness! O Lord, wilt thou make a way for mine escape before mine enemies! Wilt thou make my path straight before me! Wilt thou not place a stumbling block in my way—but that thou wouldst clear my way before me, and hedge not up my way, but the ways of mine enemy.
~ O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm.
~ Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen.
