He Turns it Wherever He Will:
Does Proverbs 21:1 teach that God controls the human heart?
First and foremost, the key principle regarding the practical application of all proverbs applies to this verse as well. Proverbs are a kind of wisdom literature and should be read, interpreted, and applied in light of this genre. This means we need to exercise caution when using them to make claims about ultimate reality.
For example, in this same chapter, we see the following statements:
Proverbs 21:5 The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.
Do the plans of the diligent always lead surely to abundance? Does every hasty person always come only to poverty?
Proverbs 21:17: Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.
Is this a universally true statement about the nature of reality, or does it reflect a general principle that tends to be the case?
Secondly, understanding this proverb requires the accurate interpretation of at least three metaphors:
1 - the heart,
2 - the stream of water, and
3 - God turning and directing the stream of water.
The deterministic reading interprets the king’s “heart” as (roughly) his will, the stream as identical to that will, and the turning of the stream as God’s determination of all that the king wills and does.
That interpretation is plausible, but are these the most natural ways to understand those metaphors?
The Bible generally describes the “heart” as the source of actions. In this way, associating it with the will (and with a person’s loves and desires) is accurate. However, the metaphor seems to be that the actions flow out of the heart like a stream:
Matthew 15:18–19 – "What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander."
Proverbs 4:23 – "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life."
(see also Matthew 12:34-35, Luke 6:45, James 3:11).
To clarify the metaphor: the king’s heart - that is, his will and his desires - are the source of his actions, which flow from his heart like a stream of water. It is this stream that God directs. The stream itself could be identical with the heart (meaning God turns the king’s will directly, deterministically controlling his desires and intentions), or the stream could be more symbolic of the king’s actions (suggesting God guides and directs the actions, but does not necessarily determine the king’s will).
To extend the metaphor, a stream of water is turned and directed, not by literally picking up and moving the stream, but by establishing boundaries and barriers to control its flow. The natural way that a stream is “turned” is not by forcibly moving the water or shifting the source, but by shaping the landscape through which it flows. In this case, the metaphor is of the water flowing through the hand of the LORD. If water were literally flowing over God’s palm, he would direct its flow by moving and adjusting the shape of his hand, not necessarily by directly manipulating each water molecule to turn in a certain direction.
If taken by itself, I think that both the deterministic reading (God controls the king’s will) and the non-deterministic reading (God directs the king’s actions towards His own desired purposes) are both plausible interpretations of Proverbs 21:1. However, I would argue that the way the heart is described in many other Proverbs, gives much more support to the non-deterministic interpretation.
Throughout the book of Proverbs, it is made clear that people are responsible for the condition of their hearts. There are many commands concerning the heart, all of which suggest that people have control over its condition rather than being controlled by its desires:
Proverbs 2:2 – "Making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding."
Proverbs 3:1 – "My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments."
Proverbs 3:3 – "Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart."
Proverbs 4:4 – "Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live."
Proverbs 4:21 – "Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart."
Proverbs 23:12 – "Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge."
Proverbs 23:17 – "Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day."
Proverbs 23:19 – "Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way."
Proverbs 23:26 – "My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways."
Proverbs 24:17 – "Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles."
Proverbs 28:14 – "Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity."
Additionally, the state of the human heart is often specifically contrasted with the will and desires of God:
Proverbs 16:5 – "Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished."
Proverbs 11:20 – "Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the Lord, but those of blameless ways are his delight."
Proverbs 19:3 – "When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the Lord."
Proverbs 6:14 – "[A wicked person] with perverted heart devises evil, continually sowing discord."
The above verses put the responsibility of the heart's state squarely on the individual, and none even hint at the idea that God causally determines this state.
While there are plenty of verses that speak of God influencing and working miraculously and dramatically on the human heart, no passage explicitly teaches the Calvinist idea that all people, "do nothing save at the secret instigation of God.1”
1 John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 1, Chapter 18, section 1