So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse reveals a severe consequence: God, seeing Israel's persistent rejection of His voice, withdraws His guidance. The "giving up" isn't God abandoning them, but rather allowing them to fully experience the disastrous results of their own stubborn wills and foolish choices.
So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This passage comes right after God has pleaded with Israel to listen to Him, reminding them of His mighty acts of deliverance. Despite God's gracious invitations and warnings, the people stubbornly refused to obey. Because of their persistent rebellion and rejection of His guidance, God declares He has withdrawn His restraining influence, leaving them to follow the desires of their own hardened hearts.
Ever feel like you're just going through the motions, and God isn't intervening like He used to? This verse sheds light on a profound and sobering divine action.
When Scripture says God 'gave them up,' it's not a casual dismissal. It's a consequence of persistent rebellion.
A Withdrawn Grace
This 'giving up' signifies God withdrawing His restraining grace, His guiding influence, and His Spirit's striving. It's what happens when His people repeatedly reject His voice and His ways. They chose their path, and God, in His justice, allowed them to walk in it.
The Ultimate Consequence
This isn't about God abandoning the faithful, but about Him allowing the unrepentant to fully experience the outcome of their choices. It's a profound judgment, leaving them to the 'stubbornness' or 'lusts' of their own hearts – essentially, allowing their desires and plans to lead them to ruin.
What happens when we stop listening to God and start relying solely on ourselves? This verse paints a stark picture of the inevitable outcome.
The phrase 'their own counsels' points to a dangerous self-sufficiency and a rejection of divine wisdom.
The Illusion of Self-Sufficiency
When God withdraws His guidance, humanity defaults to its own flawed understanding and desires. These 'counsels' are rooted in the 'stubbornness' or 'hardness' of the heart – the inner bent toward what feels right or pleases us, regardless of God's truth.
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A Path to Ruin
Following one's own counsel, apart from God, inevitably leads to disastrous results. It's a walk not guided by divine wisdom, but by human folly and corrupted desires, leading away from God's intended path for our lives.
Understand the original words
sherirut · Hebrew Noun
A metaphorical description of moral or spiritual hardness; it indicates a will that refuses to be molded by God, choosing self-will over divine guidance.
etsah · Hebrew Noun
Plans, schemes, or purposes devised by humans; often used in Scripture to contrast human limited wisdom with divine sovereignty.
This Psalm is a lament over Israel's persistent disobedience. The verse 'So I gave them up...' speaks to God's judgment where He withdraws His guiding hand, allowing His people to experience the disastrous consequences of their own stubborn choices. This often occurred after repeated warnings and opportunities for repentance, with the fall of the Northern Kingdom serving as a major historical example of such abandonment.
~1446 BC
Exodus from Egypt
God powerfully delivers the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, establishing His covenant with them and leading them to the Promised Land. This event is foundational to their identity and relationship with God.
~1446-1406 BC
Wilderness Wanderings
Following the Exodus, the Israelites journey through the Sinai desert for 40 years. During this time, they frequently rebel against God's leadership and commands.
~1406 BC
Entry into the Promised Land
Under Joshua's leadership, the Israelites finally enter and begin conquering Canaan, the land promised to their ancestors. This period is marked by continued struggle with obedience.
~1375-1045 BC
Period of the Judges
After Joshua's death, Israel enters a cycle of sin, oppression, repentance, and deliverance, highlighting their repeated failure to fully follow God's ways.
~1000 BC
United Monarchy (Saul, David, Solomon)
Israel experiences a period of relative unity and strength under its kings. Despite significant achievements, underlying disobedience and turning to other practices persist.
c. 931 BC
Division of the Kingdom
Following Solomon's reign, the unified monarchy splits into two kingdoms: Israel (north) and Judah (south). Both kingdoms largely continue in disobedience and idolatry.
c. 722 BC— this verse
Fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel
The Assyrian Empire conquers the Northern Kingdom of Israel, leading to the exile of its people. This serves as a stark warning to the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
This passage parallels God giving people over to their own desires when they reject Him, echoing the idea of being 'given up' to follow one's own stubborn heart.
Jeremiah 7:24This verse describes Israel's persistent disobedience and following their own stubborn will, directly connecting to the idea of walking in their own counsels despite God's commands.
Judges 17:6This verse highlights a period where 'everyone did what was right in his own eyes,' vividly illustrating the consequence of being given up to one's own counsels and desires without divine guidance.
Genesis 6:3This passage speaks to God's Spirit striving with humanity, implying that when people repeatedly reject God, He eventually withdraws His Spirit, allowing them to be governed by their own sinful inclinations.
clarkePsalms 81:12: "So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels."
Unto their own hearts' lust - To the obstinate wickedness of their heart. In their own counsels - God withdrew his restraining grace, which they had abused; and then they fulfilled the inventions of their wicked hearts.
pulpitPsalms 81:12: "So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels."
Verse 12. - So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust. God's Spirit will not always strive with men (Genesis 6:3). After a time, if they persist in evil courses and disobedience to his commands, he "gives them up," withdraws from them, leaves them to themselves, to the "lust," or rather "stubbornness" of their own hearts - to their own perverse wills and imaginations. And they walked in the…
This verse reveals a severe consequence: God, seeing Israel's persistent rejection of His voice, withdraws His guidance. The "giving up" isn't God abandoning them, but rather allowing them to fully experience the disastrous results of their own stubborn wills and foolish choices.
This passage comes right after God has pleaded with Israel to listen to Him, reminding them of His mighty acts of deliverance. Despite God's gracious invitations and warnings, the people stubbornly refused to obey. Because of their persistent rebellion and rejection of His guidance, God declares He has withdrawn His restraining influence, leaving them to follow the desires of their own hardened hearts.
This passage comes right after God has pleaded with Israel to listen to Him, reminding them of His mighty acts of deliverance. Despite God's gracious invitations and warnings, the people stubbornly refused to obey. Because of their persistent rebellion and rejection of His guidance, God declares He has withdrawn His restraining influence, leaving them to follow the desires of their own hardened hearts.
"So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels." — This verse reveals a severe consequence: God, seeing Israel's persistent rejection of His voice, withdraws His guidance. The "giving up" isn't God abandoning them, but rather allowing them to fully e…
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Last reviewed October 2026