The heart means love. A good heart means love to the Lord and to the neighbor, while a hard or stony heart means the love of self or the world -- riches and things. When the psalmist asks the Lord to search his heart, he wants the Lord to see what it is that he loves. And we are what we love. What we eat may form our earthly body, but it's only temporary, what we love forms our spiritual body, beautiful or ugly as we have chosen. It's interesting to note that the first multi-cellular motion of our embryo is the pulsating that starts in a twist of blood vessel that is to become our heart, and the last motion of our natural body is our heartbeat. It is there for all of our natural life. And of course there is a beating heart in our spiritual bodies when we come to put them on.

8294. 'I will unsheathe the sword' means unceasing conflict on the part of falsity arising from evil. This is clear from the meaning of 'the sword' as truth engaged in conflict against falsity and evil, and in the contrary sense as falsity engaged in conflict against truth and good, dealt with in 2799, 4499; and from the meaning of 'unsheathing', or baring it, as unceasing conflict until the enemy has been laid low. Unceasing conflict is likewise meant by an unsheathed or drawn sword in Moses, I will scatter you among the nations, and unsheathe a sword after you. Leviticus 26:33.

In Ezekiel,

I will scatter to every wind all his troop; and I will unsheathe the sword after them. Ezekiel 12:14.

In the same prophet,

Thus said Jehovah, Behold Me against you; I will draw my sword out of its sheath, and will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked. My sword will go out of its sheath against all flesh from south to north; so that all flesh may know that I Jehovah have drawn My sword out of its sheath, and it is not going to return any more. Ezekiel 21:3-5.

Here 'unsheathing' or 'drawing the sword' stands for not ceasing to engage in conflict until enemies have been laid low, and so stands for unceasing conflict. Unceasing conflict against evils and falsities is also meant by the unsheathed sword of the Prince of the army of Jehovah whom Joshua saw when he entered the land of Canaan, Joshua 5:13. It was a sign to them that they were to fight the nations there and to destroy them. By 'the nations' in possession of the land of Canaan at that time are meant those who before the Lord's Coming occupied the region of heaven which was subsequently given to members of the Lord's spiritual kingdom, 6914, 8054.