Dear reader, how godly are you? This question, in part, is reflected by your attitude towards the Holy Scriptures. To be more specific, how much do you treasure the Scriptures? Much to the surprise of many, both the righteous and wicked have a definite attitude towards the word of God, though they are opposites. While the righteous love, treasure and believe the Bible to the point of putting it into practice, the wicked react the other way and sometimes violently.
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. (Psa 1:1-3)In general, God's word does good to those who are upright in heart:
Should it be said, O house of Jacob: "Is the Spirit of the LORD angry? Does he do such things?" "Do not my words do good to him whose ways are upright?" (Micah 2:7)
When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God Almighty. (Jer 15:16)Job
I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread. (Job 23:12)David
The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. (Psa 19:9,10)The Unnamed Writer of Psalm 119:
Though rulers sit together and slander me, your servant will meditate on your decrees. (Psa 119:23)StephenI lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees. (Psa 119:48)
May the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause; but I will meditate on your precepts. (Psa 119:78)
Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. (Psa 119:97)
I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. (Psa 119:99)
My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises. (Psa 119:148)
Because I love your commands more than gold, more than pure gold, (Psa 119:127)
How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! (Psa 119:103)
I long for your salvation, O LORD, and your law is my delight. (Psa 119:174)
Stephen was a man who was very godly. He preached an unplanned sermon and quoted Scripture from memory 9 times, gave a rebuke at the end of it, got stoned to death and went to Heaven (Acts 7:2-60). His love for the Word of God and desire to spread its life-giving message is exemplary.
There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. (John 12:48)To reject the truth is the same as rejecting the message of the Bible, since God's word is truth:But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. (Rom 2:8)
Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit. (1 Thess 4:8)
And will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of those who reject the truth. (Titus 1:14)
For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king. (1 Sam 15:23)
The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the LORD, what kind of wisdom do they have? (Jer 8:9)
Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. (John 17:17)Also, according to Jer. 8:9 to reject the message of the Bible means one does not have Godly wisdom!
The ungodly in Jeremiah's day:
To whom can I speak and give warning? Who will listen to me? Their ears are closed so they cannot hear. The word of the LORD is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it. (Jer 6:10)(This trait seems to be common among the ungodly, that is, God's word does not bring pleasure to them, but instead is offensive.)
The ungodly in Isaiah's day:
Therefore, as tongues of fire lick up straw and as dry grass sinks down in the flames, so their roots will decay and their flowers blow away like dust; for they have rejected the law of the LORD Almighty and spurned the word of the Holy One of Israel. (Isa 5:24)The Wicked In General:These are rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to listen to the Lord's instruction. They say to the seers, "See no more visions!" and to the prophets, "Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions. Leave this way, get off this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!" (Isa 30:9-11)
But to the wicked, God says: "What right have you to recite my laws or take my covenant on your lips? You hate my instruction and cast my words behind you." (Psa 50:16,17)Paul and Barnabas answered the unsaved boldly:
We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. (Acts 13:46)To reject God's message as found in the Bible is to consider yourself unworthy of eternal life. This is basic truth, since one gets "born again" through the word of God:
For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. (1 Pet 1:23)The Wicked Can Have A Violent Reaction To God's Word:
Some wicked people have had a violent reaction towards the word of God. An example of this was King Jehoiakim, who burnt the word of God in fire and wanted God's servants arrested:
Whenever Jehudi had read three or four columns of the scroll, the king cut them off with a scribe's knife and threw them into the firepot, until the entire scroll was burned in the fire. The king and all his attendants who heard all these words showed no fear, nor did they tear their clothes. Even though Elnathan, Delaiah and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them. Instead, the king commanded Jerahmeel, a son of the king, Seraiah son of Azriel and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet. But the LORD had hidden them. (Jer 36:23-26)
The Bible is final authority in all spiritual matters and makes the man of God thoroughly equipped for every good work:
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Tim 3:16,17)Scripture cannot be broken:
If he called them ‘gods,' to whom the word of God came—and the Scripture cannot be broken (John 10:35)The holy word of the living God is settled forever. The wisest thing for you to do is to humbly accept it and change your behavior and beliefs accordingly. Its message will affect you and your loved ones throughout all of eternity.
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