Tag: simple

50.j. Wilderness – 14.p. “Take care lest you forget the LORD your God”

 

Deu 8:11-18  “Take care lest you forget the LORD your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end. Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. And if you forget the LORD your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish. Like the nations that the LORD makes to perish before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the LORD your God.

 Proverbs 1:32   For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them;

 Proverbs 30:9   lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the LORD?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.

 Psalms 106:21    They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt,

 Hosea 13:5-6     It was I who knew you in the wilderness, in the land of drought;  but when they had grazed, they became full, they were filled, and their heart was lifted up; therefore they forgot me

 Jeremiah 2:31   And you, O generation, behold the word of the LORD. Have I been a wilderness to Israel, or a land of thick darkness? Why then do my people say, ‘We are free, we will come no more to you’?

 1 Corinthians 4:7   For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?

 Psalms 127:1-2    Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.  It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.

When everything is fine and our lives are filled with abundance, it is not hard to have our hearts lifted up. We can easily forget the LORD Himself and forget it was all His work on our behalf. In times of abundance, it is easy to forget the LORD, or to at least no longer seek Him with the urgency we once had. We often think highly of our own hard work and brilliance. Yet we must see that God gives us the body, the brain, and the talent. It is all of God.  His plan is that it would ultimately further His eternal purpose. Therefore, we have no right to use our material blessing to further selfish purposes; instead, we use our resources to advance His kingdom. (Guzik)

Moses directs to the duty of a prosperous condition. Let them always remember their Benefactor. In everything we must give thanks. Moses arms them against the temptations of a prosperous condition. When men possess large estates, or are engaged in profitable business, they find the temptation to pride, forgetfulness of God, and carnal-mindedness, very strong; and they are anxious and troubled about many things. In this the believing poor have the advantage; they more easily perceive their supplies coming from the Lord in answer to the prayer of faith; and, strange as it may seem, they find less difficulty in simply trusting him for daily bread. They taste a sweetness therein, which is generally unknown to the rich, while they are also freed from many of their temptations. Forget not God’s former dealings with thee. Here is the great secret of Divine Providence. Infinite wisdom and goodness are the source of all the changes and trials believers experience. Israel had many bitter trials, but it was to do them good. Pride is natural to the human heart. Would one suppose that such a people, after their slavery at the brick-kilns, should need the thorns of the wilderness to humble them? But such is man! And they were proved that they might be humbled. None of us live a single week without giving proofs of our weakness, folly, and depravity. To broken-hearted souls alone the Saviour is precious indeed. Nothing can render the most suitable outward and inward trials effectual, but the power of the Spirit of God. See here how God’s giving and our getting are reconciled, and apply it to spiritual wealth. All God’s gifts are in pursuance of his promises. Moses repeats the warning he had often given of the fatal consequences of forsaking God. Those who follow others in sin, will follow them to destruction. If we do as sinners do, we must expect to fare as sinners fare. (Henry)

47.l. “Wilderness” – 11.r. “Let no one deceive you with empty words”

 

Num 16:19-35  Then Korah assembled all the congregation against them at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And the glory of the LORD appeared to all the congregation. And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, “Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.” And they fell on their faces and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will you be angry with all the congregation?” And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Say to the congregation, Get away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.” Then Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. And he spoke to the congregation, saying, “Depart, please, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be swept away with all their sins.” So they got away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. And Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the door of their tents, together with their wives, their sons, and their little ones. And Moses said, “Hereby you shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all these works, and that it has not been of my own accord. If these men die as all men die, or if they are visited by the fate of all mankind, then the LORD has not sent me. But if the LORD creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you shall know that these men have despised the LORD.” And as soon as he had finished speaking all these words, the ground under them split apart. And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the people who belonged to Korah and all their goods. So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol, and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. And all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up!” And fire came out from the LORD and consumed the 250 men offering the incense.

 Ephesians 5:6-7   Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.  Therefore do not become partners with them;

Even though more than 250 leaders opposed Moses and Aaron, they rightly understood this to be the work of one man. Korah was the center of all this. The LORD told Moses to warn the people of Israel to separate themselves from the rebellion of Korah, so that they would not be caught up in the judgment soon to come against them. The same attitude should be among God’s people today. They should stay away from divisive, argumentative, contentious people in God’s family. There should be an appropriate fear of being caught in the same judgment or correction that they will bring upon themselves.

Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned. (Titus 3:10-11)

Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. (Romans 16:17-18)

Divisive and contentious people will never claim to be divisive and contentious. They always consider their work a noble cause. Therefore, God’s people need discernment to look at what others do, not only at what they say. It is not comfortable for us to see their families also judged, but this shows that the families of the rebellious, divisive, contentious people suffer also – often greatly. (Guzik)

The ruin of others should be our warning. Could we, by faith, hear the outcries of those that are gone down to the bottomless pit, we should give more diligence than we do to escape for our lives, lest we also come into their condemnation. (Henry)

44.q. “Wilderness” – 8.w. “The law of the LORD is perfect”

 

Exodus 32:15-16  Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, tablets that were written on both sides; on the front and on the back they were written. The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.

Deuteronomy 9:15    So I turned and came down from the mountain, and the mountain was burning with fire. And the two tablets of the covenant were in my two hands

 Psalms 19:7     The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;

 2 Corinthians 3:3   And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

 Hebrews 8:10    For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

 “For as he is the sole author of law and justice, so he alone can write them on the heart of man.” (Clarke)

All law and morality must come from God’s standard and character and not be up to the opinion or changing values of men. (Guzik)

Note what was the sin here. It is generally taken for granted that it was a breach of the second, not of the first, commandment, and Aaron’s proclamation of ‘a feast to the Lord’ is taken as proving this. Aaron was probably trying to make an impossible compromise, and to find some salve for his conscience; but it does not follow that the people accepted the half-and-half suggestion. Leaders who try to control a movement which they disapprove, by seeming to accept it, play a dangerous game, and usually fail. But whether the people call the calf ‘Jehovah’ or ‘Apis’ matters very little. There would be as complete apostasy to another god, though the other god was called by the same name, if all that really makes his ‘name’ was left out, and foreign elements were brought in. Such worship as these wild dances, offered to an image, broke both the commandments, no matter by what name the image was invoked. The roots of idolatry are in all men. (MacLaren)

What a change it is, to come down from the mount of communion with God, to converse with a wicked world. In God we see nothing but what is pure and pleasing; in the world nothing but what is sinful and provoking. (Henry)

The awakened conscience is said to “repent,” when, having felt its sin, it feels also the divine forgiveness: it is at this crisis that God, according to the language of Scripture, repents toward the sinner. Thus, the repentance of God made known in and through the One true Mediator reciprocates the repentance of the returning sinner, and reveals to him atonement. (Barnes)

34.v. “Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD”

 

Matthew 22:1  And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

 Romans 7:4    Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.

 Revelation 21:2    And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

 Revelation 21:9    Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.”

 Proverbs 1:24-32    Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded,  because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof,  I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you,  when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you.  Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me.  Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD,  would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof,  therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.  For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them;

 Jeremiah 6:16-17    Thus says the LORD: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’  I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘Pay attention to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not pay attention.’

 Hosea 11:2   The more they were called, the more they went away;

 Hosea 11:7    My people are bent on turning away from me, and though they call out to the Most High, he shall not raise them up at all

 Romans 10:21   But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”

 Hebrews 12:25   See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven.

 Matthew 7:13-14   “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.  For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

 Luke 13:28    In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out.

 Matthew 13:50    and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

 2 Thessalonians 1:9   They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,

It seems strange that those invited refused an invitation to a royal wedding. This illustrates the principle that there is no logical reason God’s good gifts are refused. The reaction of those invited made no sense, but it does give an accurate description of the reaction of many to the gospel. (Gill) 

Many made light of the invitation; others go about their business as if the invitation is not worthy of their time. The reason why sinners come not to Christ and salvation by him, is, not because they cannot, but because they will not. Making light of Christ, and of the great salvation paid by Him and offered through Him, is the damning sin of the world. They were careless. Multitudes perish forever through mere carelessness, who show no direct aversion, but are careless as to their souls. Also the business and profit of worldly employments hinder many in choosing redemption, salvation, and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Both farmers and merchants must be diligent; but whatever we have of the world in our hands, our care must be to keep it out of our hearts, lest it come between us and Christ. The case of hypocrites is represented by the guest that had not on a wedding-garment. It concerns all to prepare for the scrutiny; and those, and those only, who put on the Lord Jesus, who have a Christian temper of mind, who live by faith in Christ, and to whom he is all in all, have the wedding-garment. The imputed righteousness of Christ, and the sanctification of the Spirit, are both alike necessary. No man has the wedding-garment by nature, or can form it for himself. The day is coming, when hypocrites will be called to account for all their presumptuous intruding into gospel ordinances, and wrong use of gospel privileges. Take him away. Those that walk unworthy of Christianity, forfeit all the happiness they presumptuously claimed. Our Savior here passes out of the parable into that which it teaches. Hypocrites go by the light of the gospel itself down to utter darkness. Many are called to the wedding-feast, that is, to salvation, but few have the wedding-garment, the righteousness of Christ, the sanctification of the Spirit. Then let us examine ourselves whether we are in the faith, and seek to be approved by the King. (Henry)

“There are no longer feet to run to God’s mercy or to flee from his justice; no longer hands to do good or make amends for evil; no longer saving light, whereby to know God or one’s own duties. Nothing but darkness, pain, grief, tears, rage, fury, and despair, for him who is not in the wedding hall. (unknown)

12.w. “Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts.”

Psalms 19:7  The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;  the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;  the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.  Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.  Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.  Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

Proverbs 8:10-11    Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold,  for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.

Job 28:12  “But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?  Man does not know its worth, and it is not found in the land of the living. The deep says, ‘It is not in me,’ and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’  It cannot be bought for gold, and silver cannot be weighed as its price.  It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire.  Gold and glass cannot equal it, nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.

Proverbs 3:13-15    Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding,  for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold.  She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her.

Proverbs 16:16     How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

Jeremiah 15:16  Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts.

If God’s Word was removed from you would you miss it? Would your soul feel hunger pangs? Whenever you sit down and open your Bible, you’re feasting on something that is “more… desired… than gold… sweeter… than honey”, When people lose their appetites, we worry about them. As Christians, we should have a hearty appetite for God’s Word and for the kind of righteous living it produces. Hungering for spiritual food is a good indication of our walk with God.  We lose our appetite for God’s Word there is a health decline in our hearts, minds, and souls.  Our understanding of the spiritual things of God is lost.  Our knowledge of His great and precious promises is lost. Our ability to see spiritual battles and lies of Satan is lost.  Our ability to honor, worship, glorify, follow, obey, trust, and rely on God is lost.  If you have no hunger and appetite for God’s Word there is a good chance you are nearsighted, blind, and have forgotten the great price that was paid through grace, mercy, and love for you.  Your walk will have the appearance of godliness and your words will have the sound of godliness but in your spirit, you are dying or dead.  God’s word is not to be taken lightly.  How are you to claim promises you never know? How are you to fight spiritual battles you never see? How are you to recognize sin in your life?  How are you going to be able to walk by faith?  How are you going to encourage, build-up, and strengthen yourself, your family, your church, and the lost?  Without an appetite for God’s Word, you are becoming nothing more than walking dead.

Peter said: “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of a reminder since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.”

10.u.”The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart”

Micah 2:7  Has the Lord grown impatient? Are these his deeds? Do not my words do good to him who walks uprightly?

Psalms 19:7-11    The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;  the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;  the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.  More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.  Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

Proverbs 2:7     he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,

Proverbs 10:29     The way of the LORD is a stronghold to the blameless, but destruction to evildoers.

Hosea 14:9    Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.

Jeremiah 15:16     Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts.

Psalms 119:99-103   I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation.  I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts.  I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word.  I do not turn aside from your rules, for you have taught me.  How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

God’s word is a light unto our path, a beacon to our soul, a delight to our heart, wisdom to our mind, shield against our fears, a stronghold of courage, a fortress of rest, joy, and peace, and a sure foundation throughout eternity.  Through His Word, we find hope, and our faith is continually strengthened.  His Word exposes the intent of our hearts and leads us onto paths that honor and glorify Him.  His Word will revive a tired and broken soul.  His Word will convict our hearts.  His promises become our stronghold against the devil.  Spend time in His Word, hungering, and thirsting for His truths to be revealed to your heart, mind, and soul.  In them, the things of this world grow strangely dim and eternity grows brighter than the sun.

5.k. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you

Job 12:12  Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days.

Job 8:8   “For inquire, please, of bygone ages, and consider what the fathers have searched out.

Job 32:7   I said, ‘Let days speak, and many years teach wisdom.’

1 Kings 12:6-8   Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?”  And they said to him, “If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever.”  But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him.

Hebrews 5:12   For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food,

Pro 1:2  To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight,  to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth— Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance,  to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

There is worldly wisdom that comes to most.  It comes with time and age. It is cultivated through experience and observing good and bad, right and wrong, worldly and godly, smart and foolish, and justice and injustice.  This wisdom can teach a man how to walk a worldly path and avoid troubles that have come to others.  This wisdom can make one appear to have the secrets of knowledge and understanding.  However, in the end, this wisdom only has the ability to help in worldly things.   It is missing wisdom that comes from a surrender of self to Jesus Christ.  Without this godly wisdom, we will miss grace, mercy, love,  forgiveness, salvation, redemption, and eternity in heaven.  Godly wisdom is a gift to those who desire and seek after things of God.  This desire and seeking drive us to His Word, to our knees or to our hands lifted high in praise and worship of Jesus Christ.  It is in this reverence we touch the surface of godly wisdom and it is in this that we will grow and mature.  Choose today to start fresh and committed to seeking and growing in Godly wisdom.

29. Unintentional and unknown sin

Numbers 15:22  “But if you sin unintentionally, and do not observe all these commandments that the LORD has spoken to Moses,

Leviticus 4:2    “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If anyone sins unintentionally in any of the LORD’s commandments about things not to be done, and does any one of them,

Leviticus 4:13-14    “If the whole congregation of Israel sins unintentionally and the thing is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and they do any one of the things that by the LORD’s commandments ought not to be done, and they realize their guilt,  when the sin which they have committed becomes known,

Leviticus 4:22    “When a leader sins, doing unintentionally any one of all the things that by the commandments of the LORD his God ought not to be done, and realizes his guilt,

Leviticus 5:15    “If anyone commits a breach of faith and sins unintentionally in any of the holy things of the LORD,

17  “If anyone sins, doing any of the things that by the LORD’s commandments ought not to be done, though he did not know it, then realizes his guilt, he shall bear his iniquity.

Psalms 19:7  The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;  the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;  the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.  More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.  Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.  Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults.  Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.  Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

Job 6:24    “Teach me, and I will be silent; make me understand how I have gone astray.

Psalms 40:12    For evils have encompassed me beyond number; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head; my heart fails me.

One of the hardest diseases of the soul to detect is unknown, unintentional sin.  This disease eats away from the inside out.  It seems never to be seen by the one infected.  We easily see it in those we spend time with and on occasion those we first meet.  We can see it in how they act, in what they say and think, and in what they do or do not do.  This disease affects everyone.  It routinely consumes more and more of the life of the person as they become more and more neglectful and complacent with God’s word.

Being blind to the disease does not keep us from being accountable.  Imagine being on a trip to a different state or country and while in the course of your trip you get arrested for some act.  It takes you by surprise and you tell the officer you did not know of the law which you broke.  They are not going to say, “oh, that makes a big difference, you can go”.  The judge is not going to say, “Well, because you did not know of the law you broke, you are not guilty.”

The fact remains you are guilty and must bear the consequences of your action.  In the letter from Paul in Romans it states it like this; “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” In Matthew, the outcome is; “Depart from me for I never knew you.”

Being neglectful and complacent in His word allows more and more diseases to invade our heart and soul.  These diseases destroy the fruits of the Spirit and render the infected worthless in serving, honoring, glorifying, worshiping, following, and obeying God.

Stay in His word and come to God with a heart and soul deep open prayer like David. “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

In His word

Psalms 119:137   Righteous are you, O LORD, and right are your rules.  You have appointed your testimonies in righteousness and in all faithfulness.  My zeal consumes me, because my foes forget your words.  Your promise is well tried, and your servant loves it.  I am small and despised, yet I do not forget your precepts.  Your righteousness is righteous forever, and your law is true.  Trouble and anguish have found me out, but your commandments are my delight.  Your testimonies are righteous forever; give me understanding that I may live.

Psalms 19:7-9     The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;  the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;  the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.

Nehemiah 9:33     Yet you have been righteous in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly.

We might say that God’s written word is an incomplete display of His character and nature; that is, there is more to God than what we can receive from His word. But what we do have in His word is accurate and properly displays to us who He is.

We might say that the God who actually exists is not different than His written revelation to us. He is greater than what can be comprehended through His written word, but He is not different than what is revealed to us through that word.

God’s words are especially helpful for establishing that He is very faithful. We often judge a person’s faithfulness by seeing if their words and their actions match. Along with other believers through the centuries, the Psalmist could say that the words of God and the actions of God were and are consistent, and show Him to be very faithful.

“Trust in the reliability of God’s word is directly proportionate to one’s trust in the Lord himself.” (VanGemeren)

“The Bible mirrors the character of God. Anyone who cares about knowing what is righteous and wants to act righteously should study the Bible.” (Boice)

Zeal implies energy and action. The appreciation of the Psalmist for the word of God was not passive. The living and active word of God brought forth a living and active response from the Psalmist. “Thus we see every man is eaten up with some kind of zeal. The drunkard is consumed with drunkenness, the whore-monger is spent with his whoredom, the heretic is eaten with heresies. Oh, how ought this to make us ashamed, who are so little eaten, spent, and consumed with the zeal of the word! . . . Oh, what a benefit it is to be eaten up with the love and zeal of a good thing!” (Greenham, cited in Spurgeon)