Tag: spoken falsely

3.i. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD,  would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof,

2 Chronicles 36:11  Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God. He did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the Lord. He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God. He stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord, the God of Israel. All the officers of the priests and the people likewise were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations. And they polluted the house of the Lord that he had made holy in Jerusalem.

The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose against his people, until there was no remedy.

Isaiah 28:22    Now therefore do not scoff, lest your bonds be made strong; for I have heard a decree of destruction from the Lord GOD of hosts against the whole land.

Jeremiah 5:12-13     They have spoken falsely of the LORD and have said, ‘He will do nothing; no disaster will come upon us, nor shall we see sword or famine.  The prophets will become wind; the word is not in them. Thus shall it be done to them!’”

Proverbs 1:24-30    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,

1 Thessalonian  therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly; in a moment he will be broken beyond healing.

Proverbs 29:1     He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing.

When I read these verses I wonder why it was that people chose not to hear the word of God and follow Him.  What had hardened their heart like a stone?  What filled the void in their life so full that was able to keep them from trusting, following, and obeying God?  It is not as though they did not know what they were doing was wrong.  It appears that they chose not to believe, not to trust, not to obey, not to serve, and not to humble themselves before God.

Then I looked back at my life and remembered how I lived apart from God, choosing to live like He did not exist.  I can not understand the softening of my heart and the grace and mercy God showed toward me in this process of bringing me to a place where I was able to see my lost and sinful soul and His forgiveness and redemption through Jesus Christ.  He opened the eyes of my heart, mind, and soul to fully see my need of redemption.  He opened my mind to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  He placed people into my life and led me to a place where I had to choose to believe or reject His grace, mercy, and love in and through Jesus Christ.  Rejecting Him was not even a thought.  Wanting and needing Him was the only choice.  He was knocking at the door of my heart, mind, and soul.

I would like to say that I remained always obedient, always listening, always obeying, always honoring, always serving, always trusting, but this was not what happened.  I bounced along life following and not following, obeying and not obeying, listening and not listening, honoring and not honoring, trusting and not trusting.  Then something happened.  I started to be in and read His word almost everyday.  in His word the Holy Spirit began to expose the raw nerves of self-centered, self-interest, self-seeking, self-serving of my being.  Everyday I am made aware of the great price that was paid for me, a sinner.  I am made aware of God’s great power, might, strength, and the love, joy, peace, strength, power, and courage that He gives to those who choose to humbly serve, honor, follow, trust, and obey Him.

Eternity in hell comes to those who choose to disregard Jesus Christ.  Eternity in heaven comes to those who choose to believe and obey Him.  Now is the time of awareness.  Now is the time of redemption.  Not tomorrow, not next week, not next month or year.  Delaying this choice is very foolish in light of the punishment / reward.  I wonder how many people die unexpectedly thinking they had more time to get right with God and end up in eternity apart from God and in torment forever.

Right now is the time to be conscious of the choice to believe, trust, follow and obey Jesus Christ.

And they did not believe them.

Genesis 19:12  Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the city, bring them out of the place.  For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it.”  So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, “Up! Get out of this place, for the LORD is about to destroy the city.” But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be jesting.

Numbers 16:26    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.”

Revelation 18:4-8     Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues;  for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.  Pay her back as she herself has paid back others, and repay her double for her deeds; mix a double portion for her in the cup she mixed.  As she glorified herself and lived in luxury, so give her a like measure of torment and mourning, since in her heart she says, ‘I sit as a queen, I am no widow, and mourning I shall never see.’  For this reason her plagues will come in a single day, death and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who has judged her.”

2 Chronicles 36:16    But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD rose against his people, until there was no remedy.

Proverbs 29:1    He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing.

Isaiah 28:22     Now therefore do not scoff, lest your bonds be made strong; for I have heard a decree of destruction from the Lord GOD

Jeremiah 5:12-14    They have spoken falsely of the LORD and have said, ‘He will do nothing; no disaster will come upon us, nor shall we see sword or famine.  The prophets will become wind; the word is not in them. Thus shall it be done to them!’”  Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of hosts: “Because you have spoken this word, behold, I am making my words in your mouth a fire, and this people wood, and the fire shall consume them.

Luke 17:28-30     Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building,  but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all—  so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.

Luke 24:11    but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.

1 Thessalonians 5:3    While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them

Disbelief has a way of capturing the hearts and minds of many.  What starts out as disbelief soon turns to scoffing and trying to prove all things of God false.  No urgent warning will be listened too.  No pleas for turning to God will be acted upon.  No promise of God believed.  It is sad to think of and yet we must be mindful of the lies and deceptions of the father of all lies who whittles away truth one small lie or seed of doubt at a time.

Matthew Henry stated it like this: An unbelieving heart was at the bottom of all this. All disobedience to God’s laws, and distrust of his power and goodness, flow from disbelief of his word, as all true obedience springs from faith. It is profitable for us to divide our past lives into distinct periods; to give thanks to God for the mercies we have received in each, to confess and seek the forgiveness of all the sins we can remember; and thus to renew our acceptance of God’s salvation, and our surrender of ourselves to his service. Our own plans seldom avail to good purpose; while courage in the exercise of faith, and in the path of duty, enables the believer to follow the Lord fully, to disregard all that opposes, to triumph over all opposition, and to take firm hold upon the promised blessings.

A disbelieving heart and mind  to God’s judgment, anger and wrath will  certainly hardened their heart to God’s grace, mercy and love.  Jesus gave the example of a rich man and a poor beggar named Lazarus.

“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’

30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

How are we to see acts of God move mountains, earth shake, healing,  blessings, protection, courage, and grace, mercy and love without belief?  It is hard to have belief and faith in God unless time is spent with Him and His word feeding our heart, mind, and soul.  When the world is on a wide and easy path to judgment and hell it is more important than ever to be diligent in prayer, reading His word, growing in understanding, knowledge and faith, and proclaiming salvation and forgiveness of sin.