When men choose to reject the truth, God tends to withhold further truth from them. The result is spiritual and intellectual darkness.
Although one individual may possess both power and authority, the two are not identical. Authority is the right or responsibility to do something whereas power is the ability to do something. Unfortunately, the modern versions missed this truth when they translated Matthew 28:18. Instead of properly expressing that because of the resurrection the Lord Jesus had been given all power in heaven and earth, these so-called bibles suggest that He had been instead given authority. The authority already resided with Him, but the resurrection declared Him “to be the Son of God with power” (Romans 1:4). His resurrection from the dead gave Him the power over death by conquering the one who possessed the power of death (Hebrews 2:14).
Rebels will not and cannot enjoy the breadth of God’s intended blessings. For those harmed by the consequences of sin, God desires to make things right. The Bible says that “he bringeth out those which are bound with chains.” God delivers those taken captive by the wicked. For this reason, the Bible says that He will be “a father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows” (Psalm 68:5). Yet, He also withholds blessings from those who rebel against His will. Rebels will instead “dwell in a dry land” bereaved of the blessings of God. Though this was no doubt intended as the literal withholding of rain, it bears a spiritual truth that rebels will miss out on the richness of what God has for them. The Lord wants men to know His joy and His peace; however, rebellion offers nothing but a dearth of God’s blessings.
Wisdom often results from time and experience. It should not, however, be assumed that old age automatically equals wisdom. For instance, the Bible says, “Better is . . . a wise child than an old and foolish king.” Wisdom comes from the Lord, and He distributes wisdom irrespective of one’s age. Perhaps the wisest statements given by man found within the Book of Job were given by a young man named Elihu (Job 32:6). He listened carefully as Job’s older friends spewed forth foolish words. He thought that “days should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom” (Job 32:7). Eventually, he came to the conclusion, “great men are not always wise: neither do the aged understand judgment” (Job 32:9).
Psalm 119 is filled with statements promoting the necessity of the word of God. Seven times in this psalm we find a statement declaring the writer’s desire to meditate upon the words of God. Three of these times he states emphatically that he will meditate in God’s statutes or His precepts (Psalm 119:15, 48, 78). Not only was meditating upon God’s words something that the psalmist desired to do in the future, but he had formed this habit long ago (Psalm 119:23, 99). The writer of this psalm, like other successful believers in the past, made it common practice to meditate in the words of God both day and night (Psalm 119:97; Psalm 1:2; Joshua 1:8).
Worldly misconceptions have caused many believers to struggle with the biblical concept of love. Love can originate from what is generally considered a negative expression. Our passage shows that the Lord corrects those whom He loves. Love does not express itself for the satisfaction of the one who loves, but for the benefit of the one that is the object of one’s love. When we think of how to express our love for someone, a hug or kind words generally come to mind. These expressions are often used to send a message of love; however, the Bible presents additional insights often not directly associated to loving someone. This is why the Bible points out that chastening can be used to express love toward the recipient. Furthermore, Proverbs 13:24 shows that a father who loves his son chastens that son because of his love for that child. We are led to believe that expressing love for others is best expressed by bailing them out every time they are in trouble. Yet, the Lord declares that love does what is best for the recipients of that love, even if that includes correction.
The Bible repeatedly addresses the outcomes of obedience and disobedience. It reveals that blessings follow obedience and curses follow disobedience. This truth was plainly explained to the children of Israel on several occasions. In fact, the Bible lists the curses that follow disobedience (Deuteronomy 28:15-44). The curses range from personal judgment to national judgment, but the obvious fact was that disobedience withheld blessings. For instance, disobedience drove Adam and Eve from the garden in Eden (Genesis 3:22-24). Saul's disobedience cost him his kingdom (1 Samuel 28:18). Moses' disobedience meant that he could not enter into the land of promise (Numbers 20:12). The consequences of disobedience may differ today, but every act of disobedience has negative consequences.
The children of Israel had an important decision to make: whether to obey the Lord or unwisely refuse to obey Him. The Lord assured His children that their obedience would pay off with fruitful dividends. He promised to bless their obedience and curse their disobedience. The Bible clearly lists the blessings of obedience (Deuteronomy 28:1-14). Though the blessings of obedience can vary from one person to the next, obedience always yields God's blessing. For instance, Abraham was told that all nations would be blessed in his seed because he obeyed the voice of the Lord (Genesis 22:18). Isaiah told the Israelites that, if they would obey, they would eat the good of the land (Isaiah 1:19). Jeremiah told his audience that their obedience would cause it to be well with their soul and that their souls would live (Jeremiah 38:20). Blessings received from obedience may vary, but the blessings of obedience are well worth any temporary fleshly sacrifice.
The Lord desired a special relationship with the nation of Israel choosing to bless them both spiritually and physically above all other nations. One such blessing involved bringing them safely into the land of Canaan. However, many of these blessings were dependent upon Israel maintaining the right type of relationship with the Lord. He, therefore, issued several commandments for the Israelites to carefully keep (i.e., Deuteronomy chapter 11). The Lord desired for Israel to “hearken diligently” (Deuteronomy 11:13) and “diligently keep” (Deuteronomy 11:22) these commandments. He wanted His people to carefully listen when He spoke, giving God their full attention (listening to every word). He also wanted them to attentively obey what they heard. He always desired for His people to listen to and obey Him. God speaks today through the Bible. He still wants men to diligently hear and obey.
