How can Psalm 50:17 guide our response to biblical teachings we dislike? Setting the Scene: Psalm 50:17 “For you hate My instruction and cast My words behind you.” (Psalm 50:17) What the Verse Reveals about Our Hearts • Dislike for certain commands can slip into outright rejection of God’s authority. • Ignoring His words is never neutral; it is an intentional act of pushing them “behind” us. • The Lord sees both the attitude (“you hate My instruction”) and the action (“cast My words”). Why Disregarding God’s Word Is Dangerous • Scripture is “God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). To despise it is to despise the One who breathed it. • “The word of God is living and active… it judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). Refusing that judgment leaves the heart unchanged. • “Do not merely listen to the word… do what it says” (James 1:22). Self-deception grows when hearing is divorced from doing. Healthy Responses When Scripture Offends Our Preferences • Humble Listening Recognize that God, not personal taste, defines truth (Isaiah 55:8-9). • Honest Self-Examination Ask, “Why does this command bother me? Is it exposing sin or unbelief?” (Psalm 139:23-24). • Prayerful Submission Invite the Spirit to soften resistance and align desires with God’s will (Philippians 2:13). • Prompt Obedience “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it” (Luke 11:28). Obedience often precedes understanding. • Continual Meditation Delight in the law; over time affection replaces aversion (Psalm 1:2; 119:97). Practical Steps to Move from Resistance to Reverence 1. Read the contested passage aloud several times; let God’s voice, not inner objections, set the tone. 2. Compare Scripture with Scripture; often another text clarifies the one we resist (Acts 17:11). 3. Confess known sin connected to the reluctance—pride, fear, comfort-seeking (1 John 1:9). 4. Seek counsel from mature believers who submit to the same Word (Proverbs 15:22). 5. Act on at least one concrete application within 24 hours; small obedience builds momentum (John 14:15). Promises That Encourage Willing Obedience • “Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble.” (Psalm 119:165) • “Whoever keeps His word, truly in him the love of God is perfected.” (1 John 2:5) • “The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.” (Psalm 19:7) Closing Challenge: Cherish, Don’t Cast Off Psalm 50:17 warns against the reflex to toss aside hard teachings. Instead, let resistance signal a need for deeper surrender. The same God who confronts also empowers; as we receive every word He speaks, we trade resentment for rejoicing and uncover the freedom found in wholehearted obedience. |
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