Topical Encyclopedia
The concept of the wicked forgetting the Law of God is a recurring theme in the Bible, highlighting the moral and spiritual decline of those who turn away from divine commandments. The Law of God, as revealed in the Scriptures, serves as a guide for righteous living and a reflection of God's holy character. When individuals or nations neglect or forget this divine law, they often fall into patterns of sin and rebellion against God.
Biblical References:1.
Psalm 50:16-17 : "But to the wicked God says: 'What right have you to recite My statutes and to bear My covenant on your lips? For you hate My instruction and cast My words behind you.'" This passage underscores the hypocrisy of the wicked who may outwardly acknowledge God's laws but inwardly reject and forget them.
2.
Psalm 119:53 : "Rage has taken hold of me because of the wicked who reject Your law." The psalmist expresses a righteous indignation towards those who dismiss God's commandments, indicating that forgetting the law is not merely a passive act but an active rejection.
3.
Hosea 4:6 : "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you as My priests. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children." This verse highlights the consequences of forgetting God's law, leading to destruction and divine rejection.
4.
Proverbs 28:4 : "Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law resist them." Here, the act of forsaking the law is equated with aligning oneself with wickedness, while adherence to the law is seen as a form of resistance against evil.
Theological Implications:Forgetting the Law of God is not merely an intellectual lapse but a spiritual and moral failure. It reflects a heart that is turned away from God and His righteous standards. The wicked, in their forgetfulness, often pursue their own desires and paths, leading to further estrangement from God.
The Bible consistently warns against the dangers of neglecting God's commandments. The Law is intended to be a constant reminder of God's will and a means of maintaining a covenant relationship with Him. When the wicked forget the law, they not only jeopardize their own spiritual well-being but also influence others to stray from the path of righteousness.
Moral and Spiritual Consequences:The forgetting of God's law by the wicked results in a breakdown of moral order and justice. It leads to societal decay, as seen in various biblical narratives where nations that turned away from God's commandments faced judgment and calamity. The prophets often called the people back to remembrance and adherence to the law as a means of restoring their relationship with God and averting disaster.
In personal terms, forgetting the law leads to a hardened heart and a seared conscience, making repentance and return to God more difficult. The wicked, in their forgetfulness, become blind to the truth and are often ensnared by their own sinful ways.
Call to Remembrance:The Scriptures repeatedly call believers to remember and meditate on God's law. This act of remembrance is not only a safeguard against wickedness but also a means of spiritual growth and blessing.
Psalm 1:2 states, "But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night." This delight and meditation stand in stark contrast to the forgetfulness of the wicked, emphasizing the importance of keeping God's commandments at the forefront of one's life.
Torrey's Topical Textbook
Hosea 4:6My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you, that you shall be no priest to me: seeing you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children.
Torrey's Topical Textbook
Library
The Wicked Servant
... this whole nation of England, if we forget that we ... If God's law be not in our hearts,
then mere outward ... in a very terrible way:- 'Thou wicked servant, unworthy ...
/.../the water of life and other sermons/sermon xviii the wicked servant.htm
David's Sin in the Matter of Uriah.
... from others, if they may live in allowed disregard of the law of God ... maintain a sense
of God's presence""Thou God seeth me." The wicked forget God or doubt ...
/.../lee/sermons on various important subjects/sermon x davids sin in.htm
The Tests of Love to God
... loves His law " the law of repentance, the law of self ... A wicked man who is
self-condemned, is afraid of ... shall be for ever translated into the paradise of God. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/a divine cordial/the tests of love to.htm
The Justice of God
... But God has given men a law, and they break it, therefore he punishes them justly.
(2.) God is just in punishing the wicked, because he never punished ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/a body of divinity/8 the justice of god.htm
The Law of the Lord.
... away, to destroy, unless it repented, the wicked city of ... to his own fancy, which
is no law, but lawlessness ... of the last verse, and worship the Son of God. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/westminster sermons/sermon x the law of.htm
The Seventh Season,
... severe prohibitions of revenge contained in the law of God. ... Reflect on this cutting
rebuke: "O thou wicked and slothful ... The mercy of God to us should melt our ...
//christianbookshelf.org/flavel/on keeping the heart/vii the seventh season.htm
"Who Will Rise up with Me against the Wicked?"
... of some to "rise up against the wicked," and join ... is given to every offender before
the law is put ... that all engaged therein have "the love of God shed abroad ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 52 who will rise.htm
The Life of God
... about God, and pretend that God is as wicked as you ... to rise out of the death of sin,
into God's life of ... They could preach the terrors of the Law, but they did ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/sermons for the times/sermon xv the life of.htm
Sons and Heirs
... shape its new being in my soul; and the Father against whose law I have ... no escape
from the old standing-place, of being 'enemies to God by wicked works,' by ...
/.../maclaren/romans corinthians to ii corinthians chap v/sons and heirs.htm
Against those who Fancy that in the Judgment of God all the ...
... prediction, therefore, was fulfilled,"the wicked Nineveh was ... place, yet that which
God's foreknowledge had ... own righteousness by the law, the righteousness of ...
/.../augustine/city of god/chapter 24 against those who fancy.htm
Resources
What should Christians learn from the Mosaic Law? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the difference between the ceremonial law, the moral law, and the judicial law in the Old Testament? | GotQuestions.orgWhat was the purpose of the Levitical Law? | GotQuestions.orgLaw: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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