Only Two Attitudes

“Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.” (Pr 13:13 AV)

There are only two reactions one can have towards the written word of God.  To despise here means to disrespect.  To fear here means to revere.  These two are as opposed as light and darkness. They are as opposite as east and west.  There is no middle ground between despising and fearing.  There is no neutral position when it comes to the word of God.  As Christ said, he that is not with me is against me.  The only position that could be a third possibility is ignorance.  Once ignorance becomes mute, the soul will either respect or disrespect the word of God.  This can be done in an obvious way.  Or, it can be very subtle.  From outward rebellion, to mild criticism.  From violent reaction to academic investigation.  Despising the word of God is anything short of holding it is fear and awe.

Our nature prefers the former.  All one has to do is notice one’s attitude towards a speed limit.  There are neighborhoods in my city with twenty-five mile per hour limits and it drives the average driver crazy.  There are other indications as to our attitude towards the written word of God.  Do we see it as the very voice of God, or do we see it as a text book?  Do we see it as a supernatural book that is perfectly preserved from eternity?  Or, do we see it as the next best thing that happened to be marred by human error?  There are many ways in which we can disrespect the word of God.  We can fail to read and study it.  That is the biggest insult.  Imagine your mother or father, husband or wife, child or neighbor took the time to write you a letter.  Imagine if time and distance has separated you.  When you receive the letter, it would be disrespectful to throw it on the dresser and never read it.  We disrespect the word of God when we make it subject to our own values and desires.  We interpret the word of God according to the desires of our hearts rather than the message which the Spirit has for us.  Conversely, there are ways we can respect it.  Accepting it by faith and not subjecting it to our own reasoning is the highest form of respect.  Reading it and studying it faithfully shows great respect.  Taking care of it physically is another.

The bottom line is this.  The word of God is His manifestation of Himself to mankind.  It is as if the LORD left a video or recorded message for those whom He deeply loves.  It is not for us to subject His manifestation to our whims.  There was a time when we kept our Bibles as the dearest possession we have.  There was a time when we covered it, marked in it, rebound it, and always knew right where it was.  There was a time when we faithfully read it for the soul purpose of hearing the Spirit speak.  Our relationship with the LORD is directly tied to how we hold His Word.  Sometimes, that which becomes common is treated common.  All it takes to recover this respect, fear, and awe is simple meditation.  All it takes is to remember they are not mere words on a page.  It is the supernatural, perfectly preserved, words of God provided as the means by which the Spirit communes with our spirit because we are the children of God.