Jump Start # 2755
Psalms 50:16 “But to the wicked God says, ‘What right have you to tell of My statutes and to take My covenant in your mouth?”
It seems these days that everyone is an expert in all things. Actors, who spend a life pretending to be someone else, speak out on politics. Athletes, who spend a lifetime playing ball, speak out on what the ills of the country are. And, when it comes to religion, everyone has a voice, an opinion and a viewpoint.
However, long, long ago, God had something to say about all of this. Our verse declares that. What right does the wicked have in telling of God’s statutes? They are not in the position, be it authority, or by a righteous life, to declare the things of God. Yet, it is done. It was done back then and it is done today. People will rant and rave about the Bible. People will try to falsify what the Bible says. Some, wearing a cloak of religion, will declare that the Bible doesn’t mean what it says. They point to some ancient cultural findings to support what they say, never realizing, that without those cultural findings, no one would know what they do. Long ago, people took the Bible to read as it is written. The new enlightenment was unknown and unavailable to generations, which means for generations, people really didn’t know what God said. These enlightened ones author books, speak on prominent lectures, and appear to have more insight than the apostles that actually wrote the Bible. These thoughts ought to trouble us. Those young in faith get caught up by these things. They quote these writers as if they have the greatest insights of all time. But for many of these enlightened leaders, they have given up on simple Biblical principles. And, to our verse, what right do they have to tell of My statutes.
From all of this we need to remember a few things:
First, God’s word is written in such a way that you can know His will. You don’t need a stack of college degrees, nor a host of outside information to know what God wants you to know. Keep in mind the simple villager in the middle ages in Europe. Could he know the will of God? I say, “Yes.” He didn’t have a Vine’s Dictionary at hand to tell him the meaning of words. He didn’t know about archeological discoveries. He didn’t have access to maps. He didn’t know the original languages. He likely didn’t understand the cultural environment the Bible was written in. So much, that you and I now have. Yet, with all this information, has it changed what the Bible says? Did that European villager long ago get it?
Second, because the wicked makes bold attacks against the word of God that does not mean the attacks are founded, true or even with evidence. Cultural pressure to make right the wrongs of today doesn’t change anything. A thousand people screaming that something is right doesn’t make it right. Being blackballed, banned and shut down, because quoting God’s word offends some, doesn’t change what God’s word says.
Third, the wicked often are in the position of influence and power. They are found in courtrooms, deciding the fate of the unborn. They are in the halls of Congress, making laws about legalizing drugs. They stand in classrooms of universities, teaching young minds that God’s ancient book is no longer helpful and good. They are on the covers of popular magazines. Their names are in the headlines. People follow what they do and what they say. They are the shakers and movers of society. But in many, many ways, they have no right to say what God says. They have little reverence for God. They have no respect for God’s word. They have no understanding of the Bible. They are out of their league and in no position to speak about God. Yet, they do. And, many listen. Many are influenced.
Fourth, who then, would have a right to tell of God’s statutes? It’s not the wicked. The passage declares that. The answer would be the opposite. It would be the righteous. It would be those who read, follow and believe God’s word. It is those who have reshaped their lives by the living word of God. It is those who have found peace, joy and comfort from God’s word. It is those who have found salvation in the Lord. They know His word. They use His word. They live by His word. His word dwells within them. They can quote it. They can understand it. They can live by it. And, through that wonderful word of God, they have come to know, love and walk with the Lord. God’s word is golden to the righteous.
So, the next time someone wants to complain about the Bible, look at who is speaking. What do they know about the Bible? Are they simply trying to justify a wicked lifestyle and by doing this they try to discredit the message of God?
What right do you have to tell of My statutes? Great question!
Roger