For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:
To hate knowledge and refuse reverent obedience to God is to turn away from His extended mercy, reject His counsel and correction, and despise the light and salvation He offers. Such refusal hardens through pride, self-indulgence, worldly pleasure and neglected repentance until the heart is blinded to its own guilt. Therefore when calamity comes as desolation and whirlwind, those who refused will call without answer and reap the bitter harvest of their own choices. If mercy is finally exhausted and the Spirit grieved away, they are left without refuge and at last shut out from God's presence and eternal life. The warning now presses every hearer, especially professed believers, to repent wholeheartedly and choose life while mercy still pleads.
What Rejection Means
To hate knowledge and not to choose the fear of the Lord is to refuse when God calls, to disregard His outstretched hand, to set at nought all His counsel, and to want none of His reproof. It is to reject the knowledge He offers and to choose not to revere Him, despising all His reproofs and rejecting mercy, counsel, correction and warning. Repeated disregard hardens into further rejection, until those who would have none of His counsel are left to the consequences of their own way.
It is to slight the instruction and warnings of the Word of God and to despise the great salvation offered to sinners. It is to refuse light and evidence, to reject truth, and to disregard instruction when it exposes error. It is to refuse to heed His voice and to repent, trusting in self instead, so that the self-confident are surprised and fall and are taken by the enemy. Those who refuse to be taught in this way are left to follow their own way and may believe themselves right until they discover their mistake too late.
This refusal grows through worldly pleasures, pride and self-indulgence, which harden the heart until duty is despised and the desire to give anything to God is lost. It grows by refusing to humble the heart before God, by not putting away what He reproves, and by passing up opportunities to repent and reform. It grows even to mocking warnings, while continued resistance deepens moral darkness. Yielding to temptation in this course at last blinds to the true character of sin, with self-flattery that there was a good object in view and no wrong in departing from the Lord's requirements. In that hardened state further evidence is more likely to be misunderstood, and the voice no longer heard leaves to chosen delusions.
By contrast, those who listen to God and to wisdom dwell safely. They are quiet from fear of evil, while those who neglect His calls and correction reap the consequences of their own choices and call for help without answer when calamity comes.
Judgment on Rejecters
For this cause those who hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord are left unanswered when calamity comes. They refused the call, disregarded the outstretched hand, set at nought all counsel and would have none of reproof, slighting instruction and warnings, despising the great salvation offered, and refusing light and evidence. Then fear comes as desolation and destruction as a whirlwind with distress and anguish, and they will call but He will not answer and will seek early but not find Him. He laughs at their calamity and mocks when their fear comes, because they would have none of His counsel and despised all His reproof. Repeated disregarding of warnings hardens into further rejection until no answer can be found when they call.
They eat the fruit of their own way and are filled with their own devices. Their calamity and distress are the harvest of their own choices and the result of their wrongdoing, not an injustice to be charged to God. Rejecting the light given deepens moral darkness, and continued resistance makes further evidence more likely to be misunderstood, while those who listen can dwell safely and be quiet from fear of evil. Left to their own ways they are without refuge or consolation, surprised, fallen, and taken by the enemy.
The final outcome is to be sent away from God's presence to share the humiliation and punishment of Satan and his angels and to lose heaven and the gift of eternal life. In the final judgment distress will come and later calls will not be answered, and distress after the time for mercy has passed will not undo the consequences of refusal. Those who do not repent while mercy remains will face judgment without excuse, left to their own ways to be filled with the fruit of their own doings. God's tender pity will not bear always, His Spirit will at last be grieved away for the final time, and mercy's sweet voice will then be heard no more. Worldly pleasures, pride, and self-indulgence can harden the heart until duty is despised and desire to give anything to God is lost, bringing on that unanswered distress.
The nation's public rejection of God and the Bible in the French Revolution was followed by misery and ruin, making plain the connection between rebellion against God's law and its destructive results, as the people reaped the fruits of rebellion. Slighting the reproofs and warnings of God's Word and Spirit is perilous, for yielding to temptation until despite is done to the Spirit of grace leaves one to chosen delusions when its voice is no longer heard. Those who so refuse become blind to the true character of sin, flattering themselves that they had a good object in view and did no wrong in departing from the Lord's requirements, as Saul was. Even in the setting of Christ's death and tomb, the power of opposing rulers was helpless before God, and neither the rulers nor the forces of evil could keep the Son of God in the tomb.
Warning and Present Application
The warning falls on professed followers of Christ who hear the call of God and His reproof yet refuse to repent, to confess wrongs, and to accept correction, and their distress once mercy has passed will not reverse the consequences of refusal. To hate knowledge and refuse reverence for the Lord is to reject wisdom's calls and correction and then to face the fruit of one's own choices, even seeking help too late. If counsel is rejected while mercy remains, cries for help will at last go unanswered and judgment will come without excuse.
It falls likewise on all who are absorbed in worldly cares, idle talk, and foolish amusement and thereby rob God of service purchased with His own blood. Instead they are to make peace with Him, become acquainted with Him, come to Jesus, and choose life, even eternal life, so as to be ready to meet Him at His soon coming.
It falls on those in Battle Creek whose work does not bear the divine signature and who have come under another spirit, a condition foretold to appear in the last days. Amid repeated messages, blessings, and judgments, such as the burning of the sanitarium, the call is to examine the course and change it, for to turn away from counsel and disregard reproof is to reject counsel and refuse to come for life.
The verse thus sets a present choice between partaking largely of salvation through zealous repentance and being rejected and thrust away as disgusting from God. The way of life is wholehearted turning to God with full purpose, and the transgressor who repents will be pardoned. Tender pity will not bear always, the Spirit will at last be grieved away for the final time, mercy's voice will then be heard no more, and those who refused will be left to their own ways and filled with the fruit of their own doings. Those who refuse to be taught are left to follow their own way and may believe themselves right until the mistake is discovered too late, in the time of trouble.
To hate knowledge and refuse reverent obedience to God is to turn away from His extended mercy, reject His counsel and correction, and despise the light and salvation He offers. Such refusal hardens through pride, self-indulgence, worldly pleasure and neglected repentance until the heart is blinded to its own guilt. Therefore when calamity comes as desolation and whirlwind, those who refused will call without answer and reap the bitter harvest of their own choices. If mercy is finally exhausted and the Spirit grieved away, they are left without refuge and at last shut out from God's presence and eternal life. The warning now presses every hearer, especially professed believers, to repent wholeheartedly and choose life while mercy still pleads.
What Rejection Means
To hate knowledge and not to choose the fear of the Lord is to refuse when God calls, to disregard His outstretched hand, to set at nought all His counsel, and to want none of His reproof. It is to reject the knowledge He offers and to choose not to revere Him, despising all His reproofs and rejecting mercy, counsel, correction and warning. Repeated disregard hardens into further rejection, until those who would have none of His counsel are left to the consequences of their own way.
It is to slight the instruction and warnings of the Word of God and to despise the great salvation offered to sinners. It is to refuse light and evidence, to reject truth, and to disregard instruction when it exposes error. It is to refuse to heed His voice and to repent, trusting in self instead, so that the self-confident are surprised and fall and are taken by the enemy. Those who refuse to be taught in this way are left to follow their own way and may believe themselves right until they discover their mistake too late.
This refusal grows through worldly pleasures, pride and self-indulgence, which harden the heart until duty is despised and the desire to give anything to God is lost. It grows by refusing to humble the heart before God, by not putting away what He reproves, and by passing up opportunities to repent and reform. It grows even to mocking warnings, while continued resistance deepens moral darkness. Yielding to temptation in this course at last blinds to the true character of sin, with self-flattery that there was a good object in view and no wrong in departing from the Lord's requirements. In that hardened state further evidence is more likely to be misunderstood, and the voice no longer heard leaves to chosen delusions.
By contrast, those who listen to God and to wisdom dwell safely. They are quiet from fear of evil, while those who neglect His calls and correction reap the consequences of their own choices and call for help without answer when calamity comes.
Judgment on Rejecters
For this cause those who hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord are left unanswered when calamity comes. They refused the call, disregarded the outstretched hand, set at nought all counsel and would have none of reproof, slighting instruction and warnings, despising the great salvation offered, and refusing light and evidence. Then fear comes as desolation and destruction as a whirlwind with distress and anguish, and they will call but He will not answer and will seek early but not find Him. He laughs at their calamity and mocks when their fear comes, because they would have none of His counsel and despised all His reproof. Repeated disregarding of warnings hardens into further rejection until no answer can be found when they call.
They eat the fruit of their own way and are filled with their own devices. Their calamity and distress are the harvest of their own choices and the result of their wrongdoing, not an injustice to be charged to God. Rejecting the light given deepens moral darkness, and continued resistance makes further evidence more likely to be misunderstood, while those who listen can dwell safely and be quiet from fear of evil. Left to their own ways they are without refuge or consolation, surprised, fallen, and taken by the enemy.
The final outcome is to be sent away from God's presence to share the humiliation and punishment of Satan and his angels and to lose heaven and the gift of eternal life. In the final judgment distress will come and later calls will not be answered, and distress after the time for mercy has passed will not undo the consequences of refusal. Those who do not repent while mercy remains will face judgment without excuse, left to their own ways to be filled with the fruit of their own doings. God's tender pity will not bear always, His Spirit will at last be grieved away for the final time, and mercy's sweet voice will then be heard no more. Worldly pleasures, pride, and self-indulgence can harden the heart until duty is despised and desire to give anything to God is lost, bringing on that unanswered distress.
The nation's public rejection of God and the Bible in the French Revolution was followed by misery and ruin, making plain the connection between rebellion against God's law and its destructive results, as the people reaped the fruits of rebellion. Slighting the reproofs and warnings of God's Word and Spirit is perilous, for yielding to temptation until despite is done to the Spirit of grace leaves one to chosen delusions when its voice is no longer heard. Those who so refuse become blind to the true character of sin, flattering themselves that they had a good object in view and did no wrong in departing from the Lord's requirements, as Saul was. Even in the setting of Christ's death and tomb, the power of opposing rulers was helpless before God, and neither the rulers nor the forces of evil could keep the Son of God in the tomb.
Warning and Present Application
The warning falls on professed followers of Christ who hear the call of God and His reproof yet refuse to repent, to confess wrongs, and to accept correction, and their distress once mercy has passed will not reverse the consequences of refusal. To hate knowledge and refuse reverence for the Lord is to reject wisdom's calls and correction and then to face the fruit of one's own choices, even seeking help too late. If counsel is rejected while mercy remains, cries for help will at last go unanswered and judgment will come without excuse.
It falls likewise on all who are absorbed in worldly cares, idle talk, and foolish amusement and thereby rob God of service purchased with His own blood. Instead they are to make peace with Him, become acquainted with Him, come to Jesus, and choose life, even eternal life, so as to be ready to meet Him at His soon coming.
It falls on those in Battle Creek whose work does not bear the divine signature and who have come under another spirit, a condition foretold to appear in the last days. Amid repeated messages, blessings, and judgments, such as the burning of the sanitarium, the call is to examine the course and change it, for to turn away from counsel and disregard reproof is to reject counsel and refuse to come for life.
The verse thus sets a present choice between partaking largely of salvation through zealous repentance and being rejected and thrust away as disgusting from God. The way of life is wholehearted turning to God with full purpose, and the transgressor who repents will be pardoned. Tender pity will not bear always, the Spirit will at last be grieved away for the final time, mercy's voice will then be heard no more, and those who refused will be left to their own ways and filled with the fruit of their own doings. Those who refuse to be taught are left to follow their own way and may believe themselves right until the mistake is discovered too late, in the time of trouble.