Unbelief

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

UNBELIEF

Prov 20:2

2 A king's wrath is like the roar of a lion; he who angers him forfeits his life.

NIV

This is much like the saying of 19:12 “The lion and the Dew” we did just a little while ago. But why would the Lord inspire Solomon to write exactly the same thing, but in a different way? It is true God repeats things throughout his word to indicate there is a great truth we should be careful to see. But then all his word is a great truth we should be diligent in seeing. We know the fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom. We know that has wrath is stored up for those who refuse to accept his provision for eternal life. God has blessings for those who fear him, but wrath for those who mock him. Why would an unbeliever read this saying and think they should believe because of the wrath of God? Again this saying is for those of us who believe and read the word to learn some truth that is applicable for our lives. So then we should also be aware that God is the King of Kings and he has a roar of a lion. But how could we anger him in order to forfeit our lives? Again, because we are in Christ, we have peace or are at peace with God. In essence through Christ we signed a peace treaty with God and therefore fear not that lions roar. But this could serve us a warning never to turn our backs on the lion. Of course we are not ever going to be perfectly able to be without sin at some time throughout our lives. Perhaps we could even say we might fail to uphold Gods standards on a daily basis. That is why we need Jesus. But could we ever walk away? Not hardly, it seems inconceivable. But what is the reason we stay connected to God? It is out of the fear of his wrath? It is out of our love for him? It is because of what he gives us, or what we can get from him? Why would we forfeit our lives for any reason? What, other than walking away, turning our backs, proclaiming we no longer believe, would anger God? It would seem there is nothing. Our sin cannot anger him. Only our unbelief.

Heb 3:16-19

16 Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? 18 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? 19 So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief .

NIV

Unbelief surely angers God. We also know the story of the branches and the stem, that the Jews were broken off because of unbelief and the gentiles were grafted in, but unbelief can cause the same result.

Rom 11:13-24

13 I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry 14 in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. 15 For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16 If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, 18 do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in." 20 Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief , and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. 22 Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. 23 And if they do not persist in unbelief , they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!

NIV

So then it would seem we should reject any sort of unbelief. Is that unbelief simply defined as not believing in God, or could is also mean not believing God? How much do we believe him? That not only includes accepting Jesus, but believing all the word of God. This includes so much. Behaviors and attitudes to gain and some to loss. It also includes accepting certain things from God, as his gifts, allowing his fruit to flourish, putting on his armor, believing includes trusting him as well. When we do not accept his provisions, when we want to control our own destiny, do our own thing, is that a form of unbelief and does that cause anger in God? It would make perfect sense to believe everything that comes from the mouth of God. It would make absolutely perfect sense to trust God completely for everything in our lives. To believe means to believe it all, not just parts, not to cherry pick only the parts we think we want to believe and then say the rest does not apply to us, it was only for the Israelites, or the Hebrews, or the Romans, or the Corinthians or the Ephesians etc. No, we must believe it all or we might just face being cut off because of unbelief and then the roar of the King.