Revering the Word

"Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded" (Prov. 13:13).

This proverb contains important truth. One's attitude toward the Scriptures will determine one's eternal fate. If we believe the word, or as this verse puts it, "reveres the commandment," then we will be rewarded with life. However, if we despise the word we will be destroyed.

It seems simple enough on the face of it. But, what does it mean to "despise the word?" Despising the word is contrasted with revering the command. Revering does not mean veneration without obedience. To revere a command of God is to obey it out of reverence for the one who gave it. Therefore, despising the word means refusing to obey it.

There are some people who think they "revere" the word because they read it, study it, and meditate on it. However, when they fail to live out the truths they are reading, studying, and meditating on they despise the word. The Pharisees are a good example of this kind of behavior. They knew the word, in the sense that they could quote verses, but they didn't understand it. They could see Jesus in the Scripture, even though it all points to him.

It is like the story of the two builders: the wise one who built upon the rock and the fool who built upon the sand. Wisdom is building our lives upon the truths of Scripture. Foolishness is building our lives upon our opinions or the opinions of others. We are called to walk in humble obedience to the word--this is what it means to revere the commandment.