In the Old Testament, "the law" is use to refer to the first five books of the Bible. In fact, it was "The Bible" for the Old Testament believers. Had this verse been written during Paul's day, or even in our day, I have a feeling it would have said,
"If anyone turns a deaf ear to God's Word..." The Message translates this verse thus:
God has no use for the prayers of the people who won't listen to him.
Our prayers are worthless words if we are not willing to listen and then live out what God has to say to us through His Word. The Bible is not just a book of ancient stories meant to give us some inspiration and make us feel better. It is God's Word to us and God's plan is that we take it, learn it, apply it, and live it.
When we do that, our prayers are effective.
Psalm 66:18 NAS If I regard wickedness in my heart, The Lord will not hear.
ReplyDeleteIt is a bit daunting to contemplate the holiness of God and the utter un-holiness of man[kind]. It should cause us to pause and wonder when we feel our prayers have gone "unanswered", is it possible that the wickedness of our hearts was the reason for the "deafness" of the Holy One.
Indeed we should always approach the Lord God Almighty in fear and trembling and complete reverence whether we approach the throne of grace in prayer and worship, open the Word, partake in the Lord's Supper or anything declared by Him as holy. Hmmm, even when we are interacting with the heart of one of His children?