Rēad to Read …Again
Daily Reading: Acts 27-28
Acts 28:24
And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.
And the same is true today. Some believe and some do not. Try as we might to embellish it, camouflage it, or shade it, there it is in all its stark simplicity. It really is just as basic as that. No matter the skill, personality, knowledge, love, compassion, or persuasiveness a preacher, teacher, or soulwinner may possess, some will come away from their message or teaching in the state of belief and some in the state of rejection. For that is certain, non-belief is truth rejected. In a preacher’s toolbox there are many tools to use for various situations. Logic, humor, illustrative stories, parables, and especially the skillful use of Scripture are some of those tools. But no matter how sharp the tool, if a person’s will is bent toward not accepting that which is communicated, then that which is communicated will not be accepted.
Isaiah knew this would be the way it is. For God told him so. And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. Isaiah 6:9-10 Luke, the writer of Acts, inserted this historical reference to help the reader understand this universal truth. Some believe and some do not.
Jesus quoted those verses from Isaiah in Matthew 13:14-15. The words of the Lord Jesus are quoted here in Acts 28. In fact, it has been said that this quote from Isaiah (Esaias) is used, in various forms, more often in the New Testament than any other from the Old Testament. In Matthew, the Lord was giving the great parable of the seed and sower. In that parable four types of soil are listed: hard packed (wayside), stony, thorny, and good. These illustrate the four conditions of a person’s heart. Three received the seed of the sower to various productivity one did not, the hard packed soil. This is perhaps where the term “hard hearted” derives. A hard heart receives not the Word no matter how earnest the sower of the Word may be.
Any person with a hard heart will find it difficult to believe the truth of God’s Word. Oftentimes, though, our heavenly Father has a way of plowing up that hard ground, “turning it over” as the old saying goes. Making it soft, open, and pliable. Once plowed the formerly hard ground is ready to receive the good seed of the Word of God. This is one of the answers to the question “Why did God allow this unwanted situation in my life?” Perhaps He is plowing up a hard heart making it suitable to receive the seed, the Word of God.
Discuss it as we may, illustrate it clearly, and speak it with many words, the truth of God’s Word being received or rejected is as simple as this. Some believe and some believe not. Same story, same preacher, same Scriptures, but different results. This is a truth that if understood answers many of life’s questions. It also puts the responsibility of belief squarely on the shoulders of where it should be: on the hearer. Such as it was, and such as it is, and such as it will be.
Dr. William T. Howe
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