In Second Chronicles, chapter thirty-six, verse sixteen, the messengers sent to call God’s people to repentance included Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, as in Jeremiah twenty-five, verses three through seven, chapter thirty-five, verses twelve to fifteen, respectively. Scoffing at God’s messengers is the same as despising God’s words. Anyone who despises the prophetic words of God’s messengers when they expose sin and compromise is rejecting God Himself. Continual rejection of God’s prophets resulted in the Israelites hardening their hearts until there was no remedy.
There are two sets of people living on the earth right now: the godly and the ungodly. The godly are the believers who will do the righteous things and follow in obedience according to the will of God. However, the ungodly are the unbelievers who will do the unrighteous things of the Devil, who are the children of disobedience. Still, the people are on opposite sides, like two opposing forces. Therefore, the motive is for one to come to the other side or vice versa.
The messengers of God, who are the righteous ones, were on duty in obedience to enlighten the people with the message to help them understand where they stand for them to change their ways of life and follow the Holy One. However, the people of God are those who know the ways of the Lord, but they have conformed to the lifestyle of the ungodly who are living in sin and do not realize it yet because they have become spiritually blinded. Even though this may be the case, these stiff-necked Israelites who are now used to living the way they have been practicing have the choice to accept or reject the messengers of God who bring the message to them. The word stirred them not to change and ask for forgiveness but to rebel and reject, which caused them to become hostile toward the servants of God.