To truly understand the Word of God is not simply to know what it says but to put its wisdom into practice; to truly understand the Word is to apply it in the here and now, to apply it in our lives, in our generation. It does no good to know that God hates divorce, hates covenantal treachery, if we are divorcing our spouses. It does no good to know that God hates theft if we are embezzling from our employer. We have not truly understood the Word of God until we apply it in our lives; until it makes us change our behavior, adjust our worship, intensify our prayers.
It is this that we see happening in our text. The Word of God is changing, challenging, transforming our fathers – they are renewing covenant with God, applying the unchanging Word of God to their particular situation. As they do so, they give us some wisdom that will help us apply the Word of God today.