How do educated intellectuals respond to the Word of God?

Educated intellectuals respond to the Word of God by trying to argue it away from their highly educated position. They cannot bring themselves to say, 'This is what God says.' Their resistance stems from unbelief, the same unbelief that kept that generation from entering God's rest.

Les teaches that the intellectual community tries to argue the Word of God away from their highly educated position. They simply cannot bring themselves to confess, 'This is what God says.' This is the same problem today as it was for ancient Israel: people will not and cannot believe the Word of God. Unbelief was why they danced at the golden calf and failed to enter God's rest. Faith, by contrast, takes care of everything.

Why won't educated people accept what the Word of God says?

The educated reject it because unbelief, not lack of intellect, governs them. From a highly educated position they attempt to argue Scripture away and cannot bring themselves to say, "This is what God says." The root problem is unbelief, just as it was for those who failed to enter God's rest.