Do We Understand?

 

“Understand” is an important word in so many aspects of our life. We want other people to understand us, not only our words, but also our motives, our hearts. Other people want us to understand them in the same way.

A few days ago, I made this post on Facebook.

This morning a pastor I follow on Linkedin accidentally made me smile and gave me some encouragement. I'm still smiling about it. His post said, "...we continue our study of the sermon and the amount..." I'm so glad that I'm not the only person who talk to text does not like. My daughter says, "Talk to text is not your friend." I'm thinking about the lessons learned from this and will probably write a blog later, but wanted to share because I hope someone else identifies and gets a laugh or a smile out of this. In case you haven't figured it out, "the Sermon on the Mount."

Talk-to-text did not understand this pastor. It doesn’t understand me either. From the comments I think there are a lot more people it doesn’t understand. 

Let’s think about God’s desire for us to understand. Scripture is clear that He wants us to understand His ways, His plans, His purposes. When God spoke to Noah, He wanted to make sure Noah understood the seriousness of what He was planning.

Genesis 6:17 “Understand that I am bringing a flood—floodwaters on the earth to destroy every creature under heaven with the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will die. 

Can you imagine the tone of His voice? “Do you understand what I’m telling you!” Haven’t we all used that same tone at one time or another? God wants us to understand His warnings.

He also wants us to understand His promises. He spoke to Noah again after the flood.

Genesis 9: 9 “Understand that I am confirming My covenant with you and your descendants after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you—birds, livestock, and all wildlife of the earth that are with you—all the animals of the earth that came out of the ark. 11 I confirm My covenant with you that never again will every creature be wiped out by the waters of a flood; there will never again be a flood to destroy the earth.”

He will give us the understanding, wisdom and knowledge we need to fulfill His purposes for us. His plan was for Bezalel to make all the items for the tabernacle exactly as to His specifications. It was also God’s plan for Oholiab to be Bezalel’s helper. God gave each of them the understanding they needed to complete the job He had assigned them. He will do the same for us.

Exodus 31: 2 “Look, I have appointed by name Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 3 I have filled him with God’s Spirit, with wisdom, understanding, and ability in every craft 4 to design artistic works in gold, silver, and bronze, 5 to cut gemstones for mounting, and to carve wood for work in every craft. 6 I have also selected Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to be with him. I have placed wisdom within every skilled craftsman in order to make all that I have commanded you:

He wants us to understand that He is a Consuming Fire who fights our battles for us, not because of our own righteousness, but because of His righteousness. 

Deuteronomy 9:3 But understand that today the Lord your God will cross over ahead of you as a consuming fire; He will devastate and subdue them before you. You will drive them out and destroy them swiftly, as the Lord has told you….6 Understand that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people.

All through scripture, He tells us how important it is for us to understand His character, the Whole of Who He IS. In all the Old Testament books of history, wisdom, and prophesy, He speaks to us so that we can have understanding of His plan to provide us forgiveness and redemption through Jesus’ substitutionary death and burial, and declared with victory through His resurrection and ascension. 

Imagine His heartbreak as He told the disciples that some people’s hearts are so hard that they reject the understanding He longs to give them. Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, expressed the same thought.

Matthew 13:14 Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:

You will listen and listen,

yet never understand;

and you will look and look,

yet never perceive.

15 For this people’s heart has grown callous;

their ears are hard of hearing,

and they have shut their eyes;

otherwise they might see with their eyes

and hear with their ears,

understand with their hearts

and turn back—

and I would cure them.

_____

Romans 3:10 as it is written:

There is no one righteous, not even one.

11 There is no one who understands;

there is no one who seeks God.

12 All have turned away;

all alike have become useless.

There is no one who does what is good,

not even one.

Even though He knows our sinful nature, He wants us to understand.

Matthew 15:10 Summoning the crowd, He told them, “Listen and understand:

Many times, He expressed sadness or frustration that the disciples who spend so much time with Him still didn’t understand.

Matthew 15:15 Then Peter replied to Him, “Explain this parable to us.

16 “Are even you still lacking in understanding?” He asked.

He knew that in our own sinful nature, we could not understand. Even the disciples couldn’t understand until after all the prophecies were fulfilled. But God had a plan from the beginning to give us understanding. He would send His Holy Spirit to teach us, to give us understanding.

John 12:16 His disciples did not understand these things at first. However, when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about Him and that they had done these things to Him. 

John 14:25 “I have spoken these things to you while I remain with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit—the Father will send Him in My name—will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.

1 Corinthians 2:11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man that is in him? In the same way, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who comes from God, so that we may understand what has been freely given to us by God. 13 We also speak these things, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people.

We experience lots of things that we don’t understand. Some of it is just weird, like predictive text always typing “subversive” when I think I’m typing “someone.” Some of it is heartbreaking, like when our children rebel, our loved ones suffer, we suffer, world events seem out of control, etc. On our own we can never understand. It may not even be God’s plan to give us understanding of these situations. But the things we do understand about His character, the things He reveals about Himself in scripture, the Whole of Who He IS, His indwelling spirit will give us comfort and peace, hope and assurance, faith and trust, that He is All we need. When we understand His character, His purpose, His love, we can rest in His promises revealed to us in scripture. 

Romans 8:28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.