Sunday, August 7, 2011

Bible Truth #170 - Nehemiah 8:12

Nehemiah 8:12
Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.

“Then” all the people understood? Why didn’t they understand before?

I contend they didn’t understand before this moment because God didn’t WANT them to understand until this exact moment in history. It wasn’t because of anything they had done, or hadn’t done. No one can understand anything spiritual until God grants it to them. Just as the apostles could not understand Scripture until Jesus opened their minds AFTER His resurrection (Luke 24:45, Bible Truth #46), the Israelites could NOT understand until God opened their minds when Ezra read from the Book of the Law at this time.

And please, pay attention to the last phrase - “...they now understood the words that had BEEN MADE KNOWN to them.” Did they MAKE the words known to themselves? NO! Did Ezra MAKE the words known to them? NO! I say again it was God who MADE the words known to them, thereby enabling them to understand.

Understanding Scripture is a spiritual act and those that do not have the Holy Spirit can not understand things from the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:14) because their spirit is dead. They that are in the flesh can not please God (Romans 8:8) so understanding Scripture is impossible by someone in the flesh (a lost man) because understanding Scripture would be pleasing to God.

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