How to understand the Bible. Well, to be honest one must take in the whole counsel of God.
Here is an experiment. Take an extreme view based on one verse or two...now..refute that extreme by finding a verse that seems to contradict it. Do it again and again...until you you have a whole list of seeming contradictions.
To know the truth, even in low resolution form...takes BOTH extremes into account.
The range of our perceptions as humans is very narrow. Dogs can hear things and smell things way beyond the range of humans. Eagles can see much better than we do.
If we can admit that animals are superior to us in many perceptions...then why is it so difficult to consider that the writers of the Bible had far more understanding than we do? Do we limit the smell of dogs to what we can smell? Do we limit eagles to what we can see?
So why do we limit God and those whom He reveals Himself to?
God hates an unjust balance.
"A false balance (moznayim) is abomination to the Lord: but a just weight is his delight." Prov. 11:1
The word for balance in Hebrew means "from ears" (plural) moznayim, which means we have to listen with both ears. Now hardly anyone does this. People will accept a notion of the truth as if truth was the same as facts. We are so used to forming our own opinions we don't realize that facts are only for this temporal world. We need an entirely other means to understand eternal truth. And eternal truth always comes to us as a plurality of seeming contradictions. That's why a balanced view is so important.
Our opinions will lead us astray...every time.
We are not to lean on our own understanding. We will certainly close one of our ears unless we have experienced eternal truth on ITS terms...not ours.
Here is an experiment. Take an extreme view based on one verse or two...now..refute that extreme by finding a verse that seems to contradict it. Do it again and again...until you you have a whole list of seeming contradictions.
To know the truth, even in low resolution form...takes BOTH extremes into account.
The range of our perceptions as humans is very narrow. Dogs can hear things and smell things way beyond the range of humans. Eagles can see much better than we do.
If we can admit that animals are superior to us in many perceptions...then why is it so difficult to consider that the writers of the Bible had far more understanding than we do? Do we limit the smell of dogs to what we can smell? Do we limit eagles to what we can see?
So why do we limit God and those whom He reveals Himself to?
God hates an unjust balance.
"A false balance (moznayim) is abomination to the Lord: but a just weight is his delight." Prov. 11:1
The word for balance in Hebrew means "from ears" (plural) moznayim, which means we have to listen with both ears. Now hardly anyone does this. People will accept a notion of the truth as if truth was the same as facts. We are so used to forming our own opinions we don't realize that facts are only for this temporal world. We need an entirely other means to understand eternal truth. And eternal truth always comes to us as a plurality of seeming contradictions. That's why a balanced view is so important.
Our opinions will lead us astray...every time.
We are not to lean on our own understanding. We will certainly close one of our ears unless we have experienced eternal truth on ITS terms...not ours.
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