Scolastic vs Spiritual

[VictoryinJesus]

How is it that man can open his eyes and accept that Christ's words: You have to drink my blood and eat my flesh have deep spiritual meaning? How is it that man can accept stone used to build the temple can also mean: men used to build the house of God. But then, man can see no further but rather reject any other spiritual meanings within scripture. How is it that man can see these things and accept, but reject that the Word of God clearly says that the high trees of Lebanon will be brought low (hewed down for the building of God's house)?

I have total respect for John MacArthur. Our list of pastors we will listen to in our home has dwindled down to him alone. His straight forwardness is appreciated, yet when he gives a sermon and says the blind man in Mark that Christ gives sight; only saw trees because of a lack of his sight being out of focus (blurred), needing then for Christ to lay hands on the man again to regain full perfect sight...I have to question: John, why do you refuse to see beyond the physical text?

Does man fear that to acknowledge the spiritual part of scripture would make the physical any less real? If I look outside my window and see the spiritual hand of God in His creation; IT does NOT make the physical any less real! After all, Christ was both: physical(touchable) and spiritual. Why does man remain so stiff and unreceptive in his interpretation? Is it because, to admit the obvious spiritual part of scripture would mean...NO book or study course or concordance could teach man what the Word of God says spiritually? Is it because man would have to admit the POWER of God and His Spirit alone...as Author and TEACHER? Is it because to acknowledge the spiritual, rather than the physical would mean we need new sight...NOT a dictionary? Would it acknowledge we need sight that is not of this world? Is it because to acknowledge the spirit within every word spoken by God would make man question whether or not he has been given new sight?

Mark 8:22-25: Christ DID NOT lack power to heal the blind man the first time. The blind man did not see trees because his vision was blurred and had not fully come into focus, which called for Christ to make a second attempt to heal the man. There is great spiritual significance within this text. First, Christ took the man outside of the town: set apart, without, same as with the lepers in the old testament, and the woman unclean from her menstrual(another healing Christ demonstrated through the healing of the woman with an issue of blood).

I ask you to refer to the book of Leviticus to find out why Jesus spit on the mans eyes.
First the man was healed spiritually: and he saw men as trees, walking. (see the countless verses added at the end of this post) THE TREES OF LEBANON: VERY significant! Another touch; Jesus heals the mans sight physically. Two touches given in an odd passage that clearly demonstrates the complete fullness and perfectness( near sight and far sight given) to the blind man...it does not demonstrate Jesus' lack of power to heal the first time He touched the man.

Mark 8:22-25 [22] And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. [23] And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. [24] And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. [25] After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.

You do not have to be smart to understand God's word. You do not have to be a scholar. You do not have to know Hebrew, or Greek. You do not have to know Jewish tradition. ALL you need is the Holy Spirit given by God to teach those that are His. This takes it out of mans hands and puts it in Gods alone. God gives sight.

Physical sight.
And Spiritual sight.

 

[VictoryinJesus]

1 Kings 5:5-7 KJV
[5] And, behold, I purpose to build an house unto the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build an house unto my name. [6] Now therefore command thou that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants: and unto thee will I give hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt appoint: for thou knowest that there is not among us any that can skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians. [7] And it came to pass, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed be the Lord this day, which hath given unto David a wise son over this great people.

1 Kings 7:1-2 KJV
[1] But Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house. [2] He built also the house of the forest of Lebanon; the length thereof was an hundred cubits, and the breadth thereof fifty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits, upon four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams upon the pillars.


Psalm 104:16 KJV
[16] The trees of the Lord are full of sap ; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted; (The haughty high Priest of Israel) which are hewn and the Lowly brought to the statue of the trees of Lebanon (through the Lamb).

Psalm 29:4-9 KJV
[4] The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. [5] The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars; yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. [6] He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn. [7] The voice of the Lord divideth the flames of fire. [8] The voice of the Lord shaketh the wilderness; the Lord shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh. [9] The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.


Psalm 92:12-15 KJV
[12] The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. [13] Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. [14] They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; [15] To shew that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.


Song of Songs 4:11-16 KJV
[11] Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon. [12] A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. [13] Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard, [14] Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices: [15] A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon. [16] Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits.

Isaiah 29:17-23 KJV
[17] Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest? [18] And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. [19] The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord , and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. [20] For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off: [21] That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought. [22] Therefore thus saith the Lord , who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale. [23] But when he seeth his children, the work of mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel.


Isaiah 35:2-6 KJV
[2] It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord , and the excellency of our God. [3] Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. [4] Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you. [5] Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. [6] Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.


Isaiah 60:13-16 KJV
[13] The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious. [14] The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the Lord , The Zion of the Holy One of Israel. [15] Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee , I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations. [16] Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of kings: and thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.

Jeremiah 22:22-23 KJV
[22] The wind shall eat up all thy pastors, and thy lovers shall go into captivity: surely then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness. [23] O inhabitant of Lebanon, that makest thy nest in the cedars, how gracious shalt thou be when pangs come upon thee, the pain as of a woman in travail!


Hosea 14:6-7 KJV
[6] His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon. [7] They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon.

Zechariah 11:1-7 KJV
[1] Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars. [2] Howl, fir tree; for the cedar is fallen; because the mighty are spoiled: howl, O ye oaks of Bashan; for the forest of the vintage is come down. [3] There is a voice of the howling of the shepherds; for their glory is spoiled: a voice of the roaring of young lions; for the pride of Jordan is spoiled. [4] Thus saith the Lord my God; Feed the flock of the slaughter; [5] Whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty: and they that sell them say, Blessed be the Lord ; for I am rich: and their own shepherds pity them not. [6] For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith the Lord : but, lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbour's hand, and into the hand of his king: and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them . [7] And I will feed the flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock.


1 Kings 4:33-34 KJV
[33] And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes. [34] And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom.

 

[bbyrd009]

Lebanon.

interesting to me, i guess they are just now finding remnants of..the Cannaanites? Or some tribe that Scripture says was completely wiped out? In Lebanese people. Not sure how they do this, genetics...

Cannaanites? Or some tribe that Scripture says was completely wiped out? In Lebanese people. Not sure how they do this, genetics - Google Search

 

[ScottA]

How is it that man can open his eyes and accept that Christ's words: You have to drink my blood and eat my flesh have deep spiritual meaning? How is it that man can accept stone used to build the temple can also mean: men used to build the house of God. But then, man can see no further but rather reject any other spiritual meanings within scripture. How is it that man can see these things and accept, but reject that the Word of God clearly says that the high trees of Lebanon will be brought low (hewed down for the building of God's house)?

I have total respect for John MacArthur. Our list of pastors we will listen to in our home has dwindled down to him alone. His straight forwardness is appreciated, yet when he gives a sermon and says the blind man in Mark that Christ gives sight; only saw trees because of a lack of his sight being out of focus (blurred), needing then for Christ to lay hands on the man again to regain full perfect sight...I have to question: John, why do you refuse to see beyond the physical text?

Does man fear that to acknowledge the spiritual part of scripture would make the physical any less real? If I look outside my window and see the spiritual hand of God in His creation; IT does NOT make the physical any less real! After all, Christ was both: physical(touchable) and spiritual. Why does man remain so stiff and unreceptive in his interpretation? Is it because, to admit the obvious spiritual part of scripture would mean...NO book or study course or concordance could teach man what the Word of God says spiritually? Is it because man would have to admit the POWER of God and His Spirit alone...as Author and TEACHER? Is it because to acknowledge the spiritual, rather than the physical would mean we need new sight...NOT a dictionary? Would it acknowledge we need sight that is not of this world? Is it because to acknowledge the spirit within every word spoken by God would make man question whether or not he has been given new sight?

Mark 8:22-25: Christ DID NOT lack power to heal the blind man the first time. The blind man did not see trees because his vision was blurred and had not fully come into focus, which called for Christ to make a second attempt to heal the man. There is great spiritual significance within this text. First, Christ took the man outside of the town: set apart, without, same as with the lepers in the old testament, and the woman unclean from her menstrual(another healing Christ demonstrated through the healing of the woman with an issue of blood).

I ask you to refer to the book of Leviticus to find out why Jesus spit on the mans eyes.
First the man was healed spiritually: and he saw men as trees, walking. (see the countless verses added at the end of this post) THE TREES OF LEBANON: VERY significant! Another touch; Jesus heals the mans sight physically. Two touches given in an odd passage that clearly demonstrates the complete fullness and perfectness( near sight and far sight given) to the blind man...it does not demonstrate Jesus' lack of power to heal the first time He touched the man.

Mark 8:22-25 [22] And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. [23] And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. [24] And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. [25] After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.

You do not have to be smart to understand God's word. You do not have to be a scholar. You do not have to know Hebrew, or Greek. You do not have to know Jewish tradition. ALL you need is the Holy Spirit given by God to teach those that are His. This takes it out of mans hands and puts it in Gods alone. God gives sight.

Physical sight.
And Spiritual sight.

Very good!

Perhaps the man first saw "through a glass dimly, then face to face." :)