Good evening... Great is His faithfulness...
DAY 6: RIDDLES
"Riddles or parables is what helped me to hunger more for the Word of God"
MARK 4:10-12
The Purpose of Parables
10 But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. 11 And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the [a]mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, 12 so that
‘Seeing they may see and not perceive,And hearing they may hear and not understand;Lest they should turn,And their sins be forgiven them.’ ”
JOHN 12:40
“He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts,
Lest they should see with their eyes,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them.”
According to St. John Chrysostom, the prophecy from Isaiah does not mean that God causes spiritual blindness in people who would otherwise have been faithful ... It's a figure of speech most common to Scripture revealing God as giving people up to their own devices - (Romans 1:24-26) "24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their [a]women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. What is being meant by HE HAS BLINDED is that God Himself has permitted their self-chosen blindness- ( lets compare Exodus 8:15 & v. 32 with Exodus 10:20; & v. 27) ... They did not become blind because God spoke through Isaiah, but rather Isaiah spoke because he foreksaw their own blindness...
Exodus 8:15: "Then the sorcerers said to pharaoh, "this is the finger of God" ... But pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not heed them, as the Lord said" ...
Some versions leave out the finger of God
Exodus 8:32: " But Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also; neither would he let the people go" ...
Exodus 10:20: "But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go" ...
Exodus 10:27: " But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go" ...
"It was customary for Holy Scriptures to call God's permission His action - (JohnDm) ... The Lord spoke to Moses and said, "I WILL HARDEN HIS HEART, this hardness was already forknoweldged by God and so it was given in a way of divine permission... For God searched the pharaohs heart and the pharaoh hardened his own heart by his own free will ...
MATTHEW 7:7-8
Keep Asking, Seeking, Knocking
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
see my video for the rest of the evening reflection and the readings from the devotional…
in Christ love ❤️ Jared W Campbell
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