Why Some Lack Understanding

How many have said, “I wish I understood the Bible?” A prerequisite to understanding the Word of God is an honest heart that actually desires to know His truth. A reason some lack understanding is they are not considering what is said, much less, taking to it to heart. Basically, it equates to ignoring it. When a person ignores truth, he becomes ignorant to it as well. That ignorance can lead to outright rejection of truth.
Truth challenges people to change, and some do not want to change. This is another reason people can’t seem to find time to read their Bible, or listen to the spoken Word. If one finds himself pushing back against the truth, one might ask, “Am I being carnal, (or flesh-driven)?”
Romans 8:6-8 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God (NASB).
The carnal mind, or flesh, relates to the old nature. Ultimately, it will die in the end. For those in Christ Jesus, it is counted as dead already. By God’s grace, we are able to follow the Spirit, while counting the flesh as dead. The more you place your mind on the things of the Spirit, the easier it will be to grasp the Word of God. Conversely, the more focused you are on the world, the more difficult it becomes.
Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me.

Ignorance is No Excuse

“Ignorance of the law is not excuse” can actually be applied to the Word, especially when goes beyond mere lack of knowledge. People have a misconception that God will not hold people accountable for what they do not know. What does God have to say about it?
Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
It is one thing to be ignorant due to the lack of learning; it’s another to be ignorant, because one refuses to learn. In everyday life, most have experienced this to various degrees. Have you ever made a poor choice, because you refused to learn all the facts involved? Perhaps, you knew the consequences, but did something anyway. Depending on specifics, the consequences of ignorance can be quite profound. In some cases, destruction awaits those who are willingly ignorant.

Take His Truth to Heart

Underscoring a previous point, if we gloss over what we read, we miss much of what the Lord desires to reveal to us. This is easy to do if we’re trying to read by volume, or rushing through our devotion, just so we can get done for the day. There is a difference between quality and quantity. Of course, a quantity of quality is an awesome thing. It may prove much more beneficial to meditate on single passage of Scripture than to quickly read a chapter, or book.
When we take His Word to heart, we are more apt to dig to find the riches of the meaning found in the words. It is easy to gloss over something we don’t understand, such as a particular word used in a verse. The challenge is to find the meaning of the word in a dictionary. To drill down even deeper, a Strong’s Concordance with a Hebrew/Chaldean/Greek dictionary is rather useful, since it goes into the original languages. What if it still doesn’t make sense after using a dictionary, or Strong’s Concordance?
Sometimes, we need to meditate on it, and wait on Holy Spirit for revelation (the revealing of an already existing truth), which requires us to be teachable. The New Man already understands, which is why we get a sense of knowing, even if we may not be able to articulate it in the moment. Our conscious mind simply has to catch up.                                  Be encouraged, God is faithful to reveal His truth. Nonetheless, we do have a part to play. Moreover, there is a proving process taking place, when we don’t immediately grasp the things of God.
Proverbs 25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.

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