Friday, January 2, 2009

WHO'S THE TEACHER?

It may be presumptuous of me to think that what I have to say is so important that you should listen, yet there resides within me the compulsion to express that which GOD has so graciously shown me from His Word and it's outworking in my life. So I would ask you to bear with my arrogance in purporting my heart to this blog with the anticipation someone might actually read it and even more presumptuous the thought they might actually gain something of value from it.

I would like to speak of who teaches us the word.
WHO IS THE TEACHER - the text is Isaiah 28:9
"Whom shall He teach knowledge? and whom
shall He make to understand doctrine?
them that are weaned from the milk,
and drawn from the breasts."

Who teaches knowledge and makes one
to understand doctrine? The LORD of hosts
Whom does He teach? Them that are weaned
from the milk and drawn from the breasts.

GOD, through the prophet Isaiah, has told us
that He in deed teaches and gives understanding.
Jesus said the same thing in the book of John (New Testament),
when He stated that the Spirit would "guide us into
all truth": But GOD also through Isaiah teaches us that the instruction and understanding He gives He gives to those who no longer need the milk of the Word. When we have grown to the point of eating the meat, (Hebrews 5), when we are able to chew and digest the meat, then GOD Himself will teach us.
When we ourselves can sit down with His Word and study it carefully and prayerfully for the truth of His knowledge and the understanding of His doctrine without someone interpreting it for us, and begin to go beyond the obviously stated doctrine and begin to dissect it, compare and contrast it, define it in it's own realm, then He Himself will become our schoolmaster - our teacher. It will become a personal intimacy between us and our Creator; and He will begin to teach us precept after precept, line of thought after line of thought, a little knowledge from here and from there, and piece by piece GOD will construct our hearts and lives with His knowledge,
[knowledge of Him - an intimate knowledge, not academic], with His ways, with the thoughts and intents of His heart;.......
but you see it is only going to become a reality that we gain knowledge & understanding when our dependence for learning is no longer from, or on, the preacher, the teacher, the scholar, or any other human being, but rather we have come to a point in our life where we personally seek to know the heart of GOD - when we make it a personal relationship with Him - when we desire to no longer be spoon or bottle fed, but have been weaned off the knowledge and understanding of others and are seeking personal knowledge of GOD, first-hand and intimate knowledge of and from Him. [At some point we might expound the 2nd chapter of Proverbs, the first 15 verses in this regard.]
Brother I want to sat that sitting with GOD our Father and seeking to know what He has to teach me is in deed a place of rest for me, and His knowledge flows freely from His heart to mine as He opens the eyes of my understanding and speaks knowledge of Himself to me - without stuttering and stammering, but rather with clarity, conciseness, congruence and comprehensiveness. Oh how delightful are the hours spent alone with Him, how delightful when here or there in life the lights go on and one sees GOD'S precept in reality, when GOD'S principles are no longer good teaching but everyday realities of life revealing the truth of His Word; when GOD begins and continues to show Himself through His Word in conjunction with everyday life and learning is no longer rote memorization but living realityy with Him, in Him, by Him and from Him. Such hope and excitement that comes from the realization of His presence, His teaching, His personal interest in us individually. This is where learning takes place - this is where understanding is illuminated, this is where we see our faith is not blind: WHERE? When we are acutely aware that we are in Him and He in us, and we are personally being taught by the Creator Himself.

WHERE? Where it is just YOU and me - my heart and Your heart melting together as one - when being alive with the joyful realization that it is You and I together and I am in the covert of Your wings with the ears of my heart tuned into Your "still small voice." Your voice that stills the raging sea whithin and makes light work of the tempestuous trial of life without. WHERE? Where Your teachings, Your speaking to me does not cause me distress, does not beat me down, does not break me to such a degree I cannot be put back together, does not bring me harsh conviction that I run from or feel trapped by - But rather Your voice to me is calming, gentle, assuring, restful and delightful, and molding to my heart and soul - Yea, the joy and rejoicing of my heart.

Now let me say this, no human being can grow themselves, IE makes themselves enjoy hearing the voice of GOD in their heart telling us of His ways, His desires, His heartfelt intents. To enjoy the presence and person of GOD, without intentional exercise of will power in causing it to be so, is something only the very Spirit of our LORD in us can and must bring about within our most deceitful and desperately wicked hearts'. He must grow us or we will not truly grow; and yet we are so judgmental of ourselves and otherds because we and/or they are not all we expect they should be.
How does this attitude in life fit with the saying of Hebrews 6,
"Let us go on onto perfection
and this will we do
if GOD permit."
He is permitting or not permitting growth.
He grows us up or we don't grow up.
He weans us off the milk and the breasts
and unto the strong meat. [note Hebrews 5/6]

We might take note that Isaiah writes of GOD teaching the "weaned", and 800 years latter the writer of Hebrews speaks of GOD allowing us to be eaters of "strong meat" and no longer drinkers of "milk" - of GOD allowing us to go on onto perfection ("maturity").
[How comprehensive are His unchanging ways,
and His ability to compose Himself with congruity
into His written word without error.]!



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