Blind to the
Truth?
Because the common
backyard mole spends most of its time underground, this animal does not
need to see very well. Its eyes are very small, and in some species,
its eyes are completely covered with skin.
Some people are like
that. They burrow through life with a carnal mind, and--give them
credit-- they do in fact manage to keep from being eaten by dogs or being
run over by garbage trucks and-- let's be fair-- they do in fact manage to
dig up a little garden variety success in life, and therefore they think
they don't need spiritual eyes to see.
A referent has that
which corresponds to it, but man twists the truth and calls good evil and
evil good. Man was created upright but he has gone after many
schemes. As for the Word, however, man has no natural taste for
it. The Book is straight but the reader is crooked. Spiritual
words must be spiritually discerned. And even if one understands something, it is
quite another thing to be CONVICTED. The word "conviction" means
"cause to see."
G-d has to open our
spiritual eyes for us to see that we are sinners going our own way.
As long as we in our unteachable pride stubbornly assert that we see, we
are in fact blind. You cannot have the spirit of the world and the Spirit
of G-d. Many "rich young rulers" refuse to listen to Scriptural
counsel in the Beis Hashem, preferring the worldly wisdom of their
Ahithophel (Achitophel) friends (2Sm 15:31) or their own
evil hearts. The "rich young ruler" never understood
: you cannot serve G-d and money. The blind "Ahithophel"
guides of the blind will lead all to fall into the pit. If the light
in you is darkness, how great is that darkness. Start reading at chapter
fourteen, page 247.
This is not talking about Samson; this is talking about you.
Without the Ruach
Hakodesh how can you understand the words of the Ruach Hakodesh? If
you harden your heart against the Ruach Hakodesh, how can the Ruach
Hakodesh guide you into all truth? The unspiritual man does not
receive the things of the Ruach Hakodesh. Nor does the Ruach
Hakodesh apply the Scriptures to his life as a light unto his path and a
lamp unto his feet.
This tragedy is made
more horrific in that the word of G-d is the only thing that can bring
light to convince the wayward soul and and turn him around to the
truth. And, moreover, the word of G-d is the only thing that we can
keep in this life. All else is only briefly on loan and then
snatched away at death. The word is the one thing that cannot be
taken from you. And since you cannot live by bread alone, you must
feed on the bread of life by faith, clinging always to the things of the
Ruach Hakodesh, that is, the Moshiach's life-giving words (Lk 10:42).
A mole lives his
whole life in the darkness, and the darkness has blinded his eyes. A
Roman tried to blind the eyes of Moshiach with a blindfold (Lk 22:64), but it was a
Roman--Pilate--who beheld, but nevertheless was blind, to the truth (Yn 18:38). One day
in the future rabbis will have the blindfold removed and will be given
spiritual eyes to see, but in the meantime look at Isaiah 56:10.
Here we see the endemic problem of
blindness, a universal flaw in the human condition, a tendency toward evil
from within, a proud and selfish darkness in every man that clouds the
spiritual vision preventing the apprehension of the holy.
But the mole-like carnal mind must be
reminded of this: we must all stand before the Bema (2 Cor 5:10).
Pontius Pilate took his seat called a Bema, the seat of judgment,
and, standing before him in Jerusalem that day, was the Judge of all
men. (We are talking about Moshiach and the
coming assize of Moshiach's Bet Din.) Ironically, whatever verdict Pontius
Pilate came up with would justly seal his own fate, and
was therefore the deciding verdict of his own destiny, whether in Gehinnom or Himel. Thus
Pontius Pilate is a stand-in for all humanity, for the destiny of all men
hangs on one question: is or is not this man the King of the Jews? What will you do with this one from the
Galilee?
Is he Moshiach Ben Dovid? Is he Adon Kol HaAretz? It is
shocking to think that you and I, individually, will one day stand
similarly, and the Judge of all men will take his seat of judgment,
sitting at the Bema, and I will take my place in front of him, and you
will take your place in front of him.
We won't be standing together.
This will be done individually.
I'm sure Rav Shaul was thinking about that day when he said in the
next verse after 2 Cor 5:10 we must all stand before the
Bema, the following: "therefore, we know the fear of the L-rd" (2
Cor 5:11).
Paul must have thought about that coming Day of the Bema
often. He must have had a certain
sober apprehension when he thought about that day, and that very sobriety
must have colored the mood of nearly every day of his life. If others wanted to be his judge, Paul
turned his eyes toward the real judge, and let every
criticism shrink accordingly, while at the same time also holding himself
to a close account with Moshiach (1Yn 2:1;
1:9).
Why
not pray right now. Let's stop here and test your Moshiach literacy.
Read The Orthodox Jewish
Bible. What do you have to lose? It is free and it is the
only thing in life you can keep.
Pray
this prayer.
Avinu Malkeinu, open Thou mine eyes, that
I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law. Omein.Pray also this prayer
|