Spiritual Insights

"The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes." (Psalm 19: 8)

"That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe..." (Ephesians 1: 17-19)

"...in thy light shall we see light." (Psalm 36: 9)

Those who are saved in heart from their sins, and who receive divine forgiveness and restored fellowship with God, and to whom eternal promises of good are made, are people who have been, and who continue to be, enlightened in their understandings. They are given the gift of spiritual insight, granted mental perception about God and divine things, whereby they are able to properly and correctly interpret events in time and history, even events in their own lives. They have been shown truths by God himself, truths that, when seen and believed, radically transform the soul.

Spiritual Blindness of Sinners

"Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!" (Isaiah 5: 21)

"For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them." (Matthew 13: 15-17)

Sinners have no "spiritual understanding" (Colossians 1: 9). They do not see and understand the past history of the world and of man, not seeing the hand of God in the story of history, and failing to see the messages God has written in it. Christians, those who have been savingly enlightened, however, understand the significance of history and of God's providence.

"Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear." (Hebrews 11: 3)

The lost sinner, being spiritually blind, does not see and understand what history teaches us about ourselves and our relationship to our Creator. The Christian understands this and much more about the past history of our race. The sinner lacks what we might call spiritual hindsight.

Hindsight

"Hindsight" is defined as - "Perception of the significance and nature of events after they have occurred." Understanding of and insight into history, both of the world and of our own personal histories and biographies, is "hindsight." Do we properly interpret the events of history, the events of our personal lives?

"He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?" (Matthew 16: 2, 3)

"We see not our signs: [there is] no more any prophet: neither [is there] among us any that knoweth how long." (Psalm 74: 9)

The Christian, because he has been "enlightened," has great "hindsight" about the past, understanding the purpose of God in the history of the world, but also about his own personal history of God's dealings with him.

Insightfulness

"God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore." (I Kings 4: 29 NIV)

"I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes." (Psalm 119: 99)

"My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God." (Proverbs 2: 1-5)

By this gifted insight, Christians understand the why of things, seeing God's purposes being worked out in history. What a great blessing it is to have such vision, such spiritual insight into things! We come to have insight into our own selves too by this enlightenment of our understandings. We cannot truly know ourselves without knowing God, the one who knows us better than we know ourselves.

Foresight

"A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished." (Proverbs 22: 3 & 27: 12)

"But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things." (Mark 13: 23)

"By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith." (Hebrews 11: 7)

"We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place." (II Peter 1: 19)

"For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know." (II Thessalonians 3: 4)

"Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness." (II Peter 3: 17)

These three aspects of enlightenment are exemplified in the four heavenly creatues that are around the throne of God (Revelation chapter 4). They had "eyes within" to see and know themselves, and "eyes behind" to understand the providence and purpose of God in history, and "eyes before" to see things that are yet to come.

Friend, do you stay confused about the why of things? Does all the evil and suffering in the world make you question the sanity of everything, yea, even of God himself? Perhaps it is because you do not have sufficient "light" and are spiritually blind. If you are finding it impossible to see and to know God, and to receive this enlightenment, then seek it from God with an honest heart, and he will show you saving light, insights into the past, present, and the future, yea, even insights into yourself.