UNDERSTANDING – THE UNDER-RATED EMERALD

The Scriptures bid us to seek wisdom and understanding:

·       yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity. (Proverbs 2:3-7 ESV)

Understanding is protection and power, but it is far more than that. It is also a magnifier and a measure of our relationships. Jesus explained to the Samaritan woman that true religion must be characterized by truth:

·       Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:21-24 (ESV)

Salvation is a matter of worshipping God according to the truth, His truth. Therefore, to seek understanding is to seek God; to seek God is to seek understanding. The Prophet Daniel was a man who sought God’s truth through the Word of God, the Scriptures. He needed to know when the Lord would bring the children of Israel home from Babylon, and so he consulted the writing of Jeremiah:

·       in the first year of his [Darius’] reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. (Daniel 9:2; Jeremiah 29:10)

As he prayed and sought for understanding, the archangel Gabriel came to him with an incredible revelation:

·       …“O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision.” (Daniel 9:22-23)

Daniel sought understanding, it pleased God, and God granted it!

·       And he [Gabriel] said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words.” (Daniel 10:11-12; also 19)

Because Daniel had humbled himself, confessing his sins and the sins of Israel, and sought understanding, God had been moved to send Gabriel. This is an indication of how God honors us as we seek out His truth, and there is good reason for this. Understanding should partner with our lives in every way – in salvation, sanctification, worship, obedience, and even regarding love. Understanding is such a determinative aspect of our lives that it is directly related to righteousness:

·       Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand. (Daniel 12:10)

How can we explain this close association? When we harden ourselves against God, we also harden our truth-revealing mind and conscience, and we become dwellers-of-the-darkness (John 3:19-21). In contrast, to love God’s truth is freedom, not just from the penalty of sin but also from its many other poisonous fruits:

·       So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32)

We are being freed to see, to know, and to not stumble in the darkness. But please do not miss another aspect of our search for understanding. This is not merely a cerebral activity; it is also an expression of our love for God. When we fall in love, we honor our beloved to understand them as accurately and as fully as we can. And they are honored and touched when they see that this is foremost in our heart.

Daniel’s life had been characterized by his quest to understand his God. Therefore, on three occasions, on each occasion when Gabriel addressed Daniel, he assured Daniel that “you are greatly loved.” Wow! Evidently, he needed to hear this. It seems that each time he received a divine revelation, he also experienced great pain, for example:

·       Then I opened my mouth and spoke. I said to him [Gabriel] who stood before me, “O my lord, by reason of the vision pains have come upon me, and I retain no strength. How can my lord’s servant talk with my lord? For now no strength remains in me, and no breath is left in me.” (Daniel 10:16-17; 7:15, 28)

Shouldn’t God’s revelations bring great comfort and honor? Perhaps the answer lies in the heavenly revelations that Paul had received from the Lord. Paul explained:

·       So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. (2 Corinthians 12:7)

Or perhaps Daniel’s experience was merely the product of being under the Mosaic Covenant? In either case, the idea of understanding is now trampled under-foot. This blind generation is either convinced that understanding is non-existence or simply unattainable. In any event, they are convinced that they need to find their own truth, what works for them in the “now,” and have become resistant to the quest for true wisdom. As a result, a truth seeker is as rare as a barking lamb.

Daniel sought God’s wisdom and found it. This is also a lesson for us (Psalm 1:1-3).