Understanding Part 9

Psalm 111:10 NKJV

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.

Psalm 119:34 NKJV

Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; Indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart.

One of the ways we can tell that we are growing in understanding is to observe how well we follow God’s instructions. The psalmist here says that those who do the commandments of God have good understanding. That makes sense. We exhibit a lack of understanding when we go contrary to what God has said. That’s why Psalm 119 included a prayer, “Give me understanding, and I shall keep your law.” May the Holy Spirit continue to teach and guide us into understanding more and more. That will result in our walking in obedience to what the Lord commands.

Understanding Part 8

Psalm 47:7 NKJV

For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with understanding.

The psalmist here says we should sing praises to God with understanding. He says that God is King of all the earth. When you come before a dignitary, if you are going to give praises to that person, you would know something about them so you could speak intelligently – with understanding. How much more should we speak with intelligence and understanding when we praise the highest dignitary – God, who is King of all the earth. We should refrain from saying things we don’t understand. We need to mean what we say to God, and how can we do that if we don’t understand what we are saying. The only time it is legitimate to praise God without understanding is when we praise Him in our heavenly language. Then we understand that the Holy Spirit is helping us praise Him perfectly.

Understanding Part 7

Psalm 32:8-9 NKJV

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will guide you with My eye. Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you.

The psalmist David prophesies in the 8th and 9th verses of Psalm 32. Speaking on behalf of God, he says that the Lord will instruct, teach and guide us. In response, we should not be uncooperative like a horse or mule that must be forced to obey. He said these animals are like that because they have no understanding. That tells us that when we are stubborn it is due to a lack of understanding. In this case he is referring to spiritual understanding. If we understood who God was and how He cares for us, we would not hesitate to obey Him thoroughly, immediately and without having to be persuaded to do so. May God grant us understanding that we may become easy to instruct, teach and guide.

Understanding Part 6

Job 38:4 NKJV

“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.

God asked Job a tough question. He wanted Job to think about what Job knew about the foundations of the earth. This was just to let Job know that his understanding was so inferior to God’s. No matter how much understanding we have, we have a long way to go to catch up with God. As we continue to fellowship with Him, we will go from glory to glory in our understanding.

Understanding Part 5

Job 32:8-9 NKJV

But there is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding. Great men are not always wise, nor do the aged always understand justice.

Job 38:36 NKJV

Who has put wisdom in the mind? Or who has given understanding

Elihu points out in his speech to Job and his 3 older friends that understanding does not automatically come with age. You could live a long time and be stupid as an old person. You could be an old fool like Madeline Murray O’Hare who claimed to be an atheist and single-handedly removed prayer and Bible reading from the public school system.  Then in Job 38:6, God asks Job who is the one who gives understanding. If we have understanding we received it from God and we are therefore responsible to act on it. If we want to be sure we have understanding and not just knowledge we must buddy up with God. We must spend time with Him, asking Him questions and listening to Him.

Understanding Part 4

1 Chronicles 22:12 NKJV

Only may the Lord give you wisdom and understanding, and give you charge concerning Israel, that you may keep the law of the Lord your God.

David encouraged his son, Solomon to be courageous and build the temple David wanted to build for God. Then he expressed his desire that God would give Solomon wisdom and understanding that would enable him to keep the law of God. He knew that if Solomon kept God’s word it would bring him success. Many people have physical copies of God’s Word but very little understanding to know how to live by it. Reading the Bible will give you knowledge but we need the help of the Holy Spirit to get understanding. Understanding helps us properly apply what we know, and success is the end result. May God give us understanding today and help us experience the success He intended us to enjoy.