PROVERB PRACTICALS
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  Proverbs 20:12, The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them. An ear is expected to hear. An eye is expected to see. There are God given purposes for ears and eyes. God does not make ears and eyes only for decorative purposes. Ears for earrings and eyes for long and painted eyelashes are not the primary reason for ears and eyes, contrary to what many think. God has made ears for hearing and eyes for seeing. And yet throughout scripture we are told of ears that do not hear and of eyes that do not see. We are told of ears that do not hear but are then made to hear. We are told of eyes that do not see but are then made to see. We are also told of ears that hear, but the kind of hearing that takes place does not result in what God expects hearing to result in. In Ezek 33:31,32, we read of such a people who hear but their hearing indicates no hearing at all as far as God is concerned. And as God's people isn't God's concern that which ought to concern us? These people did not please him because their hearing was no hearing at all, in spite of the fact that they would have said that they were hearing. This is the picture of Israel but it is also a picture of the visible church. And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not. You see the word of God is sweet to their ear. The word of God is poetic and musical to their ear. It is a lovely song to these people but has no lasting effect on the heart. The word of God is attractive and can be comforting to a worried soul. It soothes them for the moment as a beautiful instrumental. The word of God brings joy. But when the word of God is received by an ear that ushers it into the stony places of the heart, it brings joy for but a moment, but it hath no root. It only dureth for a while and may produce much joy but by and by offence comes and the joy brings no endurance. It does not produce the fruit of doing because the hearing was no hearing at all. But the kind of hearing for which God has produced hearing ears, is hearing that produces the fruit of doing for God. God is a husbandman and he expects fruit and if there are ears that do not hear, no fruit will come. Only ears that hear as God intends for them to hear will result in the production of fruit for God. And only God can produce hearing ears and seeing eyes. Only God can produce eyes and ears that convey the instruction of the word of God to the heart. Ears and eyes come as standard equipment on the natural man. They are gifts of God for receiving instruction in this world. But standard equipment of the natural man is not capable of hearing the word of God and seeing the kingdom of God. The natural man is deaf to the word of God. The natural man is blind to the kingdom of God. Jesus spoke to the natural man in parables as we read in: Matthew 13:10-16, And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 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. The disciples ears and eyes were blessed because they were given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to the natural man it was not given. Natural ears and natural eyes are sensual. They only sense the natural world. They do not sense the spiritual. The natural man cannot see! It is impossible for him to see through physical eyes and hear through physical ears. Faith does not come through the seeing of the physical eyes and the hearing of the physical ears. The natural man did not create his ears nor did he create his eyes. Neither can he create ears that hear God or eyes that can see the things of God. In order for the natural man to hear as God intended for him to hear and to see as God intended for him to see, God must enter into that man. God must do a work of grace in that man. This is what Jesus Christ told Nicodemus in: John 3:3, ......Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Without the new birth God will not allow you to see the kingdom of God. The door is closed to you until you are born again. The kingdom of God here used, means that which the physical eye cannot see. It must be seen through new eyes that come with the new birth. Jesus Christ gives new vision to the one who is born again. This vision allows you to see the kingdom of God as described in Romans 14:17, For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. The natural man concentrates on meat and drink but the one born of the Spirit concentrates on righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. Only with the new birth comes life, the kind of life that opens your spiritual eyes to the things of God. Ephesians 1:17,18, 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, Man cannot cause himself to be born physically nor can he cause himself to be born spiritually. Nor can man create a physical ear or eye nor can he create a spiritual ear or eye. the LORD hath made even both of them. The hearing ear and the seeing eye! |