Spiritual Perceptions
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2 Kings 6:14–18
2 Kings 6:14–18
14 So one night the king of Aram sent a great army with many chariots and horses to surround the city.
15 When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha.
16 “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!”
17 Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.
18 As the Aramean army advanced toward him, Elisha prayed, “O Lord, please make them blind.” So the Lord struck them with blindness as Elisha had asked.
The ability to see beneath the outward form to the underlying, often hidden, reality. It is a necessary gift in dealing with people, understanding spiritual teaching and interpreting events. Perception is important for effective service, though is often lacking, even among God’s people.
Perception in dealing with people
God’s knowledge of human hearts
1 O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.
2 You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
3 You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do.
4 You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord.
3 You have tested my thoughts and examined my heart in the night. You have scrutinized me and found nothing wrong. I am determined not to sin in what I say.
21 God would surely have known it, for he knows the secrets of every heart.
Jesus Christ’s perception of those around him
24 But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew all about people.
25 No one needed to tell him about human nature, for he knew what was in each person’s heart.
1 Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot— yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.
2 And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
3 He will delight in obeying the Lord. He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay.
4 He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited. The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked.
16 “Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her.
17 “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied. Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband—
18 for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!”
19 “Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet.
True understanding by God’s servants
1 But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property.
2 He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest.
3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself.
Perception of spiritual truth
Recognizing God’s ultimate authority
1 Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast. The voice said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.”
2 And instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it.
15 When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha.
16 “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!”
17 Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.
Understanding Jesus Christ’s teaching
10 His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?”
11 He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not.
Understanding who Jesus Christ is
15 Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.
Understanding about Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection
30 As they sat down to eat, he took the bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave it to them.
31 Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And at that moment he disappeared!
32 They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?”
33 And within the hour they were on their way back to Jerusalem. There they found the eleven disciples and the others who had gathered with them,
34 who said, “The Lord has really risen! He appeared to Peter.”
35 Then the two from Emmaus told their story of how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the road, and how they had recognized him as he was breaking the bread.
Perception to interpret events.
4 For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!
12 “Throw me into the sea,” Jonah said, “and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm is all my fault.”
Lack of perception
By those in the OT
19 For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.
20 You see and recognize what is right but refuse to act on it. You hear with your ears, but you don’t really listen.”
By some Jews in the NT
3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”
By Jesus Christ’s disciples
9 Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you?
In Conclusion:
Not recognizing the risen Christ:
14 She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him.
4 At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was.
Have a Blessed Week!