In order to study the Bible well, we need to acquaint ourselves with three things related to the Holy Spirit. This is particularly true in reading the New Testament, which has much to do with these three things.
First, the Holy Spirit desires that we enter into His thoughts. In order to understand the words of the Holy Spirit, we must direct our thoughts to the thoughts of the Holy Spirit. This is particularly true in the case of the Epistles. We have to acquaint ourselves with the thoughts of the Holy Spirit before we can understand these writings.
Second, the Holy Spirit has recorded many facts in the Bible. We have to get into these basic facts. If we cannot get into these facts, we cannot understand God's Word. In particular, the Holy Spirit has to open to us the many facts recorded in the four Gospels and Acts.
Third, in our reading, the Holy Spirit will guide us to touch another thing — the spirit. In many instances, it is not enough to know the thoughts; we must get into the spirit behind the thoughts. We must not only know the facts but also must get into the spirit behind the facts. We can find such examples in the Gospels, the book of Acts, as well as the Epistles.
Every Bible reader must get into these three things. Yet only those who have been trained and disciplined can truly know them. We cannot consider them as methods of studying the Bible, for they relate to the very person who reads the Bible. The person must go through some basic training; this is what these issues are all about.
Let us now consider how one can get into these three things.
In writing the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit had His own purpose and thoughts. A reader of the Bible has to learn not only to read the words and memorize them but also to touch the purpose of the Holy Spirit's writing of the book at the time that He wrote it. The first thing about the study of the Bible is not to busy ourselves with exegesis but to know the intention of the Holy Spirit at the time He wrote the books. We must remember that the value of the words lies not in the words themselves but in the meaning which they convey. The Lord said to the Sadducees, "You err, not knowing the Scriptures" (Matt. 22:29). The Sadducees read God's Word, yet they could not understand it. In reading God's Word, we have to find the reason the Holy Spirit spoke such a word. This leads to another point: Our mind must be well-disciplined.
Those who read the Bible must be objective. They must not rely on their own mind. The Holy Spirit has a thought, and our thought has to get into His thought and merge with it. When the Holy Spirit thinks a certain way, we have to think the same way. The two have to flow like two currents in a river, the Holy Spirit being the main current, while we are the subsidiary current. The Holy Spirit is like a big river, while we are like a little stream. The stream has to merge into the river. When the river flows to the east, the stream also flows to the east. The stream may be small, but as long as it flows with the river, it will reach the wide ocean.
Some portions of the Bible focus on facts, others on the spirit, or on thoughts. Those whose focus is on the thoughts are not without spirit and facts. Those whose focus is on the facts are not without spirit and thoughts. Those whose focus is on the spirit are not without facts and thoughts. As we touch the thoughts of the Holy Spirit, we have to be very objective; our whole being should follow the thoughts carried forth by Him. Yet some cannot do this. At the most their thoughts can latch on to the Holy Spirit's thought for ten minutes. They can barely catch up with the Holy Spirit for ten minutes, after which their own thoughts begin to wander off. Such subjective persons can never read the Bible well. The basic requirement for a man to be able to read the Bible is for him to be dealt with in his very person.
It is true that when a man reads the Bible, he needs to exercise his mind. Yet his mind must follow the same direction and flow along the same line as the mind of the Holy Spirit. Wherever the Holy Spirit goes, he should follow. He should find out the Holy Spirit's thought in a sentence, a passage, a chapter, or a book. His entire mind has to be attuned to the Holy Spirit. He has to find out what the Spirit is saying in a passage, what He is thinking, and what His main thoughts and subsidiary thoughts are. The first question we should ask when we read a portion of the Scripture is what is the Spirit's intention in writing this portion. If we do not know the intention of the Holy Spirit behind a portion, we are liable to make a mistake in quoting it at a later time; we may even twist the original meaning of the Holy Spirit. It is not enough for us to merely read the letters or remember the words, memorize the words, or study their meaning in an isolated way. When we read the Bible, we should sense what the Holy Spirit was thinking at the time He was writing it. Putting it in another way, we should sense the thoughts of Paul, Peter, John, and the others when the Holy Spirit spoke through them. Our thoughts must merge with the Spirit's thoughts before we can understand the Bible.
A story was told of a believer who took a journey through the forty-two stations that the Israelites passed through from Egypt to Palestine. Where the Israelites turned, he turned. Where they detoured, he detoured. He went through the entire journey this way. Later he wrote a book recounting the journey. He did not choose his path; he took Moses' path. This is the way we should read our Bible. We must not determine the direction ourselves; we have to go where the Spirit is going. Paul went down to Jerusalem, and we should go down with him to Jerusalem. He felt a certain way and thought a certain way, and we should feel and think the same way. We should not have our own independent direction. We must follow the direction of the writers of the Bible. In other words, we must follow the direction of the Spirit. The thoughts of the writers of the Scripture should be the thoughts of the readers of the Scripture today. The writers of the Bible were inspired by the Holy Spirit to think a certain way. The readers of the Bible should also be inspired by the Holy Spirit to think the same way. If our thoughts can closely follow the thoughts the Spirit bore at the time of the writing of the Scriptures, we will understand what the Bible is saying.
Some parts of the Bible are subject texts, while others are explanatory words; some are primary in importance, while others are ancillary in function. Some are like the trunk of a tree, while others are like the branches of the tree. We should not follow the branches and lose sight of the trunk. Of course, we should not pay attention just to the trunk and forget about the branches. We should find out what the Holy Spirit is saying in a passage, how He is saying it, how many things are spoken of, and how many words He has used to achieve His goal. Our mind should follow these things step by step. We have to catch up with the mind of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit has a subject to His speaking, and He also has words explaining the subject. When we are halfway through our speaking, we may digress from the subject with a word of explanation. These are "branches." Branches do not grow all the way to the top of the sky. Likewise, the Spirit can digress from His subject with a word of explanation for five or ten verses, but He always comes back to the "trunk." We must not dwell on the explanations all the time; we must follow the Holy Spirit and turn back to the subject. Many of the Epistles are structured in such a way that explanatory words are interwoven into subject passages. We must differentiate between the "trunk" and the "branches" before we can understand what we are reading. We cannot rush through in our reading. When the Holy Spirit makes a detour, we have to make the same detour. When the Holy Spirit turns back to the subject, we also have to turn back to the subject. We have to be very tender and very careful to not put any trust in ourselves or have any assurance in our flesh. This is the way to catch up with the thoughts of the Holy Spirit.
There are "trunks" and "branches" in the words of the Bible. Yet these "trunks" and "branches" are linked together to form one unified whole. For example, in writing the book of Romans, Paul's intention was not only to give us 3:23, 6:23, or 8:1. The whole book conveys one unified thought; it is one complete entity. There is no fragmentation whatsoever. We must not take a few verses out of context and just expound them. It is all right for us to borrow a verse, but we have to differentiate clearly between borrowing a verse and making an exegesis of the verse. Even when we borrow the verse for some other use, we have to understand the context of the verse. Otherwise, we fall into the error of taking things out of context.
If our mind is trained, it will be strong enough to sustain the light. Light comes in a flash, and it has to be captured and sustained. If our mind is not trained to join itself to the mind of the Holy Spirit, we will not have enough thoughts to capture and sustain the light when it comes to us in the form of a revelation. This is the reason our mind has to be trained; it has to be altogether objective and responsive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has His own way of expression. For example, Romans 1 and 2 speak of man's sin. Chapter three speaks of redemption, chapter four of faith, chapter five of the sinner, chapter six of the death of the sinner, chapter seven of two laws, and chapter eight of the Holy Spirit. Chapters nine to eleven give some examples. Chapter twelve speaks of the Christian and the church, and finally, chapters thirteen to sixteen speak of the walk and conduct of a saved person. In reading this book, we have to understand the intention of the Holy Spirit at the time He spoke these words. In every section the Spirit had some main thoughts. First, He spoke about man's sin and then about the solution of sin and the accomplishment of God's righteousness. Then He went on to speak of faith and of the obstacle to faith — human work. But there is more to man's problem than his sin; there is the problem of his person. Therefore, in chapter six the Spirit spoke of the crucifixion of the sinner (the old man). The solution to man's sin lies in his faith in the Lord's death for him, whereas the solution to the man himself lies in his faith in his death with the Lord. In chapters nine through eleven, the nation of Israel is used as an illustration of God's grace and faith. Chapter twelve then covers the condition of a consecrated Christian. From chapter one through chapter sixteen, we can identify the "trunks" clearly. Paul was very clear in expressing his feelings through these points. There are also the "branches"; we find some of them even in the very first section. In covering the subject of man's sin, the Holy Spirit digresses to speak of the Gentiles and then the Jews, and then He turns back to the main thought. In reading the Bible, we have to follow the thought of the Holy Spirit closely.
There are two ways to train our mind. First, we can separate the subject text from the explanatory words. It is not a bad idea to go through the New Testament and put parentheses around passages that the Spirit provides as words of explanation. The words inside the parentheses are the "branches," while the words outside the parentheses are the "trunks." If we skip the verses in the parentheses and read the rest, we will get an idea of the main subjects of the various portions.
Let us try this out with the book of Romans. Romans 1:1 says, "Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, a called apostle, separated unto the gospel of God." This clearly is the introduction to the book of Romans. Verses 2-4 say, "Which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, who came out of the seed of David according to the flesh, who was designated the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness out of the resurrection of the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord." This is an explanation of the gospel. Therefore, these three verses are "branches" which can be put inside a parenthesis. Verse 5 says, "Through whom we have received grace and apostleship unto the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles on behalf of His name." This again is the subject text. If we go on this way with the rest of the book of Romans, we can single out the verses which are subject text. We can underline the subject text with one color pen and the explanatory words with another color pen. In the first pass, we do not have to read the explanatory words. Read the subject text first, and then the explanatory words later. First, find the main thoughts of the Holy Spirit, and then insert the explanatory portions little by little. What is this gospel? It is something which was "promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures." God first promised the gospel and then sent the Lord Jesus to accomplish this gospel. In His accomplishment, there are two parts. First, there is the part according to the flesh. Second, there is the part according to the Spirit. The first part deals with His life on earth as the son of Mary. The second part deals with His life in heaven as the Son of God. The four Gospels cover the part of Him according to the flesh, while the Epistles cover the part of Him according to the Spirit. In reading this portion, we can jump directly from verse 1 to verse 5 and leave verses 2 through 4 for later. Always take care of the subject text first, and then the explanatory words later. In this way we can get into the thought of the apostle at the time he wrote the book. We should read the whole Bible this way. In particular, we should read the Epistles this way. Every servant of God should know the text portions of a book as well as the explanatory portions. This is the first step.
What benefit do we derive from taking this first step? It enables us to know how much of the teaching in a portion relates to the subject and how much relates to explanations. In serving as a minister of the word, our speaking has to have main subjects and explanations. Although our functioning as ministers of the word is not as perfect and profound as that of the first apostles, it is the same in principle. Once we distinguish the subject text from the explanations, we will realize to our surprise that the Bible always provides sufficient explanations, both in quantity as well as in degree. We will worship the Lord for the absolute perfectness of the Word. We will also find that as soon as we are just slightly excessive in our use of explanations and illustrations, our whole message will become weak. We have to pay attention to the way the Bible explains things. We should never over-explain. We should only provide explanations for the parts that others do not understand. Explanation is for the purpose of helping others to understand, but we should not be excessive in our use of it. Some speakers are short in explanation, which loses the listeners. Others are too long in explanation, which drags down the message. We should observe the perfect balance in the Word. We should always learn to separate the subject text from its explanations. In order to do this, we have to be objective. Once we become subjective, we certainly will fail.
Second, we have to try to paraphrase the text portion with our own words. We have to rewrite the text portions of the Bible with words that we can understand. For example, Romans 1:1, 5, and 6 are text verses. The wording in these verses belongs to Paul. After we understand what Paul has said, we should try to express the same thing with our own words. At the beginning we should only work with the text portions; we should not work on the explanatory words within the parentheses. This kind of exercise is like our experience as students: The teachers told us a story, and we wrote it down in our own words. We must know what the story is about before we can write it down. This kind of paraphrasing requires that we be objective, that we understand the meaning of the Bible, and that we do not add our own thoughts to it. We have to train ourselves to be a follower of the thoughts of the Holy Spirit. We have to fashion our thoughts according to the thoughts of the Holy Spirit.
Of course, we can make mistakes in our paraphrasing. The only thing we can do when we make mistakes is to correct them the next time. If we still make mistakes, we should correct them again. The more we correct ourselves, the more accurate we will become. Once a person learns this lesson, it will be easy for him to understand God's Word. The most important thing is to put ourselves aside. Once we become proud or subjective we are finished. We have to learn to be objective, meek, and humble. A meek and humble mind will find it easy to follow the mind of the Spirit. Every reader of the Bible has to learn this lesson.
When reading the Bible, the Holy Spirit next requires that we capture an impression from the facts. The Bible is not all teachings. A great part of it is facts, history, and stories. The Holy Spirit desires that the facts, history, and stories produce a certain impression within us. Once we have an impression of these facts from the Holy Spirit, it will be easy for Him to convey God's word to us. If these facts do not produce an impression in us, God's word will not take hold in us and will not produce the proper effect in us.
The impression that we are speaking of here does not refer to a general familiarity with the stories. It refers to a view concerning certain characteristic points that make a lasting impression in our mind. In the Bible every incident has its characteristics. Without understanding these characteristics, we cannot understand God's word. In reading a contract, it is not enough to check whether or not there is a signature on it; we must check whose signature is on it. The impression that we are speaking of here is not a general impression but an impression of its special character. Once we discover the special character, we can learn what God wants to say through them. It is possible that a person can remember and even relate a biblical incident to others but not be able to point out its special character. This means that he does not understand God's word. The New Testament contains the four Gospels, the Acts, the Epistles, and Revelation. For the Epistles, we have to get into the thought of the Holy Spirit. For the four Gospels and Acts, however, our heart has to be open to God's Spirit, and we have to allow Him to impress us with the facts. We have to realize the difference between these facts and other facts, and we have to sense the special characteristics that lie behind these facts.
An impression works like a photograph. The film in a camera is a slide of glass or a thin piece of plastic coated with a chemical — silver bromide. Decades ago, one square inch of film could only hold tens of thousands of silver bromide particles. This is the reason the photographs produced at that time were not very sharp; they were granular in appearance. Later, film improved, and the granular look disappeared. The image is now much clearer because each square inch of film holds millions of silver bromide particles. In the same way, the finer our inner constitution is, the more impression we will retain. The coarser we are, the less impression we will retain. If our heart and spirit are open to God, and if our feelings are refined, the flashing of the facts of the Holy Spirit before us will generate a strong impression within us. If we are fine and tender, we will see two things. First, we will locate the emphasis in God's Word and the focus of His revelation. Second, we will know what God wants to say behind the facts, and we will be able to tell the difference between these facts and other facts.
A coarse person will never see the fine points in the Bible. A man must be tender, and his feelings must be very sensitive before God's word can stamp a clear image within him. He will not only catch a glimpse of the general contour, but he will have an accurate impression of the fine points and lines. He will be clear about every delicate and intricate point behind the facts.
Many people seek to know the fine and tender aspects of the Bible. Yet without fine and tender feelings, they cannot grasp these tender points. Consider the four Gospels and Acts. All five books are records of Jesus. More facts are revealed about the Lord Jesus through these five books than through all the Epistles. We need to have fine and tender impressions of these facts related to the Lord Jesus. Let us consider some examples.
In contrasting Luke 19 with Luke 24, we find a marked difference between the Lord's stay at Zaccheus's house and His entering the house with the two disciples who were on the way to Emmaus. The Lord volunteered to enter Zaccheus's house. But in the case of the two disciples, it seems as if He wanted to go on. A fine person will detect two completely different attitudes of the Lord here. With Zaccheus the Lord took up a despicable sinner. He was not an ordinary tax collector; he was a chief tax collector. The Lord did not wait for his invitation; He volunteered to go into his house. Zaccheus no doubt wanted to see the Lord. But he was conscious of his small stature and his bad reputation, and he was too ashamed to invite the Lord. Under these circumstances, the Lord said, "Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay in your house" (19:5). Here was a seeking sinner who dared not ask the Lord to stay with him. The Lord invited Himself to his house. He understood Zaccheus. His feelings were tender. If our feelings are tender enough, we will understand the Lord.
The two disciples on the way to Emmaus were backslidden. Their eyes were veiled, and they did not recognize the Lord. The Lord walked with them, spoke to them, and expounded the Scriptures to them. When they were drawing near to the village, He acted as though He would go farther (24:28). The Lord's attitude toward the two disciples was different from His attitude toward Zaccheus. Zaccheus faced great obstacles; he was haunted by unspoken embarrassments. The Lord was gentle to him and volunteered to go to his house. The two disciples on the way to Emmaus knew the Lord already. But they had become backslidden. Although they heard so much from the Lord, they were still heading for Emmaus. This is the reason the Lord acted as though He wanted to go on. He stayed only after they implored Him. In one case, there was a man coming towards the Lord. In the other case, there were two men walking away from the Lord. Accordingly, the Lord's attitude was different. We have to touch the tender feelings of the Lord Jesus before we can realize who Jesus of Nazareth is and who this One is whom God intends to reveal to us.
In Luke 5 Peter had fished throughout the night and caught nothing. Yet the Lord Jesus told him, "Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch" (v. 4). The fishermen let down the nets and caught a great number of fish. Before this they caught nothing. Now, surprisingly, they enclosed a great number of fish. Peter fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord" (v. 8). In John 21 we find Peter and other disciples fishing again. The Lord asked them, "Little children, you do not have any fish to eat, do you?" They answered Him, "No." And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat" (vv. 5-6). Then they caught many fish. The fishing in Luke 5 revealed the glory of the Lord Jesus to Peter. When this great glory broke upon him, he saw that he was a sinner who was unworthy of the Lord's presence. In the fishing expedition after the Lord's resurrection, Peter jumped into the sea and swam ashore when he recognized the Lord (John 21:7). He had no more interest in fishing when he recognized the Lord. In both cases he had the same revelation. But in the first case, the revelation caused the man to know himself and to beg the Lord to depart from him, having previously known nothing of himself. In the second case, the revelation drew this man who already knew the Lord to a more intimate relationship with Him. Once we identify the differences between these two cases, we have a proper impression of the facts. In all these matters, we need a solid impression of the facts.
Two incidents are recorded in all four Gospels: the Lord's feeding of the five thousand with bread, and the anointing of the Lord by Mary. After the Lord fed the five thousand, He ordered the disciples to gather the broken pieces that nothing would be lost (John 6:12). This is quite amazing. The Lord performed a miracle to feed men with bread, yet He asked the disciples to gather the broken pieces lest they be wasted. Later a woman came, broke the alabaster flask, and anointed the Lord's head with ointment. Some disciples said, "Why has this waste of the ointment been made?" But the Lord Jesus said, "She has done a noble deed on Me" (Mark 14:3-7). Here we see two contrasting things: the feeding of the bread and the anointing of the Lord. In one case, nothing was wasted. In the other case, everything seemed to be wasted. Nothing produced from a miracle was to be wasted, yet something worth over three hundred denarii could be poured on the Lord and not spared. The ointment was worth three hundred denarii; it was not spent to feed five thousand but to be consumed by the Lord in an instant. It was not a gathering up but a breaking apart. It was not twelve baskets but one alabaster flask. All these are contrasts. In the case of God's Son performing a miracle, even the leftovers are to be gathered up. But He does not consider it too much to receive the consecration of something equivalent to three hundred denarii. All four Gospels record this story, and everywhere that men preach the gospel, they are to remember this story. Consecration should go as far as the gospel goes. Wherever the gospel goes, an absolute offering of consecration to the Lord has to follow. The reaches of the gospel must be the reaches of man's consecration and ointment. We must have a solid impression of this fact.
Sometimes it is meaningful to compare the four Gospels with Acts. We can compare the judgment the Lord faced with the judgment that Paul faced. When Paul was judged, he said that he was a Pharisee and a son of Pharisees (Acts 23:6). This was different from the case of the Lord Jesus. We treasure our brother Paul. But the best son that the world can produce is merely a son of man. Jesus of Nazareth, however, is the only begotten Son of God! When we compare the two, we find that one is God's only begotten Son, while the other is merely a child of God. One is the Master, while the other is the servant. One is the Teacher, while the other is the student. Although Paul's attainment was high, he cannot be compared to his Lord. We have to be fine and tender. Only then will we come to know the Lord depicted in the Gospels and the apostles depicted in the Acts. If we are not tender, we will not be impressed with anything. Even if the Lord wants to show us something, we will not be able to prostrate before Him and worship Him. A careless man treats the Bible as if it were just ordinary stories. He glosses over everything, and it is difficult for the Holy Spirit to impress him with anything.
Once the Lord Jesus was reading the Scriptures in the synagogue in Nazareth. After He finished, He spoke a little, but the crowd took Him to the brow of a hill so that they might throw Him down the cliff. Yet He, passing through their midst, went away (Luke 4:29-30). How solemn and dignified He was! He was not like Paul, who had to be let down through the wall and lowered in a basket (Acts 9:25). We are not saying that Paul was wrong in any sense. We are saying that there is a difference in nature. The Lord passed through the crowd and went away. These few words, "passing through their midst, went away" (Luke 4:30), should give us some kind of impression. When the Lord passed through those who wanted to kill Him, the crowd could only watch; they could do nothing. How dignified and noble is our Lord!
Many impressions in the Bible have to be studied by the way of contrast. This is the case with the five examples mentioned above. Other examples show similarities, and one has to put them together to form an integrated picture.
Matthew 8:23-27 speaks of the instance when the Lord Jesus crossed the sea with the disciples. Suddenly a great tempest rose up in the sea. The Lord was asleep, and the disciples were afraid. In Matthew's record the disciples said, "Lord, save us; we are perishing!" (v. 25). But Mark 4:38 has something more to say: "Teacher, does it not matter to You...?" That means that they questioned how He could sleep so soundly. The Lord Jesus rebuked the wind and the waves, and they were stilled; then He turned and rebuked the disciples for their little faith. (Notice the order of events according to Mark and Luke. Before the Lord rebuked the disciples, He rebuked the wind and the waves.) The Lord had a basis for rebuking the disciples because He had said that He would cross to the other side. Since He had said it, it must be so. There was no need to worry even if there were winds, waves, or whatever along the way. The Lord Jesus was teaching them the lesson of faith. What were they putting their faith in? They should have trusted in the Lord's word: "Let us go over to the other side" (Mark 4:35). With the Lord having said that they would go over to the other side, it was not possible for them to end up at the bottom of the sea. Yet the disciples did not have faith in this. This is the reason the Lord rebuked them.
It is interesting that we never find the Lord apologizing to anyone. Under normal circumstances, the more lessons a man learns before the Lord, the more he has to apologize to others. The more disciplined a person is, the more he discovers others' dissatisfaction with him, and the more frequently he will need to apologize to them. The Lord Jesus is unique in that He never had to apologize to anyone. It seems as if the disciples thought that they were right and the Lord was wrong. The winds and the waves were fierce, and the disciples were perishing. Did this not matter to the Teacher? But the Lord did not wake up to apologize. The absence of an apology is an expression of His glory. He knew that He did not oversleep, and He knew that He was not wrong. When He said to cross to the other side, He meant that they would cross to the other side. There was not one wasted word in Him, and no one can make Him apologize for anything. This shows the glory of our Lord!
In Mark 5 we have the story of the woman with the flow of blood who came to touch the Lord Jesus. Here we find the same principle. When the woman touched the Lord, He turned around and asked who had touched Him. The disciples said, "You see the crowd pressing upon You and You say, Who touched Me?" (v. 31). This was said in somewhat a rebuking tone. The Lord did not say, "I am sorry; I asked the wrong question." Instead, He turned around to see who was touching Him. He was, in effect, saying, "Someone is touching Me, but you do not know it. Your eyes are on the pressing ones, but My eyes are on the touching one." Outwardly speaking, the Lord appeared to be wrong; it seemed as if the disciples were justified in their indignation. But in reality the mistake was with the disciples, not with the Lord. The Lord never apologized once to anyone. This is most glorious, and our heart cannot help but worship Him.
In John 11 we find another instance of men being dissatisfied with the Lord. Martha said to the Lord, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died" (v. 21). She was blaming the Lord for arriving late. She was saying in her heart, "I sent men to ask for You a long time ago. Why did You not come sooner? Because of Your delay, my brother has died and has been buried." The phrase if You had been here expresses Martha's extreme unhappiness. Apparently, Martha's words were absolutely right. But the Lord did everything with deliberation. He purposely stayed where He was for two more days (v. 6). In man's eyes this was a delay, but the Lord Jesus purposely delayed His coming. Our Lord never apologizes to anyone, because He is never wrong. We apologize, because we are often wrong. If we refuse to apologize, it means that we are arrogant. The more humble and meek we are, the more we will apologize. Although our Lord is humble and meek, He never apologizes, because He is never wrong. When we are unhappy with Him, our unhappiness does not make Him feel guilty, for He knows what He is doing.
We can find many cases like these in the New Testament. In reading the Bible we have to learn to apply the principle of gathering together all the portions which speak of similar things. From the above three examples, we can discover one glorious fact: The Lord never takes back one word that He has said; He never turns back on a pathway that He has trodden. What a glory this is! Was it more glorious for Lazarus to be healed or for him to be resurrected? The Lord knew that it was more glorious for Lazarus to be resurrected. If we believe, we will see God's glory.
Sometimes men were not only dissatisfied with the Lord; they even tried to teach the Lord. The disciples said, "Why has this waste of the ointment been made? For this ointment could have been sold for over three hundred denarii and given to the poor" (Mark 14:4-5). They were teaching the Lord. The disciples could think of another way to dispose of the ointment — sell it and give it to the poor. But the Lord knew what Mary was doing. He said that she was doing a noble deed. The Lord never does one thing or says one thing that He is not clear about. He needs no one to correct Him. Only a foolish man will try to correct the Lord or teach Him.
When the Lord indicated to the disciples that He had to go to Jerusalem, Peter said, "God be merciful to You, Lord!" What did the Lord say? He said, "Get behind Me, Satan!" (Matt. 16:21-23). Peter wanted to teach the Lord, but it did not work. On the contrary, he only exposed his own foolishness.
Once the Lord Jesus ate at the house of Simon the Pharisee. A woman stood at the Lord's feet weeping, wetting His feet with her tears, and wiping them with the hair of her head. Simon thought in his heart, "This man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching Him" (Luke 7:39). Here we should pay attention to Simon's spirit. He seemed to be saying, "Look what kind of woman she is. How can You allow her to come near to You at Your feet?" Although Simon did not open his mouth, the Lord knew what he was thinking, and He spoke about different kinds of forgiving. In effect the Lord was saying, "You, Simon, did not wash My feet, because you have experienced little forgiveness. This woman experienced much forgiveness. This is the reason she wet My feet with her tears." Once we have such an impression, we will realize how foolish it is for man to try to be the Lord's counselor! At the same time, we will know a Jesus of Nazareth that we did not know before.
In studying the Gospels carefully, we find that the Lord took pleasure in men asking Him for great favor. The greater men's requests were, the happier the Lord was to answer them.
Consider the story of the leper in Mark 1. According to Jewish regulations, a leper could not come in contact with any man. Any person who came in contact with a leper was defiled by uncleanness (Lev. 13—14). Here a leper came to see the Lord Jesus. The very act of coming to the Lord was quite presumptuous. We should have a strong impression of this fact. As soon as a leper appeared on the scene, we probably would react. Unless a man was ready to sacrifice himself and give his all, he would jump back at the sight of a leper and say, "You are hurting me! I cannot touch you. Why do you come to me?" When the leper came to the Lord, he did not ask whether the Lord could cleanse him. Instead he said, "If You are willing, You can cleanse me" (Mark 1:40). This was a very piercing statement. He put all the burden on the Lord! It was all a matter of whether or not the Lord was willing. This was not an ordinary prayer. It was something that put the Lord's heart to the test. The Lord simply could have said, "Be clean," and the leper would have been cleansed. But the Lord did not merely utter a word; He identified Himself with the leper's situation. He touched the leper with His hand and said, "I am willing; be cleansed!" (v. 41). If he was not cleansed, the Lord would become defiled. What a risk this would have involved! We must have the proper impression of the story before we can understand the actual picture. The Lord was ready to put Himself into the leper's situation. He joined His holiness and purity to the leper. Either both would be clean or both would be defiled. Either both had to go outside the camp or both could return to the camp. The Lord was ready to spend, and what a spending that was!
Mark 2 records four men carrying a paralytic to the Lord Jesus. Being unable to bring him to the Lord because of the crowd, they removed the roof where He was, and lowered the paralytic to the Lord (vv. 3-4). We should have an impression of this picture. Many people were surrounding the Lord. He was quite busy. But now another group lowered a paralytic from the roof! We should realize that the Lord was not just busy; He was also speaking in a borrowed place. When the roof was removed, it had to be patched later. What trouble this was! But the Lord did not say, "Do not do this again." Instead He was happy that someone would come to Him with such a big demand. It seems that the bigger the demand was, the happier He felt. This shows us what kind of Lord He is. If we do not have a clear impression of what the Lord has done, how can we say that we know Him?
As the Lord was traveling, Bartimaeus cried out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" (Mark 10:47). Many people rebuked him and tried to silence him. But he cried out much more. The Lord Jesus was not particularly fond of noise and excitement. Matthew 12:19 says, "He will not strive nor cry out, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets." This was what the Lord Jesus was like. But here was a man crying out in a loud way. He wanted the Lord to have mercy on him, and the Lord healed him. The Lord is happy to see men asking great things from Him. He wants men to open their mouths wide. He is happy to give grace in abounding measure.
The story of the Canaanite woman gives us a clear picture of this principle. The bread was for the children. Yet she said, "Yes, Lord, for even the little dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table" (Matt. 15:27). This was a request that she had no right to ask. But the Lord likes to see men asking Him in this way. He not only granted the request and healed her daughter, but He praised her for her great faith. We can find many examples like these in the Gospels. If we form the proper impressions of these things, we will know the Lord's heart through them.
After the Lord came down from the Mount of Transfiguration, a father brought his demon-possessed son to Him. The Lord first rebuked the man (Mark 9:14-29). He did not rebuke the leper who came to Him, and He did not rebuke the paralytic whose friends removed the roof. They were all presumptuous, yet the Lord Jesus was happy with what they did. But here the father first brought his sick son to the disciples. When they could not heal him, he brought him to the Lord. The Lord asked the father, "How long has this been happening to him?" He answered, "From childhood. And it has often thrown him both into fire and into water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." He came to the Lord for healing, but he was not sure if the Lord could heal. He said, "If You can do anything." The Lord picked up his words and said, "If You can." Following this, He said, "All things are possible to him who believes." The Lord seemed to be saying, "Why are you asking if I can? You should realize that all things are possible to him who believes! It is not a matter of whether or not I can, but of whether you believe." We have to visualize the situation at that moment. The man came halfheartedly. He intended to come to the Lord, but he did not have the faith. He did not fully trust in the Lord's healing. In pleading for His mercy, he qualified his prayer with the words, "If You can." The Lord rebuked this word severely. He is not pleased when men ask Him for less. He is not afraid when men say to Him, "You have to do it whether or not You are willing." But the father did not say this. In effect he was saying, "If You can do it, do it. If You cannot do it, so be it. Your disciples could not do it. I will not press for anything if You cannot do it either." The Lord rebuked him, saying, "You say, If You can. All things are possible to him who believes" (v. 23). When the Lord said this, the father, "crying out...said, I believe; help my unbelief!" (v. 24). As soon as he was rebuked and his mistake was exposed, he turned and believed. He put all the responsibility on the Lord. This is a beautiful picture! The higher a man's demand is, the more the Lord is pleased with it. The less a man asks for, the less the Lord is pleased. We have to be a tender person and allow the Lord to impress these things upon us. Once we see them, we will realize that all the Gospels are filled with the Lord's glory.
In the story of the good Samaritan in Luke 10, we should focus on the Lord's word. The lawyer asked, "Who is my neighbor?" (v. 29). The Lord's answer was based on something completely different. Verse 27 says, "You shall love...your neighbor as yourself." The word yourself refers to the lawyer, and the neighbor must be someone other than the lawyer. In effect the Lord was saying, "If you, the lawyer, can love your neighbor as you love yourself, you will have eternal life." Verse 29 says, "But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, And who is my neighbor?" He thought that the Lord Jesus was asking him to love others, and he wanted to find out who these others were. The Lord responded with the story of the good Samaritan, and at the end, asked, "Which of these three, does it seem to you, has become a neighbor to him who fell into the hands of the robbers?" The lawyer answered, "The one who showed mercy to him." Jesus said, "Go, and you do likewise" (vv. 36-37). The lawyer asked who his neighbor was, and the Lord Jesus responded by asking who was the neighbor of the man who fell into the hands of the robbers. In other words, the lawyer was the one who had fallen into the hands of the robbers. The One who showed mercy to him was his neighbor. The neighbor does not refer to any man; it refers to the Savior. The Lord showed the lawyer that the neighbor is the Lord Himself. He said, "Go, and you do likewise." This means that the lawyer should do his best to love that Samaritan. Many people have turned the parable around. They think that the Lord wants them to be the Samaritan. They do not realize that they cannot go to the cross to forgive sins, and they cannot be lifted up to bring down the Holy Spirit. Only He has the wine and the oil. Only He has the beast, the inn, and the denarii. We are not the Samaritan. It would be totally wrong to ask the man who fell into the hands of the robbers to be the Samaritan. The neighbor whom the Lord referred to was the Samaritan. This means that the Lord came to be our Neighbor; He came to save us, to provide us with the beast, the wine, which signifies the forgiveness, the oil, which signifies the life, the inn, which signifies the church, and the denarii, which signify the gifts and grace. These things He gives until He returns. When the Lord tells us to love the Samaritan, He is telling us to love Him. We have to learn to touch the fine points in this passage. This is the way to read the stories in the Bible.
When men sought to catch the Lord in the garden of Gethsemane, He stepped forward and said to them, "Whom do you seek? They answered Him, Jesus the Nazarene. He said to them, I am....They drew back and fell to the ground" (John 18:4-6). The Lord simply spoke one sentence, and they drew back and fell to the ground. What a glory we find here!
Our Lord prayed at the garden of Gethsemane, but He did not plead for anything at the court, before the high priest, or before the magistrate. This One is far above all. He is the Lord, yet He was judged. Who was actually judging whom? The high priest was the one who was agitated. He was the one who stumbled in words. Our Lord remained calm. When He appeared before the magistrate, it was the latter who became nervous; he was the one who was aimless in his questions. The Lord did not bother even to answer the questions. Jesus of Nazareth is God. Although He was put on trial, He did not lose His dignity or His honor.
In the garden of Gethsemane, He told the disciples to be watchful with Him (Matt. 26:38), but He did not ask them to supplicate for Him. Paul needed the brothers in Rome to pray for him (Rom. 15:30), but the Lord did not need anyone to pray for Him. He is the Son of God, and He does not need anyone to supplicate for Him. He asked the disciples to pray because He did not want them to enter into temptation (Matt. 26:41); He was asking them to pray for themselves. Here we can observe once again the Lord's dignity and honor.
He lived in poverty on earth, yet He did not ask anyone for any money. He prayed to God in the garden, yet He pleaded with no one in the court. Who is like the Son of God? The throne is glorious, but the glory of the judgment and the cross is even greater. We have to worship Him and say, "You are Lord! You are God!"
The Lord always hid Himself; He did not like to have a name for Himself. After He healed the leper, He charged him not to tell anyone (Matt. 8:4). After He drove out the company of demons, He charged the previously possessed man to go home and to speak what God had done for him (Luke 8:39). After He opened the eyes of two blind men, He charged them not to let anyone know about it (Matt. 9:30). After God revealed Him to Peter as the Christ, the Lord charged the disciples not to tell others (16:20). On the Mount of Transfiguration, He was the only One who shone in glory. Yet when they came down from the mount, He charged the disciples not to tell others what they had seen (17:9). We find a similar case in John 7. The Lord's own brothers did not recognize Him. They told Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea...for no one does anything in secret and himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, manifest Yourself to the world" (vv. 3-4). His brothers said this because even they did not believe in Him. Yet He said, "My time has not yet come" (v. 6). After His brothers went up, He also went up to the feast, not to perform any miracles there, but to teach. Here we touch our Lord's glory. Everyone who tries to draw attention to himself is eager to present his work before men. But the Lord never wanted to purposely expose Himself before men. The Gospels are full of such records. He stood before men only when there was the absolute necessity for it. He did not like to tell others who He was. Even after He had performed a miracle on the blind man, He did not tell him who He was immediately. He held back the revelation of who He was until He brought the man into some further enlightenment (John 9). Before this, He would not tell him who He was. We need to know our Lord!
In order to understand the history both in the Old and the New Testament, we have to have the right impressions. In order to have the proper impressions, we have to be a tender person. This is the reason we have to go through proper lessons before the Lord. If a person has a low discernment, he cannot be expected to appreciate the dignity of the Lord Jesus when he reads the Gospels. If he is dealt with even a little, he will know what dignity is, and when he comes to the Bible again, he will have more appreciation of the dignity of the Lord Jesus. If he does not know the meaning of dignity and glory, how can he be expected to form an impression of the Lord's dignity and glory? We have to receive the proper lessons from the Lord. His nature has to be added into us daily. In this way, our feeling towards God's Word will be finer and finer every day. We will have deeper and deeper impressions every day, and we will understand more and more of His Word every day. We should remember the principle that whoever has, it shall be given to him, and he will abound; but whoever does not have, even that which he has shall be taken away from him (Matt. 13:12). We should never neglect our lessons. Otherwise, we will lose what we have.
In order to study the Bible well, we have to acquaint ourselves with the thoughts of the Holy Spirit as well as the facts from the Holy Spirit. In addition, we have to enter into the spirit of the Scriptures.
God's Spirit prompted men to write the Scriptures, and whether it is history or doctrines, each portion has a spirit of its own. Every portion of the Bible has its own unique spirit behind the word. The Holy Spirit expresses Himself through the spirit of man. When we say that the Holy Spirit rejoices, the Holy Spirit is not just rejoicing within Himself; rather, the Holy Spirit is rejoicing through man's spirit. In the same way, when we say that the Holy Spirit grieves, the Holy Spirit is not grieving within Himself; rather, the Holy Spirit is grieving through man's spirit. Hence, when the Holy Spirit enters man's spirit, the condition of the Holy Spirit becomes the condition of man's spirit. Putting it another way, we can say that the condition of man's spirit is the condition of the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit of God recorded history, He recorded the facts of history. However, this history contained not only facts, it also captured a certain spirit. We can say that certain feelings and conditions of the Spirit are impregnated within each portion of the Word. In the same principle, in the writing of the Epistles, the Holy Spirit did not just convey doctrines and thoughts. Behind every passage there is the feeling of the Spirit. The Bible is not merely a book full of facts and doctrines. On the surface there are the words. Underneath the words there are thoughts, and behind the thoughts is the spirit. If we only touch the words, our reading of the Bible is too superficial. If we can form a proper impression and enter into the thoughts behind the words, we have gone deeper. However, if we remain in this realm, our understanding is still very limited. Behind every word of God is a certain spirit. The feeling of the Holy Spirit and the condition of the writers govern these writings. When we study the Bible, we have to touch the spirit behind the word.
There is an inseparable link between the word and the spirit. The ministry of the word is the release of the spirit. Anyone who stands up to be a minister of the word has to release his spirit. If he cannot release his spirit, he cannot be a minister of the word. Moreover, the spirit must be right. One must have a right spirit before he can have a right ministry of the word. We often fail as ministers of the word because the spirit cannot match the word that is released. There is nothing wrong with the words that are spoken, yet something is wrong with the spirit. The words are strong, but the spirit is weak. However, the ministers of the word in the Bible did not have this problem. Their spirit matched the content of their writings. Behind every passage and every book, there is a proper spirit; this spirit is impregnated in the word. In releasing the ministry of the word, we need the word on the surface and the spirit to back up the word. In receiving the ministry of the word, we also have to touch the spirit behind the word. When we study the Bible, our purpose is to receive the ministry of the word. As such ones, we have to touch the spirit behind the word. If we do not touch that spirit, our understanding of the Bible will be very shallow indeed. At most we will have some doctrines and facts; we will not find spiritual nourishment. If God's word is only impressions and thoughts to us, it cannot become our food. God's word must become spirit before it can become our food. Our food can only come as we touch the spirit behind the word. The essence of the Bible is spirit. If we do not touch the spirit behind a passage, we have not touched that portion of the Scriptures yet. In reading the Bible, we have to touch the spirit, that is, the particular spirit behind a portion of the Word.
How can we touch the spirit behind the word? We must point out that this can be realized only through the discipline of the Holy Spirit, not by man's effort. The discipline of the Holy Spirit means that God's Spirit comes in to replace man's work. God's Spirit arranges everything in the environment and operates until our spirit matches the spirit of the Scriptures. Even though the two spirits cannot be identical, they can be similar in character. Only then will we touch the spirit behind the Word. Only when the two spirits are similar can we touch that which lies behind the Word. If they are not similar, we cannot touch anything. We reach the highest peak in the study of the Scriptures when our spirit harmonizes with the spirit of the writers of the Bible. When our spirit matches the spirit of the writers, we touch the spiritual content of the Word.
The spirit that lies behind the Word is a very particular spirit. In other words, it is very definite; it is not hidden behind the Word in a hazy way. The Holy Spirit first molded the writers of the Bible; He sealed His approvedness on them. Then He used them to write the Scriptures. Their spirits were perfected, and through their spirits the Holy Spirit operated to write the words that became the Bible. In other words, the inspiration of the Holy Spirit included not only the supply of words to men but also the preparation of these men to be proper vessels. Because these vessels were filled with the Spirit, they were able to write the words they wrote. Hence, the spirit behind the Bible is perfect, dynamic, unerring, and accurate. The Holy Spirit worked on the writer's spirit and put His mark of approval and satisfaction on it. He concluded that these men would not restrict Him or limit His freedom; He could freely express His views. Even His slightest breath was not inhibited by such men. We can say that the Bible is the Holy Spirit's very breathing. It conveys men's spirit, but when it is released, it also conveys the very breath of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has absolute freedom in these men. Their spirit has become almost indistinguishable from the Holy Spirit, and its manifestation is almost the same as the manifestation of the Holy Spirit. The writers of the Bible were led by the Holy Spirit in this way in their writing of the Holy Scripture. When we read the Bible, our spirit must also be led by the Holy Spirit to match the spirit of those who were prompted to write the Bible. This is the only way we can touch the spirit behind God's Word. The study of the Bible is not merely a study of the words of the Bible. Neither is it merely an understanding of the meaning of the Bible. The Lord has to guide us to the point that our spirit becomes one with the spirit behind the Word.
The Bible is recorded in written words, not in audible sounds. Except some psalms which use the word selah, there is no other indication in the whole Bible as to whether we should read it loudly or softly. Yet when we read it, we should know something from the writing. If we cannot distinguish between the "loud" portions and the "soft" portions, how can we distinguish the condition of the spirit?
Many portions of the Word are words of pleading and beseeching. They are like the pleadings and implorings of a gospel preacher when he invites men to believe in the Lord. The preacher pleads because he is aware of the sufferings of the sinners and sees the danger of their ways before the Lord. He pleads because he is full of the Lord's compassion, and he wants the sinners to turn. He knows that a passage of the Scripture is a word of pleading because he senses the compassion, sympathy, and understanding for the sinners behind the words. If he reads this passage without the feelings that are behind it, it will be hard for him to understand it.
Some words of the Bible are words of rebuke. If a man has never been broken by the Lord, he will not know what these words mean when he reads them. He will not know the meaning of rebuking under the pressure of the spirit; he will only know to rebuke when he is angry. He will not realize that the spirit within the words may be different even though the words of rebuke are the same.
We must learn to touch the spirit of the Bible with our spirit. In order to train our spirit, the Holy Spirit arranges all kinds of environments for us. We should realize that the best and most important training in our life comes from the discipline of the Holy Spirit. This discipline rests in the hand of the Holy Spirit; it does not rest in our hand. He dispenses this discipline gradually. As we are disciplined continually, our spirit is tempered to a proper condition. Our spirit is adjusted on the left and on the right; it receives a little smiting here, a little joy there, and a little patience and a little stripping elsewhere. As a consequence, our spirit is tempered to fit exactly the passage we are reading. When our spirit is tempered to a proper condition, the words will be transparent and clear to us, even though the thoughts governing the words have not changed at all. When we speak about them, what comes out may be the same words, and the thoughts behind the words may still be the same, yet we will begin to know and be clear about the things we are speaking of. This is not a result of clarity in thoughts or words but of clarity in the spirit. This is something deeper than words and thoughts. It is so deep that the only thing we can say is that we are clear, that everything has become transparent to us. This is what happens when God's Spirit matches our spirit with the spirit of His Word.
Touching the spirit of the Bible is not a matter of methods. It is a matter of whether or not a person has been dealt with by the Lord. If our spirit has not been brought into harmony with the spirit of the writers of the Bible, at most we can be a teacher; we cannot be a prophet. At most we can touch the doctrines; we cannot touch the spirit. If our very person has not been dealt with and disciplined by God, and if God has not operated in us systematically, we will be shrouded with a veil when we come to the Word. No matter how hard we try, we will be separated from it by a great distance. Our spirit must be dealt with. We must allow God to deal with us severely. During the first few years of our Christian life, we may understand some doctrines and facts, but touching the spirit is something more difficult. If our spirit is not ready, it cannot be put to use. We need a certain amount of time, at least a few years, for the Lord to adjust our spirit, to temper it, and to break it. Once the spirit is broken, it will be easy for the Holy Spirit to bring us into harmony with the condition of the Scriptures. Actuality, it takes many years for our spirit to match the spirit of the Bible. Man's wisdom is useless in this matter. It may help us to understand the word sooner, but it will not help us to touch the spirit behind the Word. No matter how productive our imagination is or how powerful our perception is, we cannot get into the spirit of the Word. Only the Holy Spirit can bring our spirit into harmony with the spirit of the Bible. Only then can we get into the spirit of a particular portion of the Word.
The Holy Spirit is matching our spirit with the spirit of the Bible. This refers to a match in quality, not to a match in capacity. The spirit of the Lord Jesus is thousands of times greater than our spirit. He is the only begotten Son of God! Sameness in quality means that we have a little share in the spirit that He possesses. They are the same in kind, but they are not the same in degree. However, the discipline of the Holy Spirit can carry us further, from just a qualitative matching of our spirit with the spirit of the Bible to an actual increase in the capacity in our spirit. The Lord increases the capacity of our spirit with His Spirit. This involves a process that goes on continuously like feeding. Today the Lord dispenses something to us. Tomorrow He will dispense more things to us. As the dispensing increases, the capacity of our spirit increases. As we begin to understand the Bible, we begin the process of feeding, and as we are fed, our capacity increases. The starting point in our understanding of the Bible is a matching in the quality of the spirits, while the consummate issue of our understanding of the Bible is an increase in the capacity of our spirit.
Suppose a man has a terrible temper. He cannot read God's Word no matter how hard he tries. After God disciplines him, he will have a little patience. This patience is not the result of a conscious effort on his part, nor is it a kind of manmade endurance; it is the spontaneous result of the work of the Holy Spirit. After he acquires this kind of spirit, his reading of God's Word will result in the ministration of Christ. God's word will supply his spirit and enrich it. He will receive more and more, and his capacity will increase little by little. The discipline of the Holy Spirit first brings a man's spirit into harmony with the spirit of the Bible as far as the quality is concerned. Then there can be an increase in capacity as well. This increase in capacity comes from the discipline of the Holy Spirit through the environment, as well as through the words of the Bible. The Holy Spirit does the breaking work through His discipline in the environment. At the same time, through the words of the Scripture, He brings us the supply so that our capacity will increase. The more the Holy Spirit ministers His word to us, the richer we become. Every ministration of the Holy Spirit brings more riches to us. Through the continual ministration of the Holy Spirit through the word, our capacity is continually expanded.
If we are continually fed by the word, the Bible will be continually fresh to us. In the eyes of man, the Bible was completed eighteen or nineteen hundred years ago, and it bears no more significance to us than just a recapitulation of the thoughts and concepts presented at the time of its writing. In reality, however, the Spirit that was present at the time of the writing of the Scriptures is still with us today. When we read the Bible today, we should read it as if it was written today. Whenever we read the Bible with our spirit, it is a new book to us. Although historically this book was completed over eighteen or nineteen hundred years ago, it is not old in any way, because it is a book written in spirit. We become tired of many books after reading them a few times. But we are not tired of the Bible even after reading it dozens of times. This is because it is a book in the spirit. If we touch the Bible according to the letters or according to our thoughts, it will become old to us before very long. But if we read it by the spirit, it is new to us every time. Whenever we find a portion of the Word tasteless, it is not the portion itself that is tasteless but our spirit that has failed to function. Every portion of the Bible is full of the spirit. If our spirit is strong enough, every passage will be precious to us. But if we do not read the Bible with our spirit, even a book as precious as Romans or a passage as wonderful as the sermon on the mount will be tasteless and meaningless to us. Actually, it is not the Bible that has become meaningless, but our spirit which has become fallen. Once our spirit becomes fallen, the Bible becomes tasteless to us. When our spirit is not strong, we lose the taste for reading. But when our spirit is strong, the Bible will be a fresh book, as one that has just been completed.
The spirit of the Word is indeed rich. A man should not presume that his spirit is strong and that he can meet all the demands. Only those who have passed through the dealings will know a little about the Bible. The amount of dealing one experiences dictates the amount of his understanding. Because we have only experienced limited dealing, we remain at the place where we were before, being ignorant of many things. It is imperative that we pass through the discipline of the Holy Spirit. The more discipline we go through, the more we learn. At a certain point, when our spirit somewhat matches the spirit of God's word, we will see light. Revelation will come, and we will be fed.
Why do we treasure a portion of the Scriptures so much, yet another brother sees nothing precious about it? This is because we capture the spirit of that portion of the Scripture, while the other brother does not. I am not saying that the other brother does not have a spirit. I am saying that his spirit is not in step with the spirit of this portion of the Word. Sometimes, he may treasure another portion of the Word, yet we have no feeling about it. We are as closed to that portion as he is to our portion of the Word. Our spirit must be fine, and we must be sensitive to many things. Once our spirit is fine, we will be sensitive to our many different circumstances. The finer our spirit is, the wider the scope of our knowledge of the Word will be. The scope of our knowledge of the Bible depends on the amount of discipline we have received from the Holy Spirit. Our feelings can only become rich and fine after passing through much discipline. As the discipline increases, the feelings increase. A man understands a certain portion of the Word only after he has passed through a certain kind of discipline. Hence, it is important that we gain rich experience by going through dealings. If we are not rich in such experiences, our feelings will not be rich, and if our spiritual feelings are not rich, our knowledge of the Bible will not be rich.
Let us consider two examples in the Bible and from them find the meaning of entering into the spirit of the Word.
Jacob was a clever, cunning, and selfish man. In everything he considered himself first, never others. He was very conniving, and he resorted to all kinds of schemes to achieve his goal. This was the reason God had to deal with him. When he was born he held to his brother's ankle and fought with him. But Esau became his father's love, while he was set aside. Jacob tried everything he could to usurp his brother's blessing. But in the end what he got was not blessing but wanderings. He served Laban, who changed his wages ten times. He wanted to marry Rachel but had to take Leah first. On his way back to his father's land, Rachel died, while Leah survived. His heart was with a few of his sons, being particularly fond of Joseph. Yet Joseph was sold by his brothers, who dipped his garment in blood and deceived Jacob. He thought that Joseph was devoured by the beasts, and said, "I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning" (Gen. 37:35). Then he shifted all of his hopes to his youngest son, Benjamin; yet Benjamin was taken into Egypt. Day by day Jacob suffered God's dealings. His days were hard. Proverbs 13:15 says, "The way of the treacherous is hard." Jacob's days were full of sufferings as a result of his stubbornness and craftiness.
We should not think that Jacob's experience at Peniel was a cheap one (Gen. 32:22-32). He insisted that God bless him. It seems as if he was saying, "My father had to bless me. Everyone had to bless me. God must also bless me!" He was a cunning man. In everything he wanted to gain something. He wanted God's blessing, and God promised that he would be called Israel. Yet his blessing did not come immediately; it came decades later. At Peniel God touched the hollow of his thigh, and he was crippled. From that day forward God's work took a turn in him. Yet the next day we see the same old Jacob on his way to meet his brother Esau. He split up his children into groups, thinking that he would preserve the second if the first suffered calamities. He put his beloved Joseph and Rachel in the last group. He was still exercising his own wisdom. He was still scheming.
Although Jacob was cunning, he became a very spiritual man in his old age. When he went down to Egypt in his advanced years, he was very much different from what he was before. "And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh" (Gen. 47:7). This is a beautiful picture. Pharaoh was the ruler of a nation, yet as he stood before Jacob, Jacob appeared taller than he! This man had gone through years of wrestling and was finally at rest. When he stood up, Pharaoh, the monarch of an empire, stooped down! If the old Jacob had been there, he probably would have acted the same as he did when he met Laban, setting his eyes on Laban's possessions. Pharaoh's possessions were many times more valuable than Laban's. But Jacob was a stricken man. His eyes were no longer on these things, but on the lessons he had learned from God. Spontaneously, he stood tall before Pharaoh. "And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How old art thou? And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage" (vv. 8-9). Here we find the release of this man's spirit. He said, "Few and evil have the days of the years of my life been." This described his whole life. This old man had gone through many sufferings before he could say this word. Our spirit has to enter into his spirit. A man who has experienced God's smiting work is never haughty. We have to remember God's promise to Abraham: "And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth" (13:16). God also promised Isaac, saying, "And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven" (26:4). At the time of Abraham, there was only a single descendant; there was no household, much less a nation. By the time of Jacob, there were seventy people in his household. God's promise was realized in his household. Yet Jacob did not boast of this. On the contrary he said, I "have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage." He was able to say this because he was smitten and humbled. "And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh" (47:10). He came in blessing Pharaoh, and he went out blessing Pharaoh. He had something to give to others. What a beautiful picture! The aged Jacob had changed. Now he was Israel; he was no longer the same. Here we should touch his spirit.
"And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was a hundred forty and seven years. And the time drew nigh that Israel must die" (47:28-29). We should notice that at his birth he was called Jacob but at his death he was called Israel. "And he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt: but I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their buryingplace. And he said, I will do as thou hast said. And he said, Swear unto me. And he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head" (vv. 29-31). What a beautiful picture this is! We have to touch the spirit here. Here was a man who by nature was cunning and hard, who would do everything to satisfy himself and would ask for nothing less than the best. Yet on that day he said to his own son, "If now I have found grace in thy sight." What tenderness! "I pray thee...deal kindly and truly with me." He asked for kindness and truthfulness. "Bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt." God's place for him was Canaan. His promise could not be fulfilled in Egypt. Under God's sovereignty he was about to die. Yet he asked for kindness and truthfulness that he would be buried in God's promised land. Jacob was not doubting God's promise. On the contrary, he asked Joseph to swear because he believed in God. He wanted Joseph to see the solemnity of the matter. Unless we touch his spirit, we will not understand what he was doing. "And Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head." What a wonderful scene!
Let us also read Genesis 48. Verses 2 through 4 say, "And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed. And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me, and said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession." He remembered God's promises to him. He knew clearly that it was God's blessing that gave him seventy people in his household. God had promised that he would be fruitful and multiply and that the land of Canaan would be given to his seed.
Verse 5 says, "And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine." He placed Joseph's two sons under God's promise. "As Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine." He accepted Joseph's two sons as his own sons. At his old age, Jacob was clear about everything.
Verse 7 says, "And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way." This incident touched him deeply. He still remembered it at his deathbed. How tender, mature, and sweet is a man who has passed through God's chastisement! How rich was his deposit! The conniving Jacob had been changed; he became an entirely different man.
Verses 8 through 10 say, "And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said, Who are these? And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them. Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them." When Isaac was old, his eyes were poor, and he was deceived. When Jacob was old, his eyes were also poor, but his inward eyes were very clear. Unlike Isaac in his old age, who was greedy for venison, Jacob was ready to bless. "And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them." Here we sense the overflow of compassion of an old man.
Verse 11 says, "And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath showed me also thy seed." Here we find again a spirit stricken by God.
Verses 12 through 14 say, "And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near unto him. And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn."
Verses 17 through 19 say, "And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him....And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head. And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it." Although Jacob's eyes were dim, his inward being was not dim. He knew what God wanted him to do. "He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations." We should remember that Isaac was muddled in his blessing but Jacob was very clear in his blessing.
Verse 21 says, "And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die; but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers." This is faith. How real a living faith is! At that time all their future seemed to lie in Egypt. No household had more prospect than they had in the land of Egypt. Yet Jacob said, "God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers. Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow." In whose hand was this land at that time? It was not in his hands. Yet he said, "I have given to thee one portion." In effect he was saying that even though Joseph was governor over Egypt, his land was not Egypt, but Canaan. "Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren." He knew that Ephraim and Manasseh were two persons, and therefore that Joseph should have a double portion.
Genesis 49 gives us one of the greatest prophecies in the Bible. Jacob foretold what would happen to every one of his sons and every one of the tribes. He blessed by faith and in obedience, and everything was clear to him.
Verses 29 through 30 say, "And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a buryingplace."
Verse 33 says, "And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people." At his birth he was busy holding on to the heel of his brother. At his death he gathered up his feet properly into the bed. He was not hasty or restless and was not struggling with God in any way.
We must observe that the Bible is full of spirit. When we contact this spirit with our spirit, we touch the tender and precious points of the Bible. We have to contact not only the stories and the doctrines in the Word. We have to touch the spirit behind the Bible with our spirit.
Among Paul's Epistles, 2 Corinthians stands out as the book that reveals more of his spirit than any other book. Other Epistles tell us the revelations that Paul received, but this Epistle reveals to us the very person Paul was. Other Epistles speak of his ministry, while this Epistle speaks of his person. It shows us the riches, purity, and meekness that lay within his spirit. He was more misunderstood by the Corinthians than by any others. The Corinthians were uninhibited in saying all kinds of things about Paul. Yet what clarity and purity we find in the spirit of Paul's word to them. We can say that Paul's spirit was more released through the Corinthians' misunderstanding than through his trials which he faced in the last chapters of Acts. If we read through 2 Corinthians sentence by sentence, we will understand not only Paul's thoughts but also his spirit. We will notice that even when he was rebuking, his spirit was not provoked. Only those who are full of love can rebuke others. If our spirit cannot match Paul's spirit in 2 Corinthians, we may take his boasting to the Corinthians as a kind of complaint. But we should realize that while the words may be the same, the spirit can be totally different. Two persons can say the same thing and mean the same thing; they can even use the same terms. But their spirits can be very different.
We have listed only two examples. Throughout the Bible we can detect such a spirit. Some places are more obvious, while others are less obvious. Either we should give up reading the Bible altogether, or we have to bring our spirit up to the level of the spirit of the Bible. Moses went through many trials. If we have not entered into the spirit of these trials, we will not understand these portions. The book of Psalms is much deeper than the book of Jeremiah. If our spirit does not match the spirit of the psalms, we cannot understand them. The same holds true for the New Testament. If our spirit does not match the spirit in the books of the New Testament, we cannot understand them. Therefore, we have to learn some basic lessons before the Lord. We must be a spiritual person before we can read the Bible. We must be consecrated, and we must not be subjective, careless, or curious. We must have impressions of the facts, and we must enter into the thoughts of the Holy Spirit. After we have all of these, we still need more. Our spirit has to be up to the standard, and we have to be dealt with by the Lord to the point that we can identify with the spirit behind every portion of the Word. We must have this kind of spirit before we can understand God's Word. If we do not touch the spirit, we will only have letters. We may even misunderstand God's Word or turn the meaning all around. When a father speaks to his children, his children must touch the spirit of their father's words. If they do not and then spread his words around, they may end up saying something entirely different. There is a spirit behind all the words of the Bible. If we neglect this spirit, we will not understand the feeling and the motive behind the words, and we will run the risk of missing the content of the speaking altogether. Let me repeat: If a man has not been dealt with by the Lord, it will be hard for him to read the Bible. We have to remember that the way to study the Word is to have our being dealt with by God.
