The Subordination of Understanding
Preface. Preparing to write this has taken me through some of the lowest times in my walk with Jesus. I wonder at the timing of such attacks. If we’ll admit it, most of us have been through difficult seasons. Dry. Wandering in the desert kinds of seasons. As is also usual, we wrestle with why. What are the correlating circumstances? For me, is it something I’ve done? Or haven’t done? What are you saying to me, Lord Jesus? Why does the enemy circle like a buzzard? I know he’s prowling about like a roaring lion, according to the Apostle Peter. The storm rages. Parents fail; their need is urgent, their condition pitiful. Children struggle. Even helpless little grandchildren are afflicted. Projects never start or are difficult to complete. Friends are in constant distress. Nothing seems to line up right. William Butler Yeats was right: “Things fall apart, the center cannot hold…” Even worship is flat; my heart is just not in it. Whew! That which follows is my attempt to work through this season in the writing about it. To overcome. To press on, perchance to encourage. Is it possible to embrace the suck? This is a humble effort; not my best, but it’s all I got. Without understanding it’s hard to write about understanding, isn’t it? 😇 Perhaps joy will come in the morning. That is my prayer, at least, as I strive to follow the Man of Sorrows and hopefully encourage others.
We’ve been trying to get a bible study group going for 2025, which would meet at our home. If you are interested, I wrote an outline earlier for these pages: The Bible in a Year. You’d think if the plan seemed clear, the syllabus was written, and it seemed a worthy mission, it should happen. Right? This is what I thought and I’d been at it for months. We thought it would be a great way to reach out to our neighbors; my wife had even started some early recruiting of those whom I never thought would be interested. Then two couples, one from our neighborhood and the other from our previous small group, expressed interest. We got together to outline a plan. We agreed to pray about it for the month of December. And then all hell broke loose.
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While I was thinking about what to do, many questions arose. Why did it seem so difficult to get going? Why had the interest of others seemed to wane? Should we try to incorporate our previous small group? Then out of left field, why was our little granddaughter sick? Why were we encountering obstacles building our garage addition? Why was my 99 year old dad getting more and more off his rocker and insisting on attention? Chris’ parents in Ohio were struggling mightily, which required her presence. Why didn’t I seem to have enough bandwidth to just “git-’er done” and move on with the project? I didn’t have any answers, I couldn’t understand.
So, I began praying for discernment. For understanding. I thought if I could only understand, then I would know where God was leading. Right? I thought if he’d suggested the project in the first place, which he had, then where was his empowering grace? I was trying to keep it all straight, but confusion seemed to reign, even in my prayers. And yet, I’d just finished my most recent cycle through The Bible and was excited to see broader parts of the biblical story coalescing in the dimness of my mind. The web of connections was beginning to emerge. Oh, if I could only share this with others! The story of Jesus runs throughout The Bible, you know. Jesus was always the Father’s plan! I understood this and it was a new appreciation, but why couldn’t I share this with others? Perhaps I didn’t really understand. I must need more understanding, I thought and prayed.
Solomon asked for wisdom. God lifted him up and commended the king for his lack of selfishness. Solomon was renowned for his understanding of all things. Understanding is a good thing, right? I thought if understanding would “fall upon me” then I would know God’s will; I would know, understand, where he was leading. Understanding provides answers to our questions. Why do you allow this or that, God? Why do bad things happen to good people? Understanding leads to the ability to do stuff: Write a story; make vaccines; travel to the moon; build weapons of mass destruction; lots of fancy stuff, much of it awful. It gives us power over our circumstances and strategies for moving through life. Understanding might even bring temporary peace in the Middle East 😲 At least maybe we’ll know the reason why things are not what they should be 🤔 With understanding we then have confidence to follow God’s will; finally we know what to do! … Don’t we? The rest should be easy.
Here is something strange. For some reason, the following Bible verse from Zechariah 4:6 had come to mind a few months ago and there reverberated constantly, “Not by might or by power, but by my Spirit”. Over the preceding months it has been constantly in my head through many different circumstances. What could it mean?
Then just a few nights ago, reading GK Chesterton’s “Orthodoxy” I came across this thought: Complete self-confidence is not merely a sin; complete self confidence is a weakness 🤯 And a little further on: The general fact is simple. Poetry (as a mode of expression) is sane because it floats easily in an infinite sea; (but) reason seeks to cross the infinite sea, and so make it finite. The result is mental exhaustion… To accept everything is an exercise, to understand everything (is) a strain. The poet only desires exaltation and expansion, a world to stretch himself in. The poet only asks to get his head into the heavens. It is the logician who seeks to get the heavens into his head. And it is his head that splits! Wasn’t I that logician (scientist)? The word science means knowledge, you know. Finally it seemed I was getting somewhere; ironically, I was starting to understand! However at the back of my mind was the thought, do we really want to understand (know) God’s will? 🤔 Be careful what you pray for; your head may split open.
What then?
May I reverently modify Zechariah 4:6 to this, Not by understanding, but by my Spirit? I seek to understand the plans of an infinite God with my finite mind. No wonder it was driving me crazy; exhausting! We should remember even a cursory reading of The Bible will show the following: Paradox is a constant theme. On this CS Lewis and GK Chesterton agree. Omnipotent God loves his creation, but he allowed sin to enter it. He commands you shall do no murder, yet through Moses he establishes sanctuary cities; He commands the destruction of entire cities and peoples. He loves his people, yet he exiles them to Babylon. He promises Isaac to Abram and then asks for him as a human sacrifice. Jesus taught, love your enemies, love those that hate you. Jesus said, “I’ve not come to judge the world, but to save it.” Then we see Jesus returning as the fierce and righteous judge in the book of Revelation; you know, that “great and terrible day of the Lord.” How can Jesus be both man and God?… You can make your own list. Attend any Bible study and people will pick out, if not these, then other questions, usually paradoxes, which will occupy most of the discussion.
In more than one place we read that “a man plans his way, but the Lord orders his steps.” Planning, presumably based on understanding though not always, is superseded (reinforced?) by God’’s sovereignty. Think about it. Not by might or by power (understanding), but by his Spirit. What does this mean? It is a conundrum for sure, even a paradox perhaps. A mystery.
Shifting gears, the Old and New Testaments are full of references to the sovereignty of God and the eyes of faith. For example, a famous verse from the OT: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6). From the New, For we walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7) and who can forget this one? Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction (substance) of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). But what does the Spirit have to do with this, you ask? Or, maybe it’s just me.
I have to switch gears again to where the Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:8-9, For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit… Another paradox? I don’t think so. Faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit; so is knowledge. Clearly this passage speaks of faith, but also of wisdom and knowledge (understanding). [As an aside, if you read the entire chapter this should be clearer, better yet read the letter to the Corinthians, better yet the New Testament, even better study the entire Bible!] Let me emphasize again that the Holy Spirit is the originator of both faith and understanding. To amplify this we go to Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church: For by grace you have been saved through faith. Here comes the understanding part: And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:8-10). Read the first two paragraphs of Ephesians chapter 2 for a larger context; it is amazing (grace)! And it closes in verse 22 with: In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. In other words, God’s Holy Spirit, the spirit of Christ, becomes the agency through which the Church is to act on God’s behalf in this world! Now read chapter 11 from Ephesians, which is entirely about faith! Are we getting somewhere or am I just confusing myself? And you perhaps? I hope not.
Having the above context from Ephesians, let’s try to tackle Zechariah 4:6 again, Not by might or by power, but by my Spirit. I will take the liberty to rephrase/amplify it as follows. We, the Church, the manifest presence (agents?) of Jesus in this world, made for good works prepared from eternity past, these works are to be our mission. But not in our own power (or might), but by His power we walk in His Spirit, so that no person may boast; it is through the gift of faith, which is a gift of His Spirit.
It is all grace my friends. This is grace!
A brief word study: Grace in Greek is the word charis. Grace in the Old Testament (Zechariah 4:6-9); grace in the new. In Ephesians 4:8 Paul even adapts Psalm 68:18 to read: When he (Jesus) ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men. The gifts, the charismata, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, come directly from Jesus! Indeed, they come from the spirit of Christ, which is the Spirit of God! It is through his grace (charis) that we have his gifts (charismata).
Was Zechariah foreshadowing the coming of God’s Spirit to the Church as seen in the New Testament in chapter two of the book of Acts? The answer is yes in my opinion. To this end, I did some research on Wikipedia and it seems to me, the idea may not be so far-fetched. Examining all of Zechariah there is clearly a theme outlining what is to come. I recall that many prophecies refer to both near term and far future events. Scholars seem to focus on Zechariah as prophecy regarding the continuing restoration of Israel following the Babylonian captivity in the near term, but to my understanding there can be no mistaking the eschatological references as well. Other scholars concur at least in part (see below). I believe all of Zechariah is about the first coming and the return of Messiah Jesus. In support of my contention, there are instances throughout Zechariah referring to a high priest, Joshua by name, and a coming king, Zerubbabel. FYI, Joshua (anglicized version of Yeshua) is the given name of Jesus (YHWH is salvation)! Whadda ya know! Zerubbabel is also featured and is one of the ancestors of Jesus found in the genealogies from Matthew and Luke! Coincidence? I think not, but do your own research. Certainly Jesus was not characterized as mighty and powerful during his earthly ministry, but his final gift was the coming of his Spirit. Read Zechariah and do your homework on this: Zerubbabel (king/ruler) and Joshua (Aaronic high priest) together are absolutely consistent with what we know of Jesus, our returning king and savior. And as put in Hebrews, Jesus is our high priest! That’s my story and I’m sticking to it! Your mileage may vary. [Upon reviewing this draft, I came across an essay by Dr. John Stovall which outlines the messianic emphasis in Zechariah. So, as regards my story, it seems I am not alone.] 😇
Back to what does Spirit in verse 6 of Zechariah chapter 4 have to do with faith? Well, let’s move along to the next verse where in 4:7 we read, Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of “Grace, grace to it!” A little further on in verses 8 and 9 we read, Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. The order of these verses is interesting. The top stone, the capstone, is the last stone to be placed when the rebuilt temple is completed. Stay with me. But way before the placement of the final critical stone, a foundation must be laid, upon which the entire structure rests; first the foundation then the completion. Jesus is alluded to as the foundation, the corner stone, the stumbling stone! And the shout, Grace, grace to it! is entirely appropriate, reminding me of Jesus last words on the cross, It is finished! On the cross, the foundation was laid. We now await the top stone of his return as king! This house, the temple, is the body of Christ, the Church, made up of a diversity of belivers, in each of whom the Holy Spirit lives!
Jesus taught that if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed (really tiny) you can tell the mountain to be removed and tossed into the sea. What’s left where the mountain was standing? A plain; a flat spot; a place no longer difficult to climb. See verse 7. Grace! Grace to you! Charis, charis to you! Taking the liberty of paraphrasing verses 6-9, “You will not succeed by exercising your own power, might, knowledge, or ingenuity, but only by grace through faith, through the gift of my Spirit, the indwelling Spirit of Christ, found in every believer, says YHWH, the Hebrew God and Father of Jesus, His beloved Son. He will bring it about.”
So Jesus can be found throughout the Old Testament. Jesus was/is the Father’s plan. The zeal of the Lord shall accomplish this!
How many times have I prayed, Lord help me understand? With this, am I not asking to contain the infinite vastness of the will of God within my own mind? It is impossible. Impossible I say, O scientist! My head will surely split! Then what can I do? “Only” step out in faith, take up my cross daily, and follow Jesus. He leads. I follow. I must subordinate my ability to understand… to faith; this is the subordination of understanding.
I will close with I think an important caveat. I am not saying the search for understanding is equivalent to lack of faith or the need for faith. Jesus says to his disciples in several places, Have I been with you so long and yet still you do not understand? They had not yet received the Holy Spirit! They had not yet received the gift of undersanding let alone any other gifts. What I am saying is that we must seek understanding with a heart of faith, knowing that our Savior is also the faithful one. There are times when we do not, cannot, understand. Or, we may receive understanding, which is to trust him. Let me say it again, our only choice is to trust him, to follow him despite our lack of understanding. This is taking up our cross, as we sacrifice our ability to understand in exchange for willingness to trust him. This is, I think, the living sacrifice spoken by Paul in Romans 12. Our abilities to do these things are gifts of his Spirit. This realization changes our prayer from, “Help me understand” to “Help me follow you, Lord Jesus Christ. With all my heart, mind, soul, and strength. To present my body as a living sacrifice.” Understanding may come in the morning. Or in the wee hours of the night. Or in a sermon. Or, perhaps, in eternity as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:12, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” For me, it comes down to this: He knows. I must follow: The cloud by day, the fire by night, and to enter the promised land with those heroes, Caleb and Joshua (Yeshua, Jesus).