Psalms 78:1 Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. 2 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: 3 Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. 4 We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.
The "Dark sayings" here spoken of are truths that are written in the scriptures, or handed down by word of mouth, whose meanings may not be immediately apparent to the casual listener or reader, or they can also be instructions given by God in the past which were only partly understood back then. God referred to these dark sentences as utterances or revelations given to the prophets which could not be readily unscrambled by the casual observer, for the deep things of God must be searched for diligently, as for hidden treasure. Let's read:
Numbers 12:6 And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. 7 My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house" ...... 8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches" .....
One method by which some of these hidden truths can be unearthed is by understanding that sometimes when God gives us information pertaining to spiritual things, He also includes knowledge about issues in the temporal realm in the same passage, and vice versa. For instance the way that God commanded the literal manna to be gathered and eaten, had a deep spiritual meaning which was scarcely understood by the folks back then. Jesus then came and explained the giving of the true manna, of which the temporal bread that rained from heaven was only a figure. Let's read:
John 6:30 They said therefore unto him" ..... What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work? 31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. 32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. 34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. 35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Similarly, when Jesus was relating the story of the good Samaritan, He was explaining to the multitudes the spiritual truth that anyone who is in need is indeed our neighbor, and that unbiased kindness and mercy should be administered evenly to those who need our help. But coupled together with the spiritual lesson is also knowledge which pertains to the physical realm, for in relating this incident, Christ described how the wounded man's cuts and bruises were taken care of and the information thus given must not be considered a mere coincidence. Let's read:
Luke 10: 30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 10:33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
Jesus mentions three specific things that were done in order to treat the wounded man's bleeding and lacerations. First Christ says that the wounded man was bound up, and this information is given as the correct way to stop excessive bleeding in similar situations we may encounter or experience personally. Next, wine and oil was poured into the man's wounds. The wine here spoken of is fermented and contains alcohol, a very necessary ingredient in sanitizing wounds from the many germs that can cause further complications, and the oil mentioned was also used to cause the man's blood to congeal, thus initializing the healing process .
Thus in giving us a spiritual lesson, Christ also gives a physical lesson, which works every time in similar situations. Whenever we suffer lacerations, cuts or serious bruises which cause bleeding, we can use some almond, avocado or melaleuca oil where the blood is flowing, and we'll see for ourselves that the bleeding will stop almost immediately.
Whenever we read the scriptures we should be on the lookout for both temporal and spiritual lessons for the Lord often gives both in the same "dark sentences". We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to search the scriptures diligently, for therein are contained truths that are beneficial to our spiritual and physical well-being. Let's read:
Proverbs 2:1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; 2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. 7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.
May God add His blessing to the study of His word, for we will be richly rewarded if we seek out knowledge diligently. "Good night" and God bless!