Be Guided When You Read the Bible
An ordinary reader of the Bible who experiences difficulty in understanding the Holy Book should not feel discouraged because this normally happens, especially if there is no one with a gift of understanding to guide him. It has to be understood that, in reading the Bible, one needs the guidance of somebody who has received the gift of understanding from God.
The Book of Acts gives an account of a certain eunuch from Ethiopia who was able to understand the Scriptures when Philip came to his aid. It can be recounted that the eunuch — who happened to be a man of great authority as he was in charge of all the treasures of Candace, the queen of the Ethiopians, and also a man of faith — had come to Jerusalem to worship God.
As he was journeying back home, he was reading the book of the prophet Isaiah. And while reading, he encountered parts which he did not understand. It was then that the Holy Spirit instructed Philip to join the eunuch in his chariot.
Acts 8:30-31 (KJV) says,
30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
When Philip came and heard him reading the Book of Isaiah, he asked the Ethiopian if he understood what he was reading. To Philip he replied, “How can I, except some man should guide me?” Eventually, he requested Philip to come up and sit with him in his chariot.
Acts 8:32-35 (KJV) says,
32 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:
33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.
34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?
35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.
34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?
35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
The eunuch asked Philip who the “He” was that the prophet was referring to, whom the latter likened to a lamb which remained meek and uncomplaining as its hair was being sheared before it was slaughtered.
Philip told him that the lamb was symbolic of the Lord Jesus Christ. And as they travelled, he continued to preach unto the eunuch the Lord Jesus Christ. As we know, this incident culminated with the eunuch’s baptism because he understood and wholeheartedly accepted everything Philip preached unto him.
The point that I am trying to drive at is, the eunuch’s understanding of the Scriptures became possible because someone who had wisdom that came from God, and that was Philip, explained to him everything.
In other words, not all men are capable of understanding the Bible because not all received a gift of understanding from God.
Matthew 19:11 (KJV) says,
But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given.
Understanding the word of God comes from God; it is given by God. It follows that unless a person is gifted by God with understanding, he will not be able to understand His words written in the Bible.
As mentioned, not all are given this gift – only the preachers of God. So, if you are not a preacher, it is likely that there would be parts of the Bible which you will find difficult to comprehend.
But it is a different story if you are a preacher. A preacher is expected to have full understanding of the words of God in the Bible. Shame on him if he did not receive any gift from God. If that is the case, then, he does not have the right to preach.
Ecclesiastes 12:10-11 (KJV) says,
10 The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.
11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.
11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.
The understanding of God’s words is first given to a pastor or preacher of God. And then, this preacher or pastor would, in turn, teach the congregation that he leads for them to also understand the words of God.
This way, those who find difficulty in understanding the Bible will now be able to develop appreciation and understanding of the words of God through the help of the preacher whom God gifted with understanding.
Be sure to listen only to a God-sent preacher, one whom He gifted with understanding, for your salvation not to be compromised.
May God bless you all!
Thank you Brother Eliseo Soriano, I understand now why I can't understand the bible. I remember when I was grade 11 last year, I was reading the bible while I was heading home in my phone because I have the app, Omega Digi Bible. I started from genesis and even at genesis there are scriptures that I did not understand. I did not know why, the words are very hard for me to comprehend even if it was in English translation and I fairly can understand English and much prefer the English language rather than Tagalog. It was the first chapter of the bible and even at that start, I did not understand. Everyday from that after school I was reading the bible and even though I did not understand, I still read. I thought I was just sleepy (because my classes start at the afternoon, I go home at night riding a jeepney then walking, after a hard day of learning at school) or I thought the words was just too deep for me, but now, thanks to your blog, I now know why I do not understand the bible. I do not understand it because I am just a regular person, needing education in the holy scriptures. Even though I am part of the achieving/top class, I must see myself as a simpleminded or vacuous person because there a billions of things that I do not know, especially to the scriptures of the Bible. Thanks be to God Brother Eliseo Soriano, at least I understand this blog and it helped me. I'll pray to God wishing I can read more! Have a blessed day! Salamat sa Dios! :)
ReplyDeleteI wholeheartedly agree that for us to understand the scripture we need someone who has the gift of understanding that God gave the person. In our time its bro. Eli. Thanks be to God
ReplyDeleteProverbs 3
ReplyDelete13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, And the man that getteth understanding. Thanks be to God
amen!
ReplyDeleteThanks be to God ..
ReplyDeleteAMERICAN KING JAMES VERSION
ReplyDeleteJesu is Guide when reading, Why?
I am the vine, you are the branches: He that stays in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing.
Salamat po s DIOS
ReplyDeleteOne of the most controversial issue,
ReplyDeleteRead the entire Blog for you to be enlightened!
To God be the Glory!
And that preacher who received the gift of understanding from God was definitely Brother Eli Soriano.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, Amen to this:
ReplyDelete"A preacher is expected to have full understanding of the words of God in the Bible. Shame on him if he did not receive any gift from God. If that is the case, then, he does not have the right to preach."
I learned here that in order for us to distinguish true preachers, he should be able to interpret and explain the good news.
ReplyDeleteThanks be to God! Yes, indeed! We can't just go and give the Bible our own interpretations. And also, we can't just go and listen to any preacher based on looks, social status, or any other standard. The only standard is, that that preacher has the gift of understanding! How will we know? We need to try them out, as written in 1 John 4:1. Thanks be to God for this wonderful blog!
ReplyDeleteI am an ordinary worthless reader of the Bible, and I already accepted the fact that I do not have the Gift of Understanding. However, as what written at the introduction, I should not be discouraged for God gave someone this gift to become an instrument to teach His people. Bro. Eli is a living proof of this truth!
ReplyDeleteWhenever he reads the chapters and verses, it seems like he was really there in those moments. And, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, he is able to connect the dots between pages and find the missing pieces to complete a set of puzzles. As always, a million thanks to God!
I remember when I was younger, I get frustrated whenever I cannot understand what the Bible is trying to deliver. But then, when I grew older, (and when I got baptized to the Church of God,) it became easier for me to understand the connection between passages, and I then learned that it really is hard to understand the word of God alone, except if it is taught to you with the help of the spirit of God.
ReplyDeleteIt is very hard to understand the Bible unless the Holy Spirit help us. In the Church of God the word of wisdom is given to one through the Spirit and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit. Look for the sensible preacher of our time to help and guide you in understanding the words of God in the Bible.
ReplyDelete( to the Leader of the organization
Amen! A hundred percent true!
ReplyDeleteA million thanks to God Almighty for His unfathomable love and mercy that He has given me, and my family, to know about the preacher He sent to our time. Salamat po sa Dios!
I believe it is hard to understand the words of God written in the bible unless we are gifted by God to understand His words, or, if we are guided by a preacher who has the gift of understanding from God.
ReplyDeleteTo the wicked or evil ones, God speaks the secrets of His Kingdom in parables so that, though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.
None of the wicked will understand but those who are of God and wise will understand.
Thanks be to God!
Wow! this blog is really worth to share with, as a reminder that not everyone who reads the Bible will understand it, we need a preacher for us to be able to know the hard things that were written, to God be the glory!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks be to God
ReplyDeleteTrue,understanding knowledge wisdom in the bible as i learned to listening to him, cannot acquire by human except with Holy Gost intervention,it worded in his Holy Bible,thanks be to God to his loving kindness.
ReplyDeleteTHANKS BE TO GOD. TO GOD BE THE GLORY!
ReplyDeleteYet, a preacher of God must only preach all the teachings of God not of man
ReplyDeletetruly it's is difficult to understand the scriptures. need preacher with a gift of understanding and someone you can ask.
ReplyDeleteThanks GOD for this article. This will help those who are afraid and find it hard to read the Bible. If only they would try, they will experience a feeling of relief once they understood GOD's wisdom. Thanks again Bro. Eli Soriano.
ReplyDeleteThanks be to God for this enlightening wisdom that serves as guide in our way of life. Glory be to God.
ReplyDeleteThanks be to God bro Eli.💓
ReplyDeleteListening to other people is very crucial especially if that is a matter of religious beliefs and faith. I learned that listening to a wise man sent by God is a way to be equipped with knowledge and wisdom that God wants us to learn in this life and the life to come...thanks be to God!
ReplyDeleteAmen! the one who has a right to preach is the one who have the gift of understanding which is given by God
ReplyDeleteI am pretty sure that Brother Eli is God-sent preacher to us. When I was in the wrong congregation I don’t really understand what is the bible saying, even if it’s translated in our own languages. But when I hear this man, preaching the words of God I was enlightened ang open my eyes to the true religion that will found in the holy scriptures. Now, I am truly blessed that I understand some of the mysteries in the bible with this man. Thanks be to God.
ReplyDeleteIf on;y people realize that bro.Eli Soriano is telling the truth and it's all base in the Bible, they will not hate him instead, they will Give Praise and Thanks to the Lord
ReplyDelete