Many people think, “Well I did it. It took a while, but I read the whole bible. I’m done.” No, you’re not done, keep reading it! The Bible acts like bread to our spiritual bodies. You consume it, and you become enriched and grow. Also, God likes spending time with you.
There are parts of the Bible that you won’t unlock until you read other parts. Things like grapevines, bread, wheat, weeds, and such have hidden spiritual meanings. For example, Jesus is the vine, and we are the fruit of the vine. We can bear no fruit unless we remain in the vine.
Prophecies and parables can be hard to understand. It’s prudent to learn the secret meanings of some words to help you do so. Read the following knowing the vine is our connection with God, and instead of connecting with God, the ancient Israelites sought to ally with Egypt for defense against Babylon instead of relying on God.
1 The Lord spoke to me. 2 “Mortal man,” he said, “tell the Israelites a parable 3 to let them know what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to them: There was a giant eagle with beautiful feathers and huge wings, spread wide. He flew to the Lebanon Mountains and broke off the top of a cedar tree, 4 which he carried to a land of commerce and placed in a city of merchants. 5 Then he took a young plant from the land of Israel and planted it in a fertile field,[a] where there was always water to make it grow. 6 The plant sprouted and became a low, wide-spreading grapevine. The branches grew upward toward the eagle, and the roots grew deep. The vine was covered with branches and leaves.7 “There was another giant eagle with huge wings and thick plumage. And now the vine sent its roots toward him and turned its leaves toward him, in the hope that he would give it more water than there was in the garden where it was growing.[b] 8 But the vine had already been planted in a fertile, well-watered field so that it could grow leaves and bear grapes and be a magnificent vine.9 “So I, the Sovereign Lord, ask: Will this vine live and grow? Won’t the first eagle pull it up by its roots, pull off the grapes, and break off the branches and let them wither? It will not take much strength or a mighty nation to pull it up. 10 Yes, it is planted, but will it live and grow? Won’t it wither when the east wind strikes it? Won’t it wither there where it is growing?”11 The Lord said to me, 12 “Ask these rebels if they know what the parable means. Tell them that the king of Babylonia came to Jerusalem and took the king and his officials back with him to Babylonia. 13 He took one of the king’s family, made a treaty with him, and made him swear to be loyal. He took important men as hostages 14 to keep the nation from rising again and to make sure that the treaty would be kept. 15 But the king of Judah rebelled and sent agents to Egypt to get horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Can he get away with that? He cannot break the treaty and go unpunished!16 “As surely as I am the living God,” says the Sovereign Lord, “this king will die in Babylonia because he broke his oath and the treaty he had made with the king of Babylonia, who put him on the throne. 17 Even the powerful army of the king of Egypt will not be able to help him fight when the Babylonians build earthworks and dig trenches in order to kill many people. 18 He broke his oath and the treaty he had made. He did all these things, and now he will not escape.”19 The Sovereign Lord says, “As surely as I am the living God, I will punish him for breaking the treaty which he swore in my name to keep. 20 I will spread out a hunter’s net and catch him in it. I will take him to Babylonia and punish him there, because he was unfaithful to me. 21 His best soldiers will be killed in battle, and the survivors will be scattered in every direction. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken.”
Ezekiel 17:1-21 (GNT).
In addition to unlocking knowledge by reading the Bible many times, our life changes. We gain experience in life just by living. Some parts of the Bible don’t make full sense unless you have life experience. So after you gain the life experience and read it again, you get new insights. Also the more you read the Bible, the more it sticks with your memory. No one out there knows all the wisdom that the Bible contains, not even top religious leaders know everything there is to know. A humble regular Joe can sometimes get wisdom from the Bible that not many people know.
The Bible is like a gold mine of wisdom. Wisdom is more desirable than physical gold. If people mine for actual physical gold with all they have, why not mine the Bible for wisdom?
1 There are mines where silver is dug; There are places where gold is refined. 2 We dig iron out of the ground And melt copper out of the stones. 3 Miners explore the deepest darkness. They search the depths of the earth And dig for rocks in the darkness. 4 Far from where anyone lives Or human feet ever travel, They dig the shafts of mines. There they work in loneliness, Clinging to ropes in the pits. 5 Food grows out of the earth, But underneath the same earth All is torn up and crushed. 6 The stones of the earth contain sapphires, And its dust contains gold. 7 No hawk sees the roads to the mines, And no vulture ever flies over them. 8 No lion or other fierce beast Ever travels those lonely roads.9 Miners dig the hardest rocks, Dig mountains away at their base. 10 As they tunnel through the rocks, They discover precious stones. 11 They dig to the sources of[b] rivers And bring to light what is hidden. 12 But where can wisdom be found? Where can we learn to understand?13 Wisdom is not to be found among mortals; No one knows its true value. 14 The depths of the oceans and seas Say that wisdom is not found there. 15 It cannot be bought with silver or gold. 16 The finest gold and jewels Cannot equal its value. 17 It is worth more than gold, Than a gold vase or finest glass. 18 The value of wisdom is more Than coral or crystal or rubies. 19 The finest topaz and the purest gold Cannot compare with the value of wisdom.20 Where, then, is the source of wisdom? Where can we learn to understand? 21 No living creature can see it, Not even a bird in flight. 22 Even death and destruction Admit they have heard only rumors.23 God alone knows the way, Knows the place where wisdom is found, 24 Because he sees the ends of the earth, Sees everything under the sky. 25 When God gave the wind its power And determined the size of the sea; 26 When God decided where the rain would fall, And the path that the thunderclouds travel; 27 It was then he saw wisdom and tested its worth— He gave it his approval.28 God said to us humans, “To be wise, you must have reverence for the Lord. To understand, you must turn from evil.”
Job 28:1-28 (GNT).
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