Come To Bethel And Sin

*A hearing ear *and a seeing eye, *Yahweh effected *these two *the same. (MAST)

Proverbs 20:12 (NKJV)

12 The hearing ear and the seeing eye, The Lord has made them both.

*[A hearing ear] literally, an ear that hears. This is unmistakably a single ear that hears. Isolated, however, from the remainder of the phrase and its context, it would appear that this is talking about the natural sense of the ear. It is an ear that functions properly. It is an ear that has all the external and internal parts operating at the same time to perform its function. In other words, it’s an ear that works. But as we shall see, this is not merely Solomon’s intention. But reflecting on this at its face value, it offers understanding as the phrase carries out its pattern of thought.

*[and a seeing eye] literally, and an eye that sees. Again, this is an eye that works at the fullest capacity for which it was designed, but this is not how we are to conclude our thought regarding this context. There happens to be no direct article in the Hebrew, which would make this apply universally in the creation of them. The verbs then, particularize them out of the rest of the ears and eyes that God has ordained in the substance of darkness (Gen.1:2). These are functioning ears and eyes. The Lord indeed makes every ear as well as every eye, but He is not obligated to make every ear and eye function in the fullest capacity of their design (Isa.45:7; Ex.4:11). Therefore these creations are particular, of which the Hebrew verbs, to hear and to see, act, in the participle.

*[Yahweh effected] Yahweh is the proper name for the Creator of all things in his self-existent being. Yahweh is three persons but one God in substance, nature, and character. But as three distinct persons, God reveals himself through different roles and functions of his eternal nature and holy character. Yahweh chose to reveal himself through a nation of fathers. Yahweh is the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob, consummating the Hebrews under a new name to identify her in one body as the everlasting bride to the Son as the love gift of his eternal inheritance from the Father which were created in the nature and substance of the same love of the Spirit that unites them as one God in three persons. Yahweh is “I am who I am” to this nation called Israel (Matt.15:31). This is how the name Yahweh is to be understood. Yahweh is more than the God of Israel, Yahweh is LORD over all (Zech.14:9; Rom.10:12; Acts 10:36). And because Yahweh is the Great I AM, he does all that he pleases (Isa.46:10). Yahweh is Almighty, Omniscient, and Omnipresent. There is nothing that shall stand against the eternal purpose of his ontology. He makes himself known by the things which he has made (Rom.1:20). Each person of the Trinity created the things which are made (Jn.5:17; Col.1:15-16;2Cor.3:6). The Father spoke the world into existence and decreed the substance of both the darkness and the (natural) light (Gen.1:1-2; Isa.45:7), and by the Son, all things were created, and it is additionally by the Holy Spirit that all things were created for the Son, but only those who believe are created [in] the Son (Eph.1:13; Col.3:10). Not all things created have their life in the Eternal Word of the Son (2Cor.5:17; Rom.8:1; Jn.20:31), nor does Christ dwell in all things created in darkness (1Cor.12:3-6;15:28; Eph.1:22-23;5:8;1Jn.1:5). The Holy Spirit creates by Christ that God may dwell in all things created in Christ (Eph.2:1-3,8-10; Jn.3:7-8). Anyone [in Christ] is a new creation like Israel was a new name to the children of Abraham. Christ is the only Mediator of this eternal covenant of grace among the persons of God in their roles of glorifying the creation from her fall into sin (Rom.8:28-30). Without the decree of sin, the fullness of Yahweh’s character and nature could not and would not have been put on display (Gen.2:16-17; Rom.5:13,20-21;9:21-24; Rev.13:8). Those who love the truth and the reality of it call upon the character and standard of this name (Joel 2:32; Rom.10:13; 1Cor.1:2; Php.2:10; 2Thess.2:9-12; Heb.1:1-2; Jn.1:18). Therefore, both good and evil are the effects of God’s creative activity. God never works the will to sin in the sinner, but always works “all things,” including evil, for the good of the believer. Sin is the effect of the absence of God’s image in the will of man (Gen.2:17), for it is the will to sin that works death in the sinner, as the image of God’s Spirit departed the body and life of sin (that very day)(Heb.4:12). The sinner sins because he is a sinner and chooses the greatest inclination that best gratifies his sinful nature. But in the covenant of Yahweh, the only beloved and eternal Son, in the wisdom of the eternal Word, like a Lamb who was slain before the foundation of the world, became the substitute in the predestined time to mediate the covenant of eternal life to those created in the Son by the restoration and the Holy Spirit.

*[these two] literally, the two of them. The Hebrew numeral is cardinal. Therefore there is no order to this creation, for those who are created naturally blind and/or deaf still have the potential to spiritually hear and see. It is not the natural use of the apparent understanding that is being applied here, anyway, but the spiritual use. So there is no order to the creation of these things referenced, both in the natural and spiritual uses. One is not required to spiritually hear and see before they can naturally hear and see, but one must spiritually hear and see before they will understand the mysteries of the gospel (Jn.3:3; Rom.10:17). It is possible that Solomon is not referring, by “these two” creations, of the hearing ear and the seeing eye, but rather of the distinction of the natural ear itself and the spiritual ear that understands just as the eye is equally compared to spiritually seeing. In other words, he is not making a distinction between the ear and eye but narrowing in on how these work together to create one sense of understanding. They are two distinct instruments that work to accomplish the same thing, to understand. Therefore, by “these two,” the natural sense and the spiritual sense, are most likely what is being referred to by the effect of Yahweh’s working (Jn.9:1-6). Sin has corrupted the first works of our Creator. Sometimes this corruption is of no fault of our own, but all of us are guilty of sin (Jn.9:34). Therefore, as all us come into this world spiritually blind to sin and to God’s righteousness (Rom.3:9-20;10:3-4), those of us who claim to see by the eye of Christ’s light care enough to offer the understanding of the Holy One to those held under the darkness of sin (Jn.10:11-15; Rom.2:1-3,17-24; Lk.11:34). It is not enough to leave them under the doctrine and judgment of moral inability in their darkness, which is unreasonable to their carnal mind (Rom.8:6-8); therefore we must shine the light of wisdom to help them see with the eyes and hear with the ears of understanding (Rom.10:14-17; Col.1:9; Eph.1:15-23).

*[the same] literally, as well or also, and sometimes, alike. In English, this may sound unnecessarily repetitive. But I assure you that it is necessary to Solomon’s final application of the moral question cast upon the objectivity of the judgments of his court. Therefore, this is not to be understood merely in the natural use of the ear and eye, but applied to both the spiritual and natural senses of a man. It doesn’t apply then to every natural ear and eye universally but emphatically to a man created with spiritual sense (Rom.15:20-21;1Jn.5:20; Ps.111:10;119:104,130,144). Not every ear and eye are created equally in God’s purpose for the world (Ps.32:9;49:20;92:6;119:34,99). In fact, this is the spiritual application and answer to the question of Solomon’s justification. It is Yahweh who gives him the understanding to make these moral judgments. These judgments originate not from Solomon's natural intellect but of the supernatural wisdom of the Lord (Php.4:7; James 3:17). Therefore “the same” proverb applies spiritually in its use to Solomon but naturally in its application to the subject of the court. As the previous proverbs regarding Solomon define the spiritual application, this natural use is further defined by the following proverbs, returning to instructions for the lazy man to get victory over his poverty. Open the eyes of your understanding so that you will delight in the manna from heaven (Ps.69:3;119:82,123; Isa.38:14; Lam.2:11; Jn.6:33; Isa.66:8-13). Get to work on guarding your soul with prayer and mediation in God’s Word. Don’t waist the senses enjoying the pleasures of sin when you can use them to buy and drink from the fountain of eternal life? Use your senses, son, and buy yourself a heart of wisdom (Ps.90:12; Isa.1:18). Therefore it is Yahweh who makes the natural senses into spiritual understanding. Our natural senses may differ in their functions, but together they work for the same understanding (Pr.4:5,7;15:32;19:8).