“And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, ‘You have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh and all his servants and all his land; the great trials which your eyes have seen, those great signs and wonders. Yet to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear” (Deut 29:2-4).

There are differences in the wording of the original Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) and the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy 5. These differences ought not be a cause for concern since Deuteronomy is an exposition/interpretation of the law (see Deut 1:5).

I often hear people claiming they would believe in God if saw him do a miracle with their own eyes. But according to Deuteronomy 29:2-4, seeing is not believing, and it is not understanding. Even though Israel saw God’s miracles in Egypt, they didn’t understand them. Likewise, the scribes saw Yeshua casting out demons, but claimed he had done it through the power of Satan (Mark 3:22-23).

Events (even supernatural ones) always require interpretation. And all interpretation takes place through the lens of one’s personal worldview and imperfect human perception. Hence, two different news channels reporting the same events in Israel offer two diametrically opposed interpretations of what happened. We must never entertain the false notion more people will believe the gospel if we do more miracles. Why? Because even the most amazing miracles require interpretations.

So what is the solution to our personal inability to make sense of God’s actions in the world? There are two. First, God gave us his own interpretation of his actions in the world. His interpretation is called the Bible. Though written by human beings, the Bible is God’s way of telling us why certain things have happened, are happening, and will happen and what these things mean. This is best illustrated by a story Dr. John Sailhamer used to tell his students. A father and son are walking through the parted Red Sea. The son asks his father, “Dad, what does this mean?” The father replies, “I don’t know son, we’ll have to wait to read the book!” Without God’s word, we are completely lost in this world.

Second, we must humbly admit our own personal struggles to make sense of God’s word, and our total dependency upon God for helping us “interpret” his inspired interpretation of the world. There is no room for puffed up Bible scholars and proud theologians. Understanding the Bible and allowing its message to radically change our lives requires meditation, reflection, and constant prayer. And one sure sign we understand Scripture is humility! “Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your Torah” (Psa 119:18).

“Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your Torah” (Psa 119:18).