Doves On Distant Oaks

Baby Sharks

My twin grandsons, age four, have a bathtub toy they like to play with. I would call it a little whale, but they correct me and tell me it's a shark. I think that's only because they like to sing the Baby Shark tune while playing with it.

It has a little tail that flips quickly back and forth, which propels it across the water. It only does that when it's in the water, which I never gave much thought to. That is, until one day I picked it up—on dry land as it where—to induce them to sing the song. I know, I'm a glutton for punishment, but they are so cute when they sing it.

Problem was, I couldn't find a switch to turn it on. All I found were two close-set metal nubbins on the side of the toy. If I put my finger on one nubbin or the other, nothing happened. However, when I put my finger so that it covered both, suddenly the little tail became animated.

That's when the light bulb came on. It was the water that formed a connection between the two nubbins to close some kind of internal electric circuit. Don't you remember, when you were a nubbin yourself, your mom or dad telling you not to touch the light switch or an outlet with wet hands? That's because tap water conducts electricity.

I could go into a long explanation of how it's not the water itself, it's the minerals in the water that conduct the electricity, but I won't. Nor will I go into how it's those same minerals in our skin that do the same thing. I won't because that's the point I want to make: it's not necessary to understand the science behind how it worked, just that it did so. Watching my grandsons sing their little song was what brought me enjoyment.

We should approach Bible study in the same way. At times, as a Sunday School teacher, I have been approached about a certain aspect of scripture that has confused someone. If they fail to understand even after I have given my own feeble attempts at clarification, I tell them not to worry about it. They were not meant to understand it … yet.

Certainly that does not mean we should refrain from trying to understand. Jesus said in Matthew 13:15 …

For the heart of this people had become dull, with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes, otherwise they would see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and return, and I would heal them.

However, we need to realize that our understanding of scripture comes from one thing and one thing only: the influence of the Holy Spirit. He is the teacher that creates understanding—the seeing of the eyes, the hearing of the ears, the laying of the Word on the heart. And just because we don't understand is no reason to get flustered. It's because the Hold Spirit has seen fit to guard that from us, for a while or possibly forever.

We need to make every effort to understand, but to do so, we must first develop a relationship with the Holy Spirit. We must rely on Him to generate the understanding, and not become frustrated when He doesn't do so. It's for our own good, as is the case of everything with which God has graced us.

Be joyful in the understanding that we do have, while always hungering to learn more. Then, we can't help but be happy. Like that little "shark," we don't have to understand how God works in order to access His mighty power. He is the water that surrounds us, which conducts His power through the Holy Spirit that enables us to function.

And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

— 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

Keywords: Scripture, Spirit

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