Why do we treasure a portion of the Scriptures so much, yet another brother sees nothing precious about it? This is because we capture the spirit of that portion of the Scripture, while the other brother does not. I am not saying that the other brother does not have a spirit. I am saying that his spirit is not in step with the spirit of this portion of the Word. Sometimes, he may treasure another portion of the Word, yet we have no feeling about it. We are as closed to that portion as he is to our portion of the Word. Our spirit must be fine, and we must be sensitive to many things. Once our spirit is fine, we will be sensitive to our many different circumstances. The finer our spirit is, the wider the scope of our knowledge of the Word will be. The scope of our knowledge of the Bible depends on the amount of discipline we have received from the Holy Spirit. Our feelings can only become rich and fine after passing through much discipline. As the discipline increases, the feelings increase. A man understands a certain portion of the Word only after he has passed through a certain kind of discipline. Hence, it is important that we gain rich experience by going through dealings. If we are not rich in such experiences, our feelings will not be rich, and if our spiritual feelings are not rich, our knowledge of the Bible will not be rich.
Let us consider two examples in the Bible and from them find the meaning of entering into the spirit of the Word.
Jacob was a clever, cunning, and selfish man. In everything he considered himself first, never others. He was very conniving, and he resorted to all kinds of schemes to achieve his goal. This was the reason God had to deal with him. When he was born he held to his brother’s ankle and fought with him. But Esau became his father’s love, while he was set aside. Jacob tried everything he could to usurp his brother’s blessing. But in the end what he got was not blessing but wanderings. He served Laban, who changed his wages ten times. He wanted to marry Rachel but had to take Leah first. On his way back to his father’s land, Rachel died, while Leah survived. His heart was with a few of his sons, being particularly fond of Joseph. Yet Joseph was sold by his brothers, who dipped his garment in blood and deceived Jacob. He thought that Joseph was devoured by the beasts, and said, “I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning” (Gen. 37:35). Then he shifted all of his hopes to his youngest son, Benjamin; yet Benjamin was taken into Egypt. Day by day Jacob suffered God’s dealings. His days were hard. Proverbs 13:15 says, “The way of the treacherous is hard.” Jacob’s days were full of sufferings as a result of his stubbornness and craftiness.
We should not think that Jacob’s experience at Peniel was a cheap one (Gen. 32:22-32). He insisted that God bless him. It seems as if he was saying, “My father had to bless me. Everyone had to bless me. God must also bless me!” He was a cunning man. In everything he wanted to gain something. He wanted God’s blessing, and God promised that he would be called Israel. Yet his blessing did not come immediately; it came decades later. At Peniel God touched the hollow of his thigh, and he was crippled. From that day forward God’s work took a turn in him. Yet the next day we see the same old Jacob on his way to meet his brother Esau. He split up his children into groups, thinking that he would preserve the second if the first suffered calamities. He put his beloved Joseph and Rachel in the last group. He was still exercising his own wisdom. He was still scheming.
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