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Job 33:14-17
14 For God ['el] speaketh [dabar] once ['echad], yea twice [shanayim], yet man perceiveth [shuwr] it not.
15 In a dream [chalowm], in a vision [chizzayown] of the night [layil], when deep [tardemah] sleep falleth [naphal] upon men ['enowsh], in slumberings [tanuwmah] upon the bed [mishkab];
16 Then he openeth [galah] the ears ['ozen] of men ['enowsh], and sealeth [chatham] their instruction [mocar],
17 That he may withdraw [cuwr] man ['adam] from his purpose [ma`aseh], and hide [kacah] pride [gevah] from man [geber]. KJV-Interlinear
14 'Indeed God speaks once, Or twice, yet no one notices it. 15 'In a dream, a vision of the night, When sound sleep falls on men, While they slumber in their beds, 16 Then He opens the ears of men, And seals their instruction, 17 That He may turn man aside from his conduct, And keep man from pride; NASB
God speaks to each one of us, not once but twice, so that we can know for certain what our choices are and what the repercussions of our decisions will be.
But God does not come to us in dreams and visions in our present day as He did from time to time in ancient times. God speaks to us through the scriptures, through our day-to-day experiences, through providences, through the various afflictions we might encounter.
God makes us rich and He makes us poor, He makes us sick and He makes us well. God exposes us to our own conscience, to the thoughts and activities of other people, to bureaucracies, to disasters and ordeals in this world.
God speaks to us once through His teaching instruction through the scriptures.
He speaks to us twice through the many worldly activities we will face during our life.
In the first course, God gives us doctrine. Doctrine can come to us through various means. It can come to us from our parents, from other people, from teachers, coaches, employers, from television, from written media and so forth. Truth saturates our environment and influences all social standards and morals of society.
Even if you had never heard of the Bible, you would still be thoroughly exposed to Gods teaching through His doctrinal influences on society. All principles of honor, of authority, of parenthood, of honesty, of due process and so forth, originate from the scriptures.
The dreams and visions back in Jobs day, are references to deep sleep states, whereby a person is sleeping beyond the surface or semi-conscious dream state.
When we daydream, or when we lie in bed thinking or dreaming of our fantasies or activities and such, we are not processing wisdom. But when we slip deeper into the unconscious, such that our conscious activities are not in control of our dreams, then this is a reference to our pondering, our considering, to our deeper thought process where we are actually considering the meanings and intents of Gods Word.
The nighttime is a good time for reflection and deep thought.
Back ins Jobs day, this deep sleep communication process seems to have been more common, though not universal. One cannot think his way to maturity, however. But the content of thought does require scriptural content before spiritual growth can occur.
But Elihu is not suggesting that you can grow up by means of sleep. He is beginning a discourse on the how's and why's of mans inability to learn doctrine.
And those how's and why's are summarized easily. Man simply does not listen. 'No one notices.'
And why is this? Because people do not take Gods Word or their spiritual life seriously.
So God repeats His doctrine. He repeats it by means of the many influences truth has on society. He repeats it by means of our everyday activities.
Some learn quickly and some refuse to learn, even in disaster.
By far the best environment to learning, pondering, wondering, is in the quiet of your own thoughts while you lay in bed at night. The lights are out and there are no distractions that might break your concentration.
