The Key of David

I apologize for my extended absence! I've been working on a big article. Hope this is enlightening.

Maranatha.

Congratulations on your study! I find hidden gems in the Old Testament now quite a bit. I honestly don't know how I missed them all these years. But it seems to correlate for me, with my more recent way of study. I decided awhile back that I was obviously missing something in my understanding of scripture in general. I understood all the obvious things that anyone who reads scripture picks up on, but I just had a nagging feeling I was missing the forest for the trees. I decided to abandon all I'd been taught and all I thought I knew. Everything about scripture was assumed wrong except the One God. It was very difficult to do, but the results were amazing. When I set aside my personally learned biases and opinions that I had formed myself, as well as what I'd been taught growing up, and read with fresh eyes and healthy skepticism, I suddenly found that I actually understood what I read in an entirely different way. Then I began to study the early Christians and found they taught and believed much as I had come to. Then I began to study the church and it's history. Both from Christians and from secular writings of the days of Christ. Then I did a little reading on ancient judaism and paganism. Followed by a few seminary classes and some study in manuscripts and codexes. the end results to date are that I finally see no contradictions anywhere in scripture. I also see so much of the New Testament within the old. I also now can identify doctrines that have become tradition and are accepted, and where they actually came from. I was amazed at how much I'd thought was in scripture that actually isn't. But more surprised by how much was in scripture that I read but didn't see. Sometimes the harder we look the less we see. Sometimes it's just a matter of being willing to accept that what you see isn't all of what is there. And sometimes we see but we only see what we want to and unknowingly ignore what we don't like or agree with. When Jesus says we need to become like children, that is so true! Children haven't set themselves on opinions yet, they don't mind being wrong, they just want to understand. Adults like to think they are ok with being wrong, but deep down, most of us can't accept we haven't figured out such simple things. Mostly because we have mentally decided we are correct, which channels our brain to a narrower understanding. We can be our own worst enemies at most times, when all we really want is to understand. A fresh look at things from a new perspective can sometimes reveal what was there all along. In my case, all this was inspired by my advocate, whom had been waiting for me to give up my personal knowledge, so it could lead me to God's. It just took me 30 years to do it! Not that I'm stubborn or anything. LOL I hopr your new sight reveals the secret little hidden nuggets of wisdom in the older texts, they are rich in insights and hidden in plain view. God bless and thanks for your time in sharing them with us!