Unraveling "Dark Sayings"
When you hear the expression "dark sayings", what is the first thing that comes to mind? It might make you think of some occult practice or voodoo ritual, but in the Bible that is not what it means. The expression translated as dark sayings means something that is explained in an obscure way, like a riddle. Riddles can be frustrating to people who don't like them, but oh so much fun to figure out for those who do. Riddles are usually difficult to understand without putting out a lot of effort, as is true of the Bible's "dark sayings."
Old Testament Context – Moses and Unique Revelation
We see this expression used in the Old Testament in Numbers 12:8. Miriam and Aaron complain to God about Moses' new wife from Ethiopia. God spoke to all three in a pillar of cloud, explaining that His faithful, humble servant Moses was the only one of the three to whom He spoke without dark sayings. Moses' direct access to God reinforced his role as mediator of the Old Covenant, just as Jesus would later mediate the New Covenant.
For the others there were visions, dreams, or what we would call parables, but only to Moses was their direct and unambiguous truth told. Aaron and Miriam's pride clouded their judgment toward Moses. No other prophet of God was blessed in this way. The Bible contains many parables and dark sayings, unveiling biblical wisdom for those who seek to understand.
In Psalm 78:2-3 we read:
"I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us."
New Testament Fulfillment – Jesus’ Parables Explained
In the New Testament, Jesus explains that He is the fulfillment of this prophecy from Psalms. Depending on how you define parables, the Bible contains approximately 250 parables. Jesus, again depending on your exact definition, declared between 30 and 45 parables. Some of these parables He explained, but only to His disciples in private.
Parables and Dark Sayings: Unveiling Biblical Wisdom
Parables were a common teaching style of the time. Rabbis, teachers, would take an everyday example in life and use it to explain a complex teaching about God. They often, as Jesus did, answered questions with a question. Why? To make people think more deeply, question themselves, seek an answer—not just have it spoon-fed to them.
Even the disciples were somewhat confused as to why Jesus would teach in parables (Matthew 13:10). Jesus answers them in Matthew 13:13:
"Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand."
But again what does this actually mean? If we look at Matthew 7:7-8 we get a better understanding. In this passage, Jesus explains that if we seek, we will find, if we knock, it will be opened, and if we ask, we will receive. The parables were a way to separate those who genuinely wanted to understand His message from those who we would call "posers" today. A poser is someone who pretends to be something they are not.
Spiritual Discernment and Revelation
Many of those who heard Jesus speak were Pharisees who were only listening so they could challenge Him. They were posers. They did not want to really learn deep spiritual truths from Him. Those who listened with a willing and open heart were promised understanding, but those who didn't really want to know the deeper things of God were blocked from understanding. The same is true today.
We have the benefit of the whole Bible available to us. As Christians we have the benefit of the Holy Spirit as well. These gifts enable us to understand some of the deeper, more difficult teachings of Jesus, but again, only if we are serious about wanting to know more. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 says that the only ones to whom the gospel is "veiled" are those deceived by the god of this world (Satan), only to those who do not believe.
Christ Removes the Veil of Understanding
Without Christ and His sacrificial offering on the cross, the entire Old Testament loses its purpose and ultimate meaning. It is Christ, raised from the dead for our sins, that explains so much of the Old Testament. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 3:14-16 that the veil over the Jews understanding of the Old Testament is only lifted by Christ. Only after turning to Christ is that veil removed. Atheists today show us what it is like to have understanding veiled.
Atheists often complain that the Bible is unduly hard to understand, that it is vague and full of contradictory meanings and so Paul has explained to us why this is. If they want to understand they must be genuinely seeking God, genuinely knocking at the door so to speak. They may have real questions they want answered, but without a genuine desire to seek God, the answers will stay hidden. So how can we help those who struggle with understanding God's word?
One practical way to help skeptics understand Scripture is to pray for them that the Holy Spirit will convict their hearts and bring understanding. We can also use real-life analogies that make biblical ideas more relatable. Instead of overwhelming them with doctrine, we can connect important biblical teachings to everyday experiences like forgiveness, justice, or love. For example, grace can be explained through the analogy of a judge who pardons a guilty person because someone else pays their fine—just as Christ paid for our sins (Romans 6:23). Encouraging open discussion and answering questions with patience can also help atheists understand the Bible’s truths and relevance for their lives.
Spiritual Wisdom Comes Through the Holy Spirit
Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 2:7-8 that "we", the disciples, are speaking the "hidden wisdom of God". He explains that if the Jews had understood this wisdom properly our Lord would have never been crucified. He goes on in verse 10 to say that it is the Spirit of God who reveals things to His people. Because we have this Spirit living in us, understanding is possible. In verse 14 Paul tells us:
"But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."
Our spiritual discernment helps us receive the things the Spirit of God has for us. Without the Holy Spirit we can't understand them, in fact we think they are foolish. Many times I have listened to people insult Christians, proclaiming how idiotic and foolish they are for believing the Bible.
Another reason Jesus taught in parables was that often there are no simple answers to questions about the meaning of life or our place in God's creation. To give a simplistic answer to such profound questions would be deeply unsatisfying. John 16:13 explains that because we have been given the Holy Spirit, it is He who guides us into "all truth". The Holy Spirit unfolds truth to us as we are capable of understanding it.
Spiritual Wisdom Comes Through the Holy Spirit
The more truth we understand, the more we are able to understand by God's grace when we are humble (James 4:6). It is like explaining gravity to a first grader. We begin with an illustration, an apple falling to the floor, but by the time we are in college we are learning formulas that explain the attraction of one body or thing to another. Our faith and our understanding builds with our desire to know. We grow in grace and knowledge.
2 Timothy 3:7 describes people who are always learning but in spite of that they never seem to have any knowledge of the truth. Leaning on our own understanding is a mistake. They learn more and more science—which in itself is certainly not a bad thing—but they are blinded, they look at the world and foolishly don't see God in His creation (Romans 1:20). While science helps us explore God's creation, some don't want to acknowledge His hand in it, despite the evidence all around them. God's creation is the universal language of the glory of God. These people are without excuse Paul says.
The Call to Embrace Divine Understanding
Isaiah prophesies in Isaiah 6:10 of a time when, as punishment for their sin, the people's hearts grow fat. This literally means that their hearts, their minds, will be dull, slow and stupid. The truth proclaimed to people like this will only irritate and provoke them. As Pascal has said, "One must love divine things in order to understand them". This highlights a key spiritual truth: rejecting God’s love blinds people to truth. As John tells us, "We love because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19). It is only through experiencing God’s love that our hearts are softened, making true understanding possible.
When we read the parables of Jesus we have to want to truly hear Him speak. We need to ask God for wisdom and understanding. We need to seek Him with our whole heart and then we will find the answers we are looking for. Understanding parables requires study, thought and obedience to God. Those people who don't want to truly understand, never will.
I will leave you with one last scripture from Psalm 119: 147-148:
" I rise before the dawning of the morning, and cry for help; I hope in Your word. My eyes are awake through the night watches, that I may meditate on Your word."
I have often found that many times I only think I understand a passage of scripture. But when I take the time to prayerfully study it, then I see that there was so much in it that I had not seen before. Will you cry for help? Will you hope in His word? Will you stay awake and meditate to seek His understanding and His truth? I pray that you will.
