Hearing Dark, Riddled Speech
HEARING DARK, RIDDLED SPEECH
Num 12:8 AMP
With him I speak mouth to mouth [directly], clearly and not in dark speeches; and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?
1 Corinthians 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, [even] the hidden [wisdom], which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
Revelation 2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth [it].
God speaks in 2 ways: Clear, direct speech and veiled speech. Scripture calls this dark speech, parables, riddles, strong meat, proverbs, tricks, puzzles, mysteries and enigmas.
DARK SPEECH
Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary
2420. חִידָה chiydah
Search for H2420 in KJVSL
חִידָה chiydah khee-daw’
from 2330; a puzzle, hence, a trick, conundrum, sententious maxim:—dark saying (sentence, speech), hard question, proverb, riddle.
See Hebrew 2330
Psalms 49:4 I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp.
Psalms 78:2 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:
Proverbs 1:6 To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
1 Kings 10:1 And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions.
Hearing the Lord’s still small voice in second person is hearing riddled or dark speech. As opposed to the direct speaking of person to person, what is said does not refer to the speaker, (as in using words like I and my). When I hear Him speak to me in this way, He merely states a riddle. The understanding of His riddles is not an instant process. Riddles need an understanding of allegorical language built through the quickening and revelation of His Spirit.
An example of this kind of speech is: “Mike, the Statue of Liberty.” (Name changed) I heard Him speak this to me about a friend’s husband. He had fallen away from the Lord and was given over to many captivities and decay. When I heard the Lord share this with me, He unveiled the beauty of His Word. The Statue of Liberty is a monument to freedom that had become cracked and decayed. However, under a great amount of work, it was later repaired and restored. He was going to do the same for Mike. What beautiful promises He speaks!
Other examples of riddled speech: one time I was praying for a minister and the Lord said, “His shoes are too small.” I knew that the Lord wanted to extend his foundations by way of ministry. Another time I was supposed to be in a season of rest, but I was very restless. I heard the Lord ask me, “Have you ever seen someone wrestle their nightgown?” It was His tongue in cheek way of saying I was doing anything but rest! Another time, I was earnestly waiting for some specific direction and was hearing nothing. He finally said, “A set of directions depends on the wind going to the right or to the left.” (Isaiah 30:21) I suddenly realized the reason I wasn’t receiving any directions was because He wasn’t changing direction!
Another time I heard the Lord say, “Next time you need comfort, don’t fall so far away from the tree.” This was a word of wisdom and also a subtle rebuke from the Lord. The morning after I heard that, I knew a gal had received a rebuke from the Lord through an elder and instead of repenting and receiving the comfort, wisdom and kindness that I knew the elder would give… she defended herself and ran away.
John 3:20-21 NKJV
For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.
WHY DOES GOD SPEAK RIDDLES?
Here are various reasons why the Lord chooses to speak riddles:
1. So the hearer will immediately recognize the thought as totally distinct from his own.
2. To give “meat” to chew, to teach the process of discernment and revelation.
3. To train the hearer not to be impulsive in interpretation!
4. To give the hearer confidence in the sovereignty of God. (HE speaks it, and it will happen HIS way.)
5. To give reason for complete reliance upon Him for understanding or interpretation as opposed to the independence that plain speech gives.
6. To train the hearer to WAIT upon Him.
7. To unveil the truth, in the fullness of time.
(Not prematurely disclosed.)
CLICK HERE TO READ MISC RHEMA WITH DARK SPEECH
ASSIGNMENT:
If you have never heard the Lord speak to you clearly, as though He was speaking to you face to face, take this to prayer. Ask Him to reveal to you the areas in your life that keep Him at arm’s length. Ask Him to be merciful and patient, but to be persistent until you have released the veils that keep you separated from knowing and hearing Him speak directly as one does face to face.
2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
