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Friend, the kingdom mysteries begin with how you hear!

Psalm 78:2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old.

Matthew 13:9-23 -- 9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear! 19  When anyone hears the message of the kingdom but does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 23  But the seed sown on good soil is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and produces a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold."

As I begin this new series on the Mysteries of the Kingdom through the parables, I want to invite you to walk with me through the stories Yeshua told, simple on the surface, yet beneath them the King Himself unveiling how His Kingdom works and what He is looking for in the hearts of those who follow Him.

A thousand years earlier than when Yeshua (Jesus) sat by the shore of Galilee in a boat and started to teach the large crowds, Asaph composed a psalm in which he made a striking prophetic remark: "I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old". Matthew states that when Yeshua began to speak in parables, those words were being fulfilled before their eyes: the King had opened His mouth, and the mysteries hidden for generations were now being revealed.

The term "parable", as used by Asaph in Hebrew, is mashal (מָשָׁל). A mashal is not simply a witty story or a memorable example used in a sermon. Instead, it takes something common—such as a farmer, a field, a wedding, a vineyard, or a shepherd—and places it alongside a deeper spiritual truth. However, Psalm 78 uses another interesting word: chidot (חִידוֹת), which means riddles, difficult sayings, truths that demand someone lean in and search beneath the surface.

This is why Yeshua taught the way He did. A parable reveals a truth while also demanding a response from the person listening. The one who listens casually picks up a story, whereas the one who is hungry for the Kingdom hears the mysteries of the Kingdom revealed.

If you notice, Yeshua adds an instruction: "Let him hear who has ears to hear!" Although everyone standing by the shore had ears, Yeshua meant something much deeper.

In Hebrew, this idea is expressed in the word shema (שָׁמַע). Although shema means "to hear" or "to listen", in the Scriptures hearing is seldom separated from a response. The great declaration of Israel begins with Shema Yisrael, "Hear, O Israel" (Deuteronomy 6:4). God was not simply commanding Israel to recognize the sound of His voice; He was urging them to hear Him so His words might govern their lives. To hear Biblically involves going from the ear to the heart and then on to the feet. One hears, one receives, one responds, and thus one lives differently because one has heard.

The parable of the sower now becomes a great deal clearer. The four types of soil represent four different reactions to the same message. In the first case one hears the word but it does not reach him. In the second case one hears it with enthusiasm but lacks depth. In the third case one hears the word but it has to struggle against other attachments and interests. Then Yeshua goes on to describe the good soil. It hears the word and understands it. And ultimately it brings about what the word was sent there to produce.

Look at the way Yeshua refers to the seed: "the word of the kingdom". The whole point of this parable is what takes place when the message of God's reign comes to a human heart, and that is why it makes sense to start here. Before we look at hidden treasure, pearls, vineyards, wedding feasts, servants, sheep, coins, sons and harvests, the King poses one question to us: Are we listening? Not just reading. Not simply studying. Not gathering yet another interesting Biblical insight. Actually listening.

It is possible to know the Scripture and yet not be amazed by it; acquaintance can cause words which once had moved our hearts to simply pass before our eyes. This was the tragedy of Israel as described in Psalm 78. Although they knew the stories and had seen God's deeds, they heard them without letting what they heard affect their lives. The real danger was not that God had ceased to speak, but that they had stopped truly listening.

Friend, the King opened His mouth on the shore of Galilee, and He has never stopped speaking. In every parable ahead there is a mystery of the Kingdom waiting for anyone willing to lean in and listen, and He wants you to find it. So come with an open heart and say, "Speak, Lord, I am listening." Let His Word go deep, and expect it to transform you, because that is exactly what He sent it to do. Shema. Hear. And let everything change because you heard.

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George & Baht Rivka

Editor's Note: Three books are now available—The Eternal Kingdom Revealed, The Biblical Fall Feasts Revealed, and Identity in Messiah Revealed—each written to help believers go deeper in Scripture, understand God’s purposes more clearly, and walk more faithfully with Yeshua (Yeshua). If you’ve already purchased and read any of them, I’d be very grateful if you would take a moment to leave an honest review on Amazon. Your review helps others discover the books and understand how they may be encouraged by them as well.