God spoke to Moses, who wrote, “If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream” (Numbers 12:6-7).
Expressions like “I’ve got it” or “so, that’s it” reveal that a concept, theory, puzzle, or an unknown set of facts becomes understood. The phrase “I See” is used by someone who finally understands a theoretical concept or difficult scripture. Students of mathematics, mechanics, physics, and electronics use the phrase many times. To the Bible student, that same understanding occurs as the scriptures become more familiar and the knowledge of the gospel of Christ begins to change their lives. However, when God reveals His truth to the prophet for the first time, understanding may require time and further explanation.
The word “saw” is used to describe the things revealed to Isaiah by the Spirit. “The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning Judah and Jerusalem, which he saw …” (Isaiah 1:1). Sometimes, God’s words given to the prophet in a dream are described as something the prophet saw rather than heard. “The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw” (Isaiah 13:1). Jerimiah said of Israel when they did not believe God concerning Babylon, “for then we had plenty of food and were well off and saw no misfortune”(Jeremiah 44:17). These passages point out that understanding can be affected by hearing, visions, and seeing with the eyes. In many cases, the physical image as seen with the eye was misleading.
W.E. Vine says the Hebrew word (ra’ah) is translated several different ways depending on context. A few familiar translations are “to see, observe, perceive, get acquainted with, gain understanding, examine, look after (see to), choose, discover.” It occurs about 1,300 times in the Bible. Of all the many Hebrew synonyms for seeing (describing the idea of cutting and separating), VISION is the general expression used to denote prophetic perception. Whether a visual scene or a perceived word, the prophet saw it. The prophet distinguished divine revelation from his conceptions and thoughts. The idea is like a cutting through all visual and audible stimulation of the mind and separating facts from fiction.
The scene of Moses and Elijah with Jesus on the mountain of transfiguration is referred to as a vision by Jesus (Matthew 17:9), “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.” Thayer defines this vision as “that which is seen, a spectacle.” Even though they saw it with their eyes and heard the voice with their ears, understanding took many years and much adversity. Peter finally “saw” the full implication of that vision, and he wrote of the things he saw and the lessons he learned. “For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased”— and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:16-19).
Joseph and Daniel are known for the dreams that showed them future events. Sometimes, dreams were understood immediately, but most needed interpretation. Jacob understood his son’s dream and realized it foretold Joseph’s rise to greatness. However, no one saw Joseph as ruler over Egypt and savior of his family. Years later, God told Daniel about Nebuchadneser’s dream (Daniel 2). However, Daniel chapters 7 through 12 include both visual and oral scenes with partial explanations. Scripture or history reveals portions of those chapters. Other portions are still not completely understood.
Many refuse to see or listen and are blind to God’s word, even when danger is immediate. We are blind to many things in the world. Our senses cannot discern the glory of God’s salvation. Our mind cannot think up God nor His desires for us. But we can see (understand) the words, visions, and promises contained in the gospel. We can learn to love and obey. God instructed Isaiah to write the visions and oracles down with this reasoning. “Now go, write it on a tablet before them And inscribe it on a scroll, That it may serve in the time to come As a witness forever. For this is a rebellious people, false sons, Sons who refuse to listen To the instruction of the LORD; Who say to the seers, “You must not see visions”; And to the prophets, “You must not prophesy to us what is right, Speak to us pleasant words, Prophesy illusions. “Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, Let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 30:8-11).
Do we read and study to understand, to “see” what God wants of us? We can see accurately if we do not cast God’s words aside, remaining blind in our ignorance and worldly pleasures. What do we see?
