Understanding

Job 17:4 For thou hast hid their heart from understanding: therefore shalt thou not exalt them. God takes away understanding from people. When God takes away a person's ability to understand, it is not possible for us to give them understanding or to explain things to them. No amount of simplifying, proofs, reasoning, explanations, teaching, preaching, rebukes, etc., will help them to understand until God opens their understanding. It is important that we recognize this and discern if a person has understanding or if God has taken it away before we spend time trying to explain a particular truth to them. Job 28:28 And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding. Understanding - to depart from evil. A person that is not ready to depart from what he is doing wrong, even when it is pointed out to him is a person who does not have understanding and is not able to understand. We will not be able to help him understand the word of God until he is ready to depart from all evil in his life.