Hebrews 5:14 - "But solid food is for the mature, who
because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil."
The writer to the Hebrews tells us that we need to be mature, and he describes the mature as those who have their senses trained to discern good and evil. All of our senses are talked about in the Scripture in regard to our relationship with Christ. I would like to go through the Bible and point out what the Word of God has to say about each of our five senses and how they relate to our walk with God and the first one that I want to focus on is taste, simply because that is the one directly referenced in this verse and it's context.
Here in Hebrews chapter 5 and into chapter 6 it's talking about feeding on and tasting the Word of God. We read in Hebrews 5:12-14 - "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil." We need to grow up in all aspects in Christ. When we were infants milk was enough to satisfy us, and what's more, it was pleasing to our taste. And as we grow up we still enjoy milk, but solid food is so much better. This is how our study of the Word of God should be. Peter says in 1 Peter 2:2 - "like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation." The basics of our salvation are still wonderful, no matter how mature we are in our relationship with God. The elementary principles of the oracles of God, the pure milk of the Word is wonderful. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures." These are wonderful verses and wonderful truths that never grow old even though they are basic and the youngest Christian knows them. But as we grow up in Christ we need to have our sense of taste exercised to discern good and evil. We need to partake of solid food, the truths in the Word of God that are not so basic. We need to have our sense of taste trained so that we know when something doesn't taste quite right, biblically speaking. When we read a book or a commentary, or listen to someone expounding a passage of Scripture, if we are infants, if we don't know the Word of God we're likely to take them at their word, and for all we know they may be feeding us junk food. We need to exercise our sense of taste in the Word of God and go beyond the pure milk of the Word. And when we do we'll discover just what the Psalmist did in Psalm 119:103 - "How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" Gods Word is sweet to the taste.
As well as tasting the Word of God, the Bible talks about other ways that our taste aids our relationship with God. In 1 Peter 2:3, right after we're told to long for the pure milk of the Word, we read - "if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord." Everyone who is saved has tasted the kindness of the Lord, we have all tasted the grace of God in our salvation. We may not even realize it, but we know what Gods grace tastes like. In Psalm 34:8 we read - "O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!" This isn't talking about the Word of God, or the grace of God, but God Himself! "O taste and see that the Lord is good."
It's kind of strange to think about, tasting the Lord, and obviously it's not a literal tasting the Lord just like tasting the Word of God doesn't literally mean eating pages out of the Bible, but rather it's entering into and enjoying Him and being satisfied with Him. We eat physical food to satisfy our appetite. We taste and see that the Lord is good because He is the only one who can satisfy the soul.
The Psalmist says in Psalm 42:1-2 - "As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for Thee, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God?" The Psalmist has a hunger and a thirst for God, because He alone can satisfy. David says in Psalm 63:1 - "O God, Thou art my God; I shall seek Thee earnestly; My soul thirsts for Thee, my flesh yearns for Thee, in a dry and weary land where there is no water." Again, we see a longing for God. And when we come to verse 5 we read this - "My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth offers praises with joyful lips." God alone can satisfy a hungry soul, and everyone who will taste Him will see that He indeed is good. In the Song of Solomon we have a very beautiful and intimate love relationship between Christ and the church pictured. Every one of the five senses is used in this book, helping us understand how they apply to our relationship with God. In chapter 2 verse 5 the bride says - "Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the young men. In his shade I took great delight and sat down, and his fruit was sweet to my taste."
Psalm 34:8 - "O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!"
The writer to the Hebrews tells us that we need to be mature, and he describes the mature as those who have their senses trained to discern good and evil. All of our senses are talked about in the Scripture in regard to our relationship with Christ. I would like to go through the Bible and point out what the Word of God has to say about each of our five senses and how they relate to our walk with God and the first one that I want to focus on is taste, simply because that is the one directly referenced in this verse and it's context.
Here in Hebrews chapter 5 and into chapter 6 it's talking about feeding on and tasting the Word of God. We read in Hebrews 5:12-14 - "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil." We need to grow up in all aspects in Christ. When we were infants milk was enough to satisfy us, and what's more, it was pleasing to our taste. And as we grow up we still enjoy milk, but solid food is so much better. This is how our study of the Word of God should be. Peter says in 1 Peter 2:2 - "like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation." The basics of our salvation are still wonderful, no matter how mature we are in our relationship with God. The elementary principles of the oracles of God, the pure milk of the Word is wonderful. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures." These are wonderful verses and wonderful truths that never grow old even though they are basic and the youngest Christian knows them. But as we grow up in Christ we need to have our sense of taste exercised to discern good and evil. We need to partake of solid food, the truths in the Word of God that are not so basic. We need to have our sense of taste trained so that we know when something doesn't taste quite right, biblically speaking. When we read a book or a commentary, or listen to someone expounding a passage of Scripture, if we are infants, if we don't know the Word of God we're likely to take them at their word, and for all we know they may be feeding us junk food. We need to exercise our sense of taste in the Word of God and go beyond the pure milk of the Word. And when we do we'll discover just what the Psalmist did in Psalm 119:103 - "How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" Gods Word is sweet to the taste.
As well as tasting the Word of God, the Bible talks about other ways that our taste aids our relationship with God. In 1 Peter 2:3, right after we're told to long for the pure milk of the Word, we read - "if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord." Everyone who is saved has tasted the kindness of the Lord, we have all tasted the grace of God in our salvation. We may not even realize it, but we know what Gods grace tastes like. In Psalm 34:8 we read - "O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!" This isn't talking about the Word of God, or the grace of God, but God Himself! "O taste and see that the Lord is good."
It's kind of strange to think about, tasting the Lord, and obviously it's not a literal tasting the Lord just like tasting the Word of God doesn't literally mean eating pages out of the Bible, but rather it's entering into and enjoying Him and being satisfied with Him. We eat physical food to satisfy our appetite. We taste and see that the Lord is good because He is the only one who can satisfy the soul.
The Psalmist says in Psalm 42:1-2 - "As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for Thee, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God?" The Psalmist has a hunger and a thirst for God, because He alone can satisfy. David says in Psalm 63:1 - "O God, Thou art my God; I shall seek Thee earnestly; My soul thirsts for Thee, my flesh yearns for Thee, in a dry and weary land where there is no water." Again, we see a longing for God. And when we come to verse 5 we read this - "My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth offers praises with joyful lips." God alone can satisfy a hungry soul, and everyone who will taste Him will see that He indeed is good. In the Song of Solomon we have a very beautiful and intimate love relationship between Christ and the church pictured. Every one of the five senses is used in this book, helping us understand how they apply to our relationship with God. In chapter 2 verse 5 the bride says - "Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the young men. In his shade I took great delight and sat down, and his fruit was sweet to my taste."
Psalm 34:8 - "O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!"
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