We needn't see in a mirror dimly

This is an article I wrote for the Berean Table. It was published there first.

First let me say that I am speaking this as a personal reality, regularly experienced, but only available to those with a direct conversational relationship with the Messiah, in the Spirit. This is talking about a personal word of knowledge, not a general understanding to be taught.

In my Bible study today, a few minutes ago, the Spirit opened up something to me. I ask that you discern it or tear it apart. But I’m certain that this is a real understanding of a relatively rarely experienced process seen in a New Covenant believer’s daily walk in the Spirit.

One of my favorite passages in scripture is in 1 Corinthians 13:12

¹² For now we see only a reflection^[c] as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known.
^{[c] 13:12 Lit we see indirectly} CSB

That footnote was enough for me to check out the verse further. In the Hebraic First Hermeneutics Study Tool©️ I discovered that Paul was actually quoting the Torah here, specifically Numbers 12:8. The text in the Torah tells us that the Numbers reference is talking about the Father describing how He speaks to Moses versus how He speaks to other prophets.

The Second Temple Conceptual Frame [from the Hebraic Tool]

Paul is drawing the classic rabbinic distinction between two grades of prophetic sight, straight out of Numbers 12:6-8:

Ordinary prophets — YHWH speaks בַּמַּרְאָה†ba-mar’ah (in a vision), בַּחֲלוֹם†ba-chalom (in a dream), and בּחְיִדתֹ†b’chidot (in riddles) — indirect, mediated, requiring interpretation.

Moshe — פֶּה†אֶל־פֶּה†peh el peh, mouth to mouth, וּמַרְאֶה†u-mar’eh (and in clear seeing), ולְאֹ בּחְיִדתֹ†v’lo b’chidot — and not in riddles.

Paul’s “mirror” (esoptron) also carries a Hebraic freight. The word for mirror is bound up with mar’ah — the same root as prophetic vision ( רָאָה†ra’ah, to see). The polished bronze mirror of the ancient world did return a real image — but reversed, and requiring interpretation. Paul is not saying our sight is fogged; he is saying we are currently in the prophet’s grade of seeing (riddle-vision), awaiting the Moshe grade (face to face).

That got me going. For I know that God doesn’t always talk to me unclearly. Fairly regularly, He says something very direct to me. He always keeps it in faith, but He makes it clear (with no objective proof). Have I mentioned that the faith requirement gets very frustrating to me. To which the Lord sometimes snarks, “trust me”. And I crack up.

But in our personal conversations, He is much more direct. As I’ve said, I don’t use things heard there to conjure up doctrine. But He has told me some very direct things, which came to pass exactly as He told me they would. But that is private stuff, between He & me [and the Father, of course]. If I ask, He tells me if I can share it or not. If He says no, I don’t. He enables me to do that, even when the info is very interesting. I’m very concerned about being trustworthy to Him.

Mainly, it’s a result of developing a close personal relationship with Jesus. Since that is required, Thought it would be good to share a bit about the results. This was just an interesting rabbit trail the Spirit led me on today. I hope you find it helpful.