Jacob 4:14 But behold, the Jews were a stiffnecked people; and they despised the words of plainness, and killed the prophets, and sought for things that they could not understand. Wherefore, because of their blindness, which blindness came by looking beyond the mark, they must needs fall; for God hath taken away his plainness from them, and delivered unto them many things which they cannot understand, because they desired it. And because they desired it God hath done it, that they may stumble.
What does it mean to seek for things you can not understand? Does it mean to research the odd things in church history? Polygamy, for example. Or is that something we should understand? What about simpler things like why you need two priesthood holders and oil when the prayer of faith works great in their absence? Or why would you need to seek for someone with the gift of healing when the blessing is predicated on the worthiness of the sick person and the will of God regardless of who performs it? Is worrying about those sort of things seeking for things we cannot understand?
Does looking beyond the mark mean to expect more from God than the plan allows? Thus passage reads like an indictment of the Jews for not recognizing Christ, which they didn't do in part because he didn't fix the purely mortal problems they were struggling with in regards to the roman occupation. Are we looking beyond the mark when we pray for purely mortal concerns?
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