Bible connections: a sunesis of understanding

With 1,189 chapters, 31,000+ verses and over 788,000 words in the King James Version of the bible, there are almost countless combinations of words, phrases and concepts to learn from.

As a matter of fact, the Greek word sunesis is used 7 times in the bible and 7 is the number of spiritual perfection.

It is translated “understanding” in Colossians 1:9

Colossians 1:9
For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

Now check out it’s definition:

a running together, understanding
Usage: a putting together in the mind, hence: understanding, practical discernment, intellect.

HELPS Word-studies
Cognate: 4907 sýnesis (from 4920 /syníēmi) – properly, facts joined together for holistic understanding, i.e. synthesized reasoning that joins implicit (indirect) truths for comprehension. See also 4920 (syníēmi).

For the believer, this “connects the dots” through sanctified, inductive reasoning (done under God). This positive use of 4907 /sýnesis (“synthesized understanding”) occurs in: Mk 12:23; Lk 2:47; Eph 3:4; Col 1:9,22; 2 Tim 2:7.

This word sunesis is used in Greek literature to describe the process of 2 smaller rivers running together to form one larger river.

Talk about connections and new understanding of the word of God and life itself!

I have a growing list of bible verses and sections of scripture that have some parallel association together so that you can make new connections and have new spiritual light to build your scope and understanding of the word.

Galatians 6
7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Hosea 10
12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.
13 Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.

Acts 17
5 But the Jews [Judeans] which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.
6 And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;

Psalms 146:9
The Lord preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.

Because of the figure of speech idiom of permission, God allows the ways of the wicked to be turned upside down. They are simply reaping what they have sewn.

The wicked then falsely accuse God’s people of causing the problem, when in reality, it was Satan working through the wicked all along. In other words, the wicked accuse God’s people of what they are guilty of themselves.

James 1:1
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.

I Peter 1:1
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

In James 1:1, the english words “are scattered abroad” and in I Peter 1:1, the phrase “scattered throughout” are the same Greek word diaspora, which literally means the dispersion. It refers to Judeans that have been dispersed throughout the Roman empire, due to persecution.

Isaiah 24
14 They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the Lord, they shall cry aloud from the sea.
15 Wherefore glorify ye the Lord in the fires, even the name of the Lord God of Israel in the isles of the sea.
16 From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.

Isaiah 24:15 mentions glorifying God in the fires.

Acts 2
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

The day of Pentecost mentions fire and speaking in tongues, which is a way to glorify God.

Isaiah 24:16 mentions songs and the uttermost part of the earth.

Acts 1:8 mentions the exact same phrase, “the uttermost part of the earth” in the context of speaking in tongues also.

Acts 1:8
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost [the gift of holy spirit] is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

In connection to this, I Corinthians mentions singing with understanding and singing in tongues, which is glorifying God by way of the manifestation of the gift of holy spirit which is speaking in tongues.

I Corinthians 14:15
What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.

In connection with this, look at II Timothy!

II Timothy 1:6
Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.

The phrase, “that thou stir up” is the one Greek word anazópureó, which means “to kindle afresh; I stir up the fire, fan the flame of”.

The gift of God is the gift of holy spirit. There is only 1 way to stir up that gift, to manifest that spiritual power within, and that is to speak in tongues.

Acts 13:11
And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.

In this verse, the apostle Paul had operated the manifestations of holy spirit and defeated Elymas the sorcerer, who was a child of the devil.

II Peter 2:17
These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.

It’s interesting to note that the child of the devil in Acts 13 was defeated and experienced a mist and a darkness and children of the devil in II Peter are reserved for the mist of darkness as well.

Romans 1:23
And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

I Peter 1:23
Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

The word “uncorruptible” in Romans 1:23 is the same Greek word as the word “incorruptible” in I Peter 1:23. We are born of incorruptible spiritual seed because God is spirit and he is incorruptible too. Like father, like son.

I Kings 18:21
And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

James 1
6 But let him ask in faith [believing], nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

If we waver and are in doubt, then we will not receive anything from God. Doubt is a sign of weak believing.

Oftentimes, the options of a situation boil down to the wisdom of the world vs the wisdom of God.

In Elijah’s time, the people had the same problem: wavering between 2 options, so Elijah was trying to get them off the fence and make a decision.

We should do the same.

Colossians 1:23
If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

How was it preached to every creature under heaven? Certainly speaking the word was involved, but also by God’s creation: especially the word taught in the night sky by the heavenly bodies, which psalms 19 expounds upon.

Psalms 19 [NIV]
1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.

3 They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.

5 It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is deprived of its warmth.

Therefore, it doesn’t matter if somebody lives in a remote part of the world where no Christians have ever set foot or not. All of God’s creation is so sophisticated, complex, advanced and magnificent that nobody has any excuse for not believing in the Lord who both designed and created the entire universe.

Romans 1:20 [amplified bible]
For ever since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through His workmanship [all His creation, the wonderful things that He has made], so that they [who fail to believe and trust in Him] are without excuse and without defense.

Isaiah 33:2
O LORD, be gracious to us; for in thee is our trust; be thou our helper every morning, our salvation also in the time of distress.

Notice the sharp contrast between these 2 verses in Isaiah:
* trust in God and get help in the morning
or
* trust in your own wickedness and evil will come upon you in the early morning.

Isaiah 47
10 For you have trusted in your wickedness; you have said, None sees me. Your wisdom and your knowledge have misled you; and you have said in your heart, I am, and there is none else besides me.
11 Therefore evil shall come upon you in the early morning, and you shall not know from whence it rises; and mischief shall fall upon you and you shall not be able to put it off; and desolation shall come upon you suddenly, which you shall not know.

In connection with this, look what Jesus did:

Mark 1:35
And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

Leviticus 19:17
Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.

It’s not good to hate anybody, much less your own physical or spiritual brother in Christ.

I John 2
9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.

The new testament enlightens us as to the full consequences of hating somebody: you are walking in spiritual darkness.

Related to this are 3 key verses in Ephesians, in perfect order:

* verse 2: walk in love
* verse 8: walk in light
* verse 15: walk circumspectly

God’s perfect love energizes our believing so that we can see the light which enables us to walk circumspectly with no blind spots.

Ephesians 5
2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
9 (For the fruit of the Spirit [light] is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

Proverbs 3
3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.

Another great promise of God, no doubt.

2 great and well known men of God, totally independent of each other, took that same promise of God to heart and reaped the rewards.

I Samuel 2:26
And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the Lord, and also with men.

Luke 2:52
And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.

In the new testament, the word “favour” is also translated “grace”.

John 1:17
For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ held onto mercy and truth to the extent that he was able to deliver God’s grace and truth to all mankind.

How thankful we are for Jesus Christ’s stand on the word and the men of God in the old testament who stood on the word and would end up being great examples for Jesus Christ to learn from.

II Peter 2:14
Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:

The world preys on unstable people, but the word of God brings stability to our lives.

Isaiah 33:6
And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the Lord is his treasure.

Definition of unstable: [II Peter 2:14]
Strong’s Concordance #793
Part of Speech: Adjective
Definition: (lit: unpropped), unsteady, unstable, unsettled.

HELPS Word-studies
793 astḗriktos (an adjective, derived from 1 /A “not” and 4741 /stērízō “confirm”) – properly, not established (unstable), describing someone who (literally) does not have a staff to lean on – hence, a person who can not be relied on because they are not steady (do not remain fixed, i.e. unstable).

I Corinthians 14:33
For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

Definition of confusion
Strong’s Concordance #181
akatastasia: instability
Definition: disturbance, upheaval, revolution, almost anarchy, first in the political, and thence in the moral sphere.

HELPS Word-studies
181 akatastasía (from 1 /A “not,” 2596 /katá, “down” and stasis, “status, standing,” cf. 2476 /hístēmi) – properly, can not stand (remain steady); unsettled, unstable (in tumult); (figuratively) instability bringing on disorder (disturbance).
181 /akatastasía (“commotion”) generates confusion (things being “out of control”), i.e. when “up for grabs.” This uncertainty and tumult inevitably generates more instability.

James 3
14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

Notice the parallels between Joshua 1:5 and Acts 28:31.

Joshua 1
5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.

Acts 28
30 And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him,
31 Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.

Judges 2:17
And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the Lord; but they did not so.

Galatians 1:6
I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:

Human nature has not changed! Oftentimes, whether old testament or new, people will quickly get off the word and follow the adversary.
That is why we must be constantly diligent to stay focused on the word and keep each other strong and sharp on the word.

1 John 3:9
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

Ecclesiastes 7:20
For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.

This is an apparent contradiction, but we know that the original word of God was perfect and therefore cannot contradict itself.

I John 3:9 is talking about the perfect spiritual seed only, not the entire man of body, soul, and spirit.

It is in the category of body and soul that we can sin, to get out of fellowship with God, but the gift of holy spirit can never sin or get corrupted.

What a relief that is!

I Peter 1:23
Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

Here we see the basic general truth that if we identify ungodly material items [such as items used in idolatry] and destroy them, then we will see an immediate positive spiritual result from God.

Acts 19
17 And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.
18 And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds.

19 Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.
20 So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.

The curious arts were books, trinkets, amulets, etc that were used to practice black magic, worship the goddess Diana [also called Artemis], etc.

The modern day equivalent could be something obvious such as various things that are used in satanic rituals, but a much more common, treacherous and counterfeit religious items like a statue of mother mary that a Roman Catholic might be praying to or a new age items used in various rituals to become one with the universe.

Any material item used in worship of the creation or any part of it, such as the universe, mother mary, Jesus, Satan, your “higher power”, etc carries devil spirits whose sole job is to steal, kill, and destroy.

Acts 19:17-20 & John 10:10

Isaiah 30
21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.
22 Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver, and the ornament of thy molten images of gold: thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth; thou shalt say unto it, Get thee hence.

The Israelites took the first step to getting back into alignment and harmony with God by casting out the material items used in idolatry which not only removes the spiritually contaminated physical items, but also all the devil spirits that go with them.

23 Then shall he give the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal; and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and plenteous: in that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures.
24 The oxen likewise and the young asses that ear the ground shall eat clean provender, which hath been winnowed with the shovel and with the fan.

Now they reaped the rewards and blessings!

The pattern for the prevailing word is to identify, locate and destroy the negative things first and then the positive blessings will follow.

Isaiah 30, 31 & Acts 19

Isaiah 31
6 Turn ye unto him from whom the children of Israel have deeply revolted.
7 For in that day every man shall cast away his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which your own hands have made unto you for a sin.

8 Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not of a mighty man; and the sword, not of a mean man, shall devour him: but he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall be discomfited.
9 And he shall pass over to his strong hold for fear, and his princes shall be afraid of the ensign, saith the Lord, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem.