God Communicating in Symbolic Language

Kathy–I’m sure we have all wondered at times why everybody does not dream literal, plain dreams with clear communication and no search and discovery needed.  Joseph in the New Testament saw the angel in a dream and understood clearly that the instructions were to flee to Egypt with Baby Jesus and Mary.  Those were literal instructions that they could act on and they did.   However, if we consider other scriptural examples of how God communicated, He often communicated with the prophets of the Old Testament in symbolic language.  The dry bones in Ezekiel and the feet of iron and clay on the statue in Daniel were symbolic.  Even Jesus often spoke in parables instead of literal details, and you know He was communicating with the crowds that kept gathering.  Yet sometimes even the disciples had to ask Him for clarity later.  So, I suspect that having to pursue understanding is part of God’s plan and purpose, probably for reasons like, 1) seeking God for wisdom builds relationship with the Lord, and 2) pursuing understanding is how we develop an ear to hear, and 3) every time we pursue God’s wisdom and clarity, we always discover more than we went looking for.