“For thou hast possessed my kidneys: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.” Psalm 139:13 JB. “I shall bless Lord Jehovah who counsels me and my kidneys teach me in the nights.” Psalm 16:7 AB.
I’m five or six years old, and it hurts to breathe. I’m feverish. The doctor puts his stethoscope on my chest and tells me to take a deep breaths, which is difficult. He removes his lighted earpiece and looks deep into my ear canal. He asked me if my ears hurt. I answer in shallow rasps. As he peers, he says something to me that today seems humorous. He says, “What have you been planting in there, corn or potatoes?” I sink down and become embarrassed that I have dirty ears. Forget that I’m dying. Not really, but you get the gist of the situation.
I was ashamed that I wasn’t clean. Of course, as I type this, I realize I have often had dirty ears. Yes, ears crammed and packed full of potatoes. He tells my mother I have asthmatic pneumonia; while I sit wondering in childlike fashion, what is growing inside my ear canal.
As I write this blog, my husband has eczema and is currently dealing with an itching ear–his left. I ponder a swab of olive oil on a Q-tip to soothe this. Later, I wondered if perhaps peroxide would bubble up and lessen the itch. After a week of constant irritation, today the doctor has sent out steroid drops to soothe this issue. I will close this blog with a scripture about itching ear words.
We have two ears and two kidneys. Hearing the most profound truth is attributed to the kidneys: “The Kidneys give advice” (Babylonian Talmud, Chulin 11a). Ancient Chinese medicine also connects the kidneys with the ears and our ability to hear.
Our ears and our kidneys look very similar. Slice a kidney in half, and you get this.
We hear, but we do not listen. We talk, but we do not choose our words carefully.
The prophet explains our condition: “You are near in their mouth but far from their kidneys” (Jeremiah 12:2 ISR). Our Bible translators have replaced the word kidney with rein or heart and often as inward parts, but kidneys were the original wording. It was the sweet fat of the sacrifices. Our kidneys purify us. They separate the good from the bad.
“The position of the kidneys in the body makes them particularly inaccessible, and in cutting up an animal, they are the last organs to be reached. Consequently, they were a natural symbol for the most hidden part of a man (Psalm 139:13), and in Job 16:13 to “cleave the reins asunder” is to affect the total destruction of the individual (compare Job 19:27 Lamentations 3:13). This hidden location, coupled with the sacred sacrificial use, caused the kidneys to be thought of as the seat of the innermost moral (and emotional) impulses.” For more info on this topic click here.
“The Sages teach that:
- The kidneys advise us on what to do.
- ALL cognitive functions relating to making decisions occur in the heart and kidneys.
- NOTHING relating to this occurs in the brain. (see too Midrash Tehillim 14)
- One kidney advises to do good, one to do evil (this is presumably intended literally, since it is stated immediately next to the statement about the function of the organs).
- When God wants to judge whether we are good or not, He examines the heart and kidneys, not the brain.”
During the Jewish morning praises, there is a prayer called Nishmat or the breath of every living thing…It says this:
“For every mouth is in acknowledgement to You, and every tongue swears to You, and every knee bows to You, and every erect spine prostrates itself to You, and all hearts fear You, and all innards and kidneys praise Your Name, as it is written, “All my bones say, Who is like You, O God.”
Our kidneys AND BONES praise Him!
Science has discovered that hearing loss and moderate kidney disease are connected. Our kidneys filter our blood and remove toxins which go into our bladder and are excreted from our bodies. When they don’t work right, they can damage nerves and yes, hearing. Our Creator is perfect and each organ functions to cause a complete and perfect body. May His Body begin to function in the Spirit of truth, unity, and complete harmony as 1st Corinthians 12.
Our ears are like our hearts. Our hearts need the flesh cut off, and so do our ears.
“To whom shall I speak and give warning That they may hear? Behold, their ears are closed–And they cannot listen. Behold, the word of the LORD has become a reproach to them; They have no delight in it” (Jeremiah 6:10).
I once had a friend who would try and show me scriptures that I could not see. She spoke words that I could not hear. I heard her mouth moving and enunciating the scriptures, but someone had already stood in front of me year after year proclaiming a different picture. Her words were not worth hearing.
I knew more. Her exhausted facial features expressed how ‘put out’ she was with me not hearing and receiving. No matter how hard she tried to open the verses up to me, I had dirty ears. I had potatoes in my ears. My kidneys and heart were not open to hearing her. I had kidney issues. I had heart issues. I had a pride issue.
This woman had no doctorate degree. She was sick. She wasn’t wealthy. Matter a fact she was quite the opposite. She wasn’t going to ‘church’ every week. I had been taught by men behind pulpits that sickness, poverty, and issues that were not positive were due to a person’s sins. They were out of church. They were perhaps not tithers. They were ignorant. Her explanations on His Feast & Sabbaths were interesting, but why would I listen to someone like her? She was in bondage. I was free (Sarcasm). James tells us to be quick to listen, but are we? Are we quicker to listen to those we esteem?
Last week, I walked out of our meeting, and the car parked next to ours had a license plate that said, “Listen.” This week’s Torah portion is not listen but Va’era which means “I appeared.” However, listening is the main theme of this portion. The Israelites would not listen to Moses. He had uncircumcised lips. Pharaoh would not listen. He had an uncircumcised heart.
“But Moses spoke before the LORD, saying, “Behold, the sons of Israel have not listened to me; how then will Pharaoh listen to me, for I am unskilled in speech?” Exodus 6:12. Verse nine explains why their ears were shut. “Moses told this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their broken spirit and hard labor.” HCS.
Sometimes we have been through so much hell even a morsel of hope is not accepted.
When Yeshua spoke, many picked up stones. When Stephen spoke the people put their fingers in their already dirty ears, and they too picked up stones. Stephen told the complete Biblical account and ended with this…
“You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. “Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it” (Acts 7:51-53 NASB).
“He who turns away his ear from listening to the law (instructions), Even his prayer is an abomination” (Proverbs 28:9).
The prophet Isaiah when asked who will go to these people with hard hearts, says, “Here am I. Send me!”
He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.’ “Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim, Otherwise they might see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed” (Isaiah 6:9-10 NASB).
Be healed from what? Diabetes? MS? Pneumonia?
No, something far worse. Kidney disease.
I’m going to close this blog with ears that itch. They itch to hear things. What type of things? Blessings, prosperity, honor of men, fame, mansions and everything good. No correction, no suffering, no poverty, no humbleness, nothing that would cause an ounce of repentance… only itching ear words that no matter how hard you scratch, cannot be soothed because the flesh is never satisfied.
“Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (II Timothy 4:2-5).
New Book Releases are Available HERE
Sources:
photo: Bonnie Manning
https://hods.org/pdf/The%20Question%20of%20the%20Kidneys%20Counsel.pdf
Biblehub.com
http://www.rationalistjudaism.com/2010/05/kidney-summary.html
You hit a lot of topics that all add to the piercing thought… do I have potatoes in my ears or worse… am I guilty of the pride already satisfied with knowing it all? Have I become satisfied with a status quo that only looks for happy happy and then just blame the devil for a hint of suffering? It’s kinda hard to believe there are still preachers who can look around at our world and sermonize all is well. I will stay well away. I will find a true friend with olive oil or peroxide or truth. Thanks for being such. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
I’m very blessed to have such a friend as you! Abba makes no mistakes.
I’m still trying to hear. I’m still trying to stop and listen. Cleanse these toxins from my body.
I’m trying to slow down and look at each face He brings my way and listen more intently to their sorrows— their joy— their walk. Pass the peroxide please .
Very interesting. The medical situation here is clear, I think. Because we are accustomed to Westernized Jews, we forget that they are/were Asians. So it would follow that the things written about kidneys, etc in Scripture might more nearly lineup with Asian medicine. Our understanding of the body comes from the Greeks, who are not Asian, so we don’t get any spiritual connection in our fleshly parts like they do. And we fear acupuncture because we are Caucasian and woefully ignorant about a lot of things.
Wow! I should probably try acupuncture. You are so right about all that you say here, we are woefully ignorant about much.
Excellent insight, Bonnie! I’ll never think of kidneys the same way again. Ironically, my father-in-law is in the hospital with kidney failure and the doctors are stumped as to what caused it. I’ve been praying for him, but now I have a more pointed direction for those prayers. I appreciate your diligence to delivery the messages Abba lays on your heart. The Body needs your voice!
Praise Abba! We will be praying for your uncle Kisha! May every toxin leave his body and may Abba heal him completely and make him whole.
Reblogged this on GRACE in TORAH and commented:
What do your kidneys have to with listening or hearing from God? Enjoy this insightful post from my friend and fellow author/blogger Bonnie Manning. (:
I’m so honored by you sharing. Thanks Kisha!
Good Word (and giant Q-tip) Bonnie! Love you faithful sister, for all you serve up and share at the Table! <3
Love you beautiful! Wish I was in Florida with you right now. You are a bright blessing.
I have kidney disease, Bonnie and this spoke volumes to me. Please pray for healing…. we will meet one day soon, I’m sure. You are such a blessing!
Janet, I am not sure why this comment went to spam but I found it last night while editing blogs. I am so very sorry you are suffering, may Abba hear and May He heal you and completely flush out your kidneys and cause them to work as He created and designed them in the name of Yeshua The Messiah!
This is so wierd. Last night I had nightmares and I was woken up in the middle of the night by what felt like thunping on my right kidney. I physically felt like something inside my body, on the right, inside my kidney was jumping up and down and going crazy, the sensations literally woke me up in my sleep. I listened to a seminar from Dave Olsen about hearing god’s voice and having dialogues with Him, and <i have been practising this. My goodness there is a connection here. I did receive deliverance during the night as I prayed in tongues before falling back asleep. But this is crazyyy…this connection
Hello, Samantha. I’d be interested in hearing your ‘nightmares’ as sometimes they are not nightmares at all but a hidden riddle from the Beloved. I pray you continue to hear The Father’s Voice and that it is loud in your ears. Shma is hear and obey. I’m working on this one daily. It can be difficult at times. Such as loving our enemies and keeping no record of wrongs. I am glad you were able to get peace and fall back asleep. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I pray it ministered to you.
Sorry for all the spelling mistakes in my previous comment :-p. The dream, well I remember being in south africa at my parents house, in the bedroom where I usually sleep when I go home to visit. This is the same room I slept in as a child, me and my three siblings. There were two bunk beds in the room. In the dream I remember hearing someone shouting outside the window, it was a wierd shout, it sounded like someone in distress but at the same time it sounded like a witch shrieking…there was someone in the room with me but I cannot remember anymore who. My Spirit immediately started praying and the prayer made me more aware. I started to pray along with my mouth to the utterances of the Holy Spirit, rebuking this person. Then I felt this crazy sensation in my kidneys which literally woke me up.
This is the second time in my life this has happened. I once dreamt that my best friend was trying to convince me that my sister had an incurable disease and tht I should just accept. Something inside of me realised this was NOT my best friend and I started praying in tongues and declaring life and health over my sister. As i prayed I had this choking sensation but I kept on praying in the Spirit. Eventually my voice broke out and I was declaring and decreeing. As I lay in bed I had this crazy sensation like someone was jumping up and down on my chest, as they were using my chest as a drum. It stopped, it only lasted seconds and prayer was the key…
Interesting. There are many symbols in dreams or what I call riddles in the night. The bedroom is the place of intimacy… a hallway is transition. Going to the bathroom in a dream is deliverance. A window at times has to do with vision or new knowledge. Bunk beds remind me of military— bunker.
I’m glad you were able to get break through. I’ve had the bad dreams were you can’t talk or move or feels like you’re being strangled.
There is a whole spiritual world out there.
Sounds
Very interesting post! First time that I have read about a correlation between kidneys and ears. My husband is a actually hard of hearing ( music too loud as a teenager) but also is concerned that he has inherited his Mother’s kidneys.
She had end stage renal disease. She didn’t require dialysis until she was 59.
I am interested I learning more.