Thursday, July 7, 2022

Pearls

Question received:
What is the Bible's symbolic meaning of pearls?

My reply:
Pearls are formed when a grain of sand gets stuck in a mollusk. That grain, irritates the mollusk, and that mollusk releases a substance in order to encapsulate the grain and quell the irritation. But this only enlarges the irritant, and so the process of encapsulation, continues. The encapsulation, then continues to enlarge.
Oysters and clams are sea creatures (Lev.11:10). When I think of that, I remember Isa.57:20, which defines the sea as representing the realm of the wicked, or those who are not a part of God's land and habitation of His spirit (Greek:"oikumene").

Oysters and clams, shut themselves tightly. They firmly entrap anything that gets into them while they are opened to feed.
Whenever I think of grains of sand, I think of the individual sons of Abraham (Gen.22:17). 
Today, that would be the unsealed (of earth) anointed (Gal.3:29; Rom.9:8; 2:28-29)
(1Cor. 15:49;  1John 3:2; John 17:22) (https://4womaninthewilderness.blogspot.com/2014/12/glory.html).

We know that the "sands of the sea" are pieces of earth....
     (not yet sealed stars of the heavens -Gen.22:17; Phil.2:15; Dan.12:3), 
....who are in the clutches of, subordinate, vulnerable, and helpless before the whim of the sea (Eph.4:14; James 1:6).
If they become entrapped by a sea creature, they are no part of that sea-world that they are caught inside of, and the wicked world, hates them (John 17:15-16; 15:18).

This is just as the grain of sand is "hated" by the oyster, and the oyster sends upon that grain, defenses against the irritation which that grain of sand, initiates.
As the grain endures being the target of that oysters defenses... layers of pearl start forming. That which started out as a grain of sand, is being transformed, into a precious gem. When someone finally releases that pearl from the grasp of the oyster, it is then recognized for the precious gem it has become (Matt.13:45-46; 7:6; Rev.21:21; Matt.13:46;  1Cor. 7:23;  2Pet. 2:1; Rev.5:9).



For those of you on a phone, here is a link to the cited scriptures:

Additional Pages for Study (coming soon)