Thank you for the question on understanding, “What does the Bible say understanding is based on?”
As I thought about your question, a passage came to my mind that may help us gain insight to your question about understanding. I hope Isaiah 6 in the commissioning of Isaiah and the message that he was to proclaim to Israel.
Isaiah 6 says this, “8 Then I heard the voice of the LORD saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” 9 He said, “Go and tell this people: “‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ 10 Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”
11 Then I said, “For how long, LORD?” And he answered: “Until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until the houses are left deserted and the fields ruined and ravaged, 12 until the LORD has sent everyone far away and the land is utterly forsaken. 13 And though a tenth remains in the land, it will again be laid waste. But as the terebinth and oak leave stumps when they are cut down, so the holy seed will be the stump in the land” (A searchable online Bible in over 150 versions and 50 languages).
As one reads the passage, God commissions Isaiah to proclaim a message of impending judgment of an invading army to Israel. What makes this astonishing is the receptivity and response of the people of God to the message by God through Isaiah.
Here are some observations:
A. Isaiah proclaimed a message of impending judgment of an invading army from the north into their land.
B. The rulers and people heard the words of Isaiah.
C. Isaiah continued to proclaim the message of impending judgment throughout his lifetime.
D. The rulers and people heard the continual words of Isaiah but didn’t respond favorable to the message of Isaiah.
What one can observed about the understanding:
1. The message by Isaiah is clear and plain to the rulers and to the people. Isaiah’s words were not hidden in mysterious terms or with hidden meanings but with illustrations that they understood. It was spoken in the language that they knew and understood.
2. The ruler and people were able to comprehend the words of Isaiah. They had no difficulty understanding his word choices and illustrations. They were able to comprehend his language since it was spoken in their language.
3. The ruler and people do not harken or inclined their mind and will to accept or believe the message by Isaiah. They didn’t ponder the truthfulness of his message or reflected upon their attitudes and actions.
4. The ruler and people rejected the message of Isaiah and continued on their course of action. There was no repentance or changed of attitude or action by them.
5. The rulers and people are able to recount the words of Isaiah but view his words as foolishness for they can’t believe that God will allow his own Temple to be destroyed and his own people exiled to a foreign land.
6. The rulers and people failed to believe or have forgotten the blessings and curses in Deuteronomy 28 for obedience and disobedience to God.
As I look at the phrase in verse 5 when God says to Isaiah to tell his people, “Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving. Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” that the message fell on deaf ears. They may even hear of rumors of an invading army coming, but don’t believe that they will reached them.
Haven’t we experience warning someone of a poor decision, but that person refuses “to listen” as to consider and to heed that warning. Most parents have said it a thousand times not to text and drive or drink and drive, but there will be some teenagers or adults who refused to heed that warning. They think that they are able to do both because of their personal skills and past experiences of doing it without getting into an accident until it happens. Understanding is not just hearing the words but having a favorable response to the message. It is to take it to heart within oneself and to act in a way that avoids the danger or to choose the safe pathway.
Jesus said it this way that the person who has ears, let him hear. This hearing is responding in faith and in obedience to the message given to that person.
SUMMARY: Understanding is more than knowing or reciting the words. It is allowing the words to control one’s life’s attitude and actions. It makes a difference in that person’s life.
For more perspectives:
https://www.quora.com/What-does-the-Bible-say-understanding-is-based-on