'Spiritual' in the Bible

but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to be unfaithful [to God] as the house of Ahab was unfaithful, and you have also murdered your brothers, your father’s house (your own family), who were better than you,

“I had heard of You [only] by the hearing of the ear,But now my [spiritual] eye sees You.

For behold, those who are far from You will perish;You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful and have abandoned You.

Blessed and happy are the people who know the joyful sound [of the trumpet’s blast]!They walk, O Lord, in the light and favor of Your countenance!

[Growing in grace] they will still thrive and bear fruit and prosper in old age;They will flourish and be vital and fresh [rich in trust and love and contentment];

His descendants will be mighty on earth;The generation of the upright will be blessed.

He makes the barren woman live in the houseAs a joyful mother of children.Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)

Hear, O children, the instruction of a father,And pay attention [and be willing to learn] so that you may gain understanding and intelligent discernment.

“I, [Wisdom, continuously] walk in the way of righteousness,In the midst of the paths of justice,

She has prepared her food, she has mixed her wine;She has also set her table.

“Come, eat my foodAnd drink the wine I have mixed [and accept my gifts].

Treasures of wickedness and ill-gotten gains do not profit,But righteousness and moral integrity in daily life rescues from death.

The wicked man earns deceptive wages,But he who sows righteousness and lives his life with integrity will have a true reward [that is both permanent and satisfying].

In the way of righteousness is life,And in its pathway there is no death [but immortality—eternal life].

Righteousness [moral and spiritual integrity and virtuous character] exalts a nation,But sin is a disgrace to any people.

The way [of life] of the wicked is hateful and exceedingly offensive to the Lord,But He loves one who pursues righteousness [personal integrity, moral courage and honorable character].

It is repulsive [to God and man] for kings to behave wickedly,For a throne is established on righteousness (right standing with God).

The silver-haired head is a crown of splendor and glory;It is found in the way of righteousness.

Take away the wicked from before the king,And his throne will be established in righteousness.

She rises also while it is still nightAnd gives food to her householdAnd assigns tasks to her maids.

She equips herself with strength [spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task]And makes her arms strong.

The vision of [the prophet] Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning [the kingdom of] Judah and [its capital] Jerusalem, which he saw [as revealed by God] during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

The way of the righteous [those in right-standing with God—living in moral and spiritual integrity] is smooth and level;O Upright One, make a level path for the just and righteous.

Lord, You will establish peace for us,Since You have also performed for us all that we have done.

Stop and take some time and wonder [at this prophecy],Blind yourselves and be blinded [at its fulfillment by your spiritual incompetence].They are drunk, but not from wine;They stagger, but not from strong drink.

Then justice will dwell in the wilderness,And righteousness will live in the fertile field.

The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high;He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.

“Rain down, O heavens, from above,Let the clouds pour down righteousness [all the blessings of God];Let the earth open up, let salvation bear fruit,And righteousness spring up with it;I, the Lord, have created it.

“Hear this, O house of Jacob, you who are called by the name of IsraelAnd who come from the seed of Judah,You who swear [allegiance] by the name of the LordAnd invoke the God of Israel,But not in truth (sincerity) nor in righteousness [with moral and spiritual integrity].

Saying to those who are bound and captured, ‘Go forth,’And to those who are in [spiritual] darkness, ‘Show yourselves [come into the light of the Savior].’They will feed along the roads [on which they travel],And their pastures will be on all the bare heights.

Yet the Lord was willingTo crush Him, causing Him to suffer;If He would give Himself as a guilt offering [an atonement for sin],He shall see His [spiritual] offspring,He shall prolong His days,And the will (good pleasure) of the Lord shall succeed and prosper in His hand.

“Shout for joy, O barren one, she who has not given birth;Break forth into joyful shouting and rejoice, she who has not gone into labor [with child]!For the [spiritual] sons of the desolate one will be more numerousThan the sons of the married woman,” says the Lord.

“And all your [spiritual] sons will be disciples [of the Lord],And great will be the well-being of your sons.

“Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters;And you who have no money come, buy grain and eat.Come, buy wine and milkWithout money and without cost [simply accept it as a gift from God].

“Why do you spend money for that which is not bread,And your earnings for what does not satisfy?Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,And let your soul delight in abundance.

“For you will go out [from exile] with joyAnd be led forth [by the Lord Himself] with peace;The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you,And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

“Upon a high and lofty mountainYou have [openly and shamelessly] made your [idolatrous and adulterous] bed;Even there you went up to offer sacrifice [to idols, in spiritual unfaithfulness to Me].

“When you cry out [for help], let your [ridiculous] collection of idols save you.But the wind will carry them all away,A [mere] breath will take them.But he who takes refuge in Me will possess the land [Judea]And will inherit My holy mountain.”

And it will be said,“Build up, build up, clear the way.Remove the stumbling block out of the way [of the spiritual return] of My people.”

“If you turn back your foot from [unnecessary travel on] the Sabbath,From doing your own pleasure on My holy day,And call the Sabbath a [spiritual] delight, and the holy day of the Lord honorable,And honor it, not going your own wayOr engaging in your own pleasureOr speaking your own [idle] words,

“As for Me, this is My covenant with them,” says the Lord: “My Spirit which is upon you [writing the law of God on the heart], and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouths of your [true, spiritual] children, nor from the mouth of your children’s children,” says the Lord, “from now and forever.”

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,Because the Lord has anointed and commissioned meTo bring good news to the humble and afflicted;He has sent me to bind up [the wounds of] the brokenhearted,To proclaim release [from confinement and condemnation] to the [physical and spiritual] captivesAnd freedom to prisoners,

“Then [in the final time] I will give you [spiritual] shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and [true] understanding.

“Why should I [overlook these offenses and] forgive you?Your children have abandoned (rejected) MeAnd sworn [their oaths] by those who are not gods.When I had fed them until they were full [and bound them to Me by a promise],They committed [spiritual] adultery,Assembling in troops at the houses of prostitutes (idols).

even though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in the land, as I live,” says the Lord God, “they could not save either their son or their daughter; they would save only themselves by their righteousness [that is, their right-standing with God—their moral and spiritual integrity].”

and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem (all of Israel), “Your [spiritual] origin and your birth are from the land of the Canaanite; your [spiritual] father was an Amorite and your [spiritual] mother a Hittite.

At the beginning of every street you built your high place and made your beauty repulsive; and you offered your body to every passer-by and multiplied your obscene immorality.

You are the daughter of your mother, who loathed her husband and her children. You are the sister of your sisters, who loathed their husbands and their children. Your [spiritual] mother was a Hittite and your [spiritual] father an Amorite.

All of his transgressions which he has committed will not be remembered against him; because of his righteousness which he has practiced [for his moral and spiritual integrity in every area and relationship], he will live.

“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to them, the [spiritual] shepherds, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Woe (judgment is coming) to the [spiritual] shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock?

Therefore, you [spiritual] shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:

therefore, you [spiritual] shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:

Therefore, O king, let my advice to you be [considered and found] acceptable; break away now from your sins and exhibit your repentance by doing what is right, and from your wickedness by showing mercy to the poor, so that [if you repent] there may possibly be a continuance of your prosperity and tranquility and a healing of your error.’

“Seventy weeks [of years, or 490 years] have been decreed for your people and for your holy city (Jerusalem), to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make atonement (reconciliation) for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness (right-standing with God), to seal up vision and prophecy and prophet, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.

Armed forces of his will arise [in Jerusalem] and defile and desecrate the sanctuary, the [spiritual] stronghold, and will do away with the regular sacrifice [that is, the daily burnt offering]; and they will set up [a pagan altar in the sanctuary which is] the abomination of desolation.

Prostitution, wine, and new wine take away the mind and the [spiritual] understanding.

“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord,“When the plowman shall overtake the one who gathers the harvest,And the one who treads the grapes [shall overtake] him who sows the seed [for the harvest continues until planting time];When the mountains will drip sweet wineAnd all the hills shall melt [that is, everything that was once barren will overflow with streams of blessing].

The Lord God is my strength [my source of courage, my invincible army];He has made my feet [steady and sure] like hinds’ feetAnd makes me walk [forward with spiritual confidence] on my high places [of challenge and responsibility].For the choir director, on my stringed instruments.