In the context of the Bible, the term "gropes" is often used metaphorically to describe a state of spiritual blindness or confusion, where individuals or groups are unable to perceive or understand the truth. This imagery is employed to illustrate the condition of those who are lost or in darkness, both physically and spiritually.

Biblical References:

1. Deuteronomy 28:29 : "At midday you will grope around like a blind man in the dark. You will be unsuccessful in everything you do; day after day you will be oppressed and plundered, with no one to save you." This verse is part of the curses pronounced upon Israel for disobedience to God's commandments. The imagery of groping at midday, when the sun is at its highest, underscores the depth of their spiritual blindness and helplessness.

2. Job 5:14 : "They encounter darkness by day and grope at noon as in the night." Here, the condition of groping is associated with the wicked, who, despite the availability of light, are unable to find their way. This reflects a moral and spiritual disorientation that leads to confusion and error.

3. Isaiah 59:10 : "Like the blind, we grope along the wall, feeling our way like those without eyes. At midday we stumble as if it were twilight; among the strong, we are like the dead." This passage describes the collective lament of a people who recognize their own spiritual and moral failures. The act of groping along the wall signifies a desperate search for guidance and truth in the absence of divine light.

4. Acts 17:27 : "God intended that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us." In this New Testament context, the idea of groping is transformed into a hopeful pursuit of God. The apostle Paul speaks to the Athenians about the nearness of God and the possibility of finding Him, even for those who are spiritually groping.

Theological Implications:

The concept of groping in the Bible often highlights the contrast between light and darkness, knowledge and ignorance, sight and blindness. It serves as a powerful metaphor for the human condition apart from God. Those who grope are depicted as being in a state of vulnerability and need, emphasizing the necessity of divine intervention and revelation.

From a theological perspective, groping underscores the importance of seeking God and His truth. It reflects the biblical teaching that without God's light, humanity is prone to wander in spiritual darkness. The imagery calls believers to rely on God's Word as a lamp to their feet and a light to their path (Psalm 119:105), and to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit to lead them into all truth (John 16:13).

Practical Application:

For believers, the metaphor of groping serves as a reminder of the importance of spiritual vigilance and the pursuit of God's wisdom. It encourages Christians to remain steadfast in prayer, study of the Scriptures, and fellowship with other believers to avoid spiritual blindness. Additionally, it calls the Church to be a beacon of light in a world that often gropes in darkness, sharing the hope and truth found in Jesus Christ.4959. mashash -- to feel, grope
... Word Origin a prim. root Definition to feel, grope NASB Word Usage feel (1), felt
(2), felt through (2), grope (3), gropes (1). feel, grope, search. ...
/hebrew/4959.htm - 6k

V. ...
... V.9. But to whomsoever such is wanting, he is blind, gropes with the hand,
and has forgotten the purifying of his former sins. Whoever ...
/.../the epistles of st peter and st jude preached and explained/chapter i v 2.htm

The Outpouring of the Holy Spirit
... The God after whom the heathen blindly searched, and for whom reason gropes in darkness,
is here plainly revealed to us in the pages of divine authorship, so ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/the outpouring of the holy.htm

Jesus is God, Following us Up.
... In it he chokes and gasps. Yet he knows not why. He gropes about in the night made
by his own shut eyes. He doesn't seem to know enough to open them. ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks about jesus/jesus is god following us.htm

"That Other Disciple"
... the power of the religious life, just enough to feel how incomplete is his faith,
and how little he can do for any one else, and one day as he gropes his way ...
/.../peabody/mornings in the college chapel/viii that other disciple.htm

A Farther Quotation from virgilius Maro Respecting Christ, with ...
... 3474]. that is, the fruit of the Divine law springs up for the service of
men. And clustered gropes shall blush on every thorn. Far ...
/.../pamphilius/the life of constantine/chapter xx a farther quotation from.htm

The Elements
... On a set scale explore? Thus GOD has will'd. That man, when fully skill'd,. Still
gropes in twilight dim; Encompass'd all his hours. By fearfullest powers. ...
/.../palgrave/the treasury of sacred song/ccclxxii the elements.htm

Night and Day (Preached at the Chapel Royal)
... What is the life of the wisest man? A night of darkness, through which he gropes
his way by lanthorn-light, slowly, and with many mistakes and stumbles. ...
/.../kingsley/the water of life and other sermons/sermon v night and day.htm

The Essential Elements of Christian Experience.
... Today, he quenches the light of God in his soul, and gropes on in darkness; tomorrow
the light may return and reveal yet greater sin; one day he relapses back ...
/.../finney/sermons on gospel themes/xxiv the essential elements of.htm

The Faith of Moses.
... The contents of the verses may be classified under four remarks:". 1.
Faith gropes at first in the dark for the work of life. 2 ...
/.../the expositors bible the epistle to the hebrews/chapter xii the faith of.htm

Silent Christians
... We are, every one of us, responsible for all the eyes which we could have opened
and which are still dark, and for every soul that gropes in ignorance, if we ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/silent christians.htm

Gropes (1 Occurrence)
... Multi-Version Concordance Gropes (1 Occurrence). Deuteronomy 28:29 and you
shall grope at noonday, as the blind gropes in darkness ...
/g/gropes.htm - 6k

Noon (30 Occurrences)
... Deuteronomy 28:29 and you shall grope at noonday, as the blind gropes in darkness,
and you shall not prosper in your ways: and you shall be only oppressed and ...
/n/noon.htm - 16k

Noonday (13 Occurrences)
... Deuteronomy 28:29 and you shall grope at noonday, as the blind gropes in darkness,
and you shall not prosper in your ways: and you shall be only oppressed and ...
/n/noonday.htm - 10k

Unsuccessful (2 Occurrences)
... Deuteronomy 28:29 and you shall grope at noonday, as the blind gropes in darkness,
and you shall not prosper in your ways: and you shall be only oppressed and ...
/u/unsuccessful.htm - 7k

Oppressed (81 Occurrences)
... Deuteronomy 28:29 and you shall grope at noonday, as the blind gropes in darkness,
and you shall not prosper in your ways: and you shall be only oppressed and ...
/o/oppressed.htm - 31k

Gropeth (1 Occurrence)

/g/gropeth.htm - 6k

Grope (5 Occurrences)
... Deuteronomy 28:29 and you shall grope at noonday, as the blind gropes in darkness,
and you shall not prosper in your ways: and you shall be only oppressed and ...
/g/grope.htm - 8k

Groped (1 Occurrence)

/g/groped.htm - 6k

Robbed (27 Occurrences)
... Deuteronomy 28:29 and you shall grope at noonday, as the blind gropes in darkness,
and you shall not prosper in your ways: and you shall be only oppressed and ...
/r/robbed.htm - 14k

Prosper (91 Occurrences)
... Deuteronomy 28:29 and you shall grope at noonday, as the blind gropes in darkness,
and you shall not prosper in your ways: and you shall be only oppressed and ...
/p/prosper.htm - 35k

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