The Kidneys & Spiritual Metabolism

The kidneys are bean-shaped organs that filter waste from the blood and are a part of the urinary system and the endocrine system. They serve the body by excreting waste products into urine, which flows from the kidneys into the ureters and then into the urinary bladder. Wastes are the products that remain in the body after the processes of metabolism (the chemical reactions to changes that occur in the body in order to maintain life). These processes leave the body with an excess of chemicals—some of which are toxic; therefore they are unneeded and must be removed. These wastes are combined with water (or water vapor) before being excreted, which help the body remain healthy and alive. 

The Hebrew word for kidney is kilyah, and it is used literally to describe the internal organs and figuratively to describe the inner most secret part of a person, or “the inner being.”

Many English Bibles translate the word kilyah as “heart” or “mind,” and at times it is used similarly within the same passage with the Hebrew word for heart, which is lēb. An example is Jeremiah 17:10. The NLT reads: “But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.” In this translation, “secret motives” is the translation for kilyah. The English Septuagint, however, renders the word as kidneys. 

As the kidneys represent the incense altar of the Tabernacle, their filtering process represents the purification process of the Father, Mother, and Son. The incense altar is the place of prayer (communication with God), and is how spiritual change (metabolism) takes place. Though prayer does involve petition, communication is a two-way exchange that includes God’s responses to human prayer and His relay of information. He communicates in many ways (Heb. 1:1), and His communication includes teaching, correction, and discipline. The blood of Jesus is what purifies the believer to begin with (Rom. 5:9; Eph. 1:7; 2:13), and His sacrifice is what gives the believer access to the Father (Eph. 2:18; 3:12). The Holy Spirit is water (John 7:37-39), and She is the water that that allows excess and toxicity to be removed from the believer’s spiritual life in order that they may continue to live a spiritually pleasing life to the Father. 

References

The Lexham English Septuagint (Second Edition, Je 17:10). (2020). Lexham Press.

Mangum, D. (2014). Conscience. In D. Mangum, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, & R. Hurst (Eds.), Lexham Theological Wordbook. Lexham Press. 

Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Je 17:10). Tyndale House Publishers.