May 9, 2023

The Bible Edge

Everyone needs an Edge, Believers can have the Bible Edge

Luke 8:17

For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.

Deuteronomy 29:29 states clearly: The secret things belong unto the Lord our God:. Throughout Scripture this truth is echoed over and over. In II Kings the story is told about God revealing to Elisha the military plans of the King of Syria. Elisha told the King of Israel about those plans and saved Israel, not once nor twice. God revealed to Nathan about David’s sins connected with that situation with Bathsheba. In Matthew 2 God warned the shepherds not to return to Herod so they traveled home a different way. Yes, God knows the secrets of man.

An unconditional promise of God’s Word is this: there is nothing secret or hid from God, and He will make sure that secret things will become known and spread abroad. David even asked the question in Psalm 139:7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? He answered himself in the very next verse: If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. No one is exempt from this unconditional promise of God’s Word.

Usually when this thought is brought forth it is a warning, but today think about this promise as a blessing. In Matthew chapter 6 there are three wonderful aspects of this thing of secrecy not being so secret, they are:

Matthew 6:4

That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

Matthew 6:6

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

Matthew 6:18

That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

Being benevolent to those in need, praying and fasting in secret bring open rewards. Wonderful! These are conditional promises. But the fact that everything will be made manifest, open, shared, and spread abroad. We should shudder to think. Verses like Luke 12:3 Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. This verse, and others like it, should shake us to our very core. There is a remedy, confess, repent, forsake the things that would bring shame if they were opened up for all to see and hear. That’s an awesome Edge.

William T. Howe, Ph.D.