"THE SECRET THINGS"

The Bible describes this limiting fence in 

Deuteronomy 29:24-29:

       

  All nations would say, why has the Lord done so to this land? What does the heat of this great anger mean?" The people would say: "because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them of the land of Egypt; for they went and "His revelation is our most precious treasure. However, what He has kept to Himself is none of our business."

Worshiped them, gods that they did not know and that He had not given to them. Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against this land, to bring on it every curse that is written in this book. And the Lord uprooted them from their land in anger, in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day." 

   The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.'" Moses was speaking of the wrath of God that would be poured out on the land should the people fall into sin. In response to such an act of providence, he said, future generations of Israelites and foreigners would ask, "Why?" They would supply their own speculations to the reason for God's actions. But as Moses went on say, the secret things belong to the Lord. By contrast, he said, God's people posssess what He has revealed to them; it belong to them; it belongs to them and to their children. They are to delight in this knowledge as in a prize possession. It is their richest heritage to pass it on, for these revealed things are given to them that they might give to God their obedience. What are the secret things that remain hidden from us? There are several things that may be included in the list. 

  In the first place, there are aspect of God's own nature that remain shrouded in mystery. How He governs His creation by a sovereign will that works through human agents without destroying their volition or responsibility is one such mystery. This mystery may be unraveled for us in heaven, but only if God is please to move the fence for us at that time. Even in heaven, some mysteries will remain creature forever. And as long as God is God and we are creatures, there will be limits on our understanding of Him. In present state, we are forbidden to look upon the face of God. Though we live before His Face, His face remains invicible to us. We recall Moses attempt to glimpse His visage in Exodus 33:17-23:

  So the Lord said to Moses, 'I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.' And he said, 'Please show me Your glory.' Then He said 'I will make all My goodness pass before and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and i will have compassion  on whom I will have compassion. But He said, 'You cannot see My See my face: for no man shall see Me, and live.' And the Lord said, 'Here is a place by Me, and you stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but my face shall not be seen.'"

  After Adam and Eve were expelled from paradise and consigned to live out their days east of Eden, sentinels were placed at the entrance to the garden, angels and aflaming sword, stationed there by God to ensure that no fallen creature would trespass in the place. Part of the boundary to Eden is the hiddenness of God's face from our eyes. It is forbidden sight as long as we remain impure. The problem is not the weakness of our vision. It is moral problem. The future promise of seeing God is given to the "pure in heart." The beatific vision is restricted to those who have been glorified in heaven.

  A second "secret thing" is the future. Though God has been pleased to reveal much about His plans for our redemption, there remains much about our personal futures that He has not revealed. Furthermore, He prohibited us from gazing into future things about which He is silent. Our desire to know the future fuels the horoscpoe industry, and keeps palm readers and tarot card shark in business. These things were emphatically forbidden in the old testament, and consultations with sorcerers, witches, necromancers, and so forth were considered heinous crimes. The ouija board is the modern version of these ancient attempts to pry into secret things. Finally, there is that forbidden territory of knowledge that has to do with our own entertainment. We might call this "carnal knowledge." The alternative to such carnal knowledge is found in Paul's exhortation to the Philippians: "Finally. Brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is He he established a fence that guards his unrevealed thoughts and plans from prying and snooping noses. anything praiseworthy meditate on these things. The things which you learn and received and heard of me, these do and the God of peace will be with you" ( Phil. 4:8-9 ).