God Conceals Things Prov. 25: 2CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
Prov 25:2 says, “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing.”
When you read through the Bible you see several things that the Lord has concealed or will conceal.
For instance, in Num 22:22-34, the angel of the Lord stood in the way to prevent Balaam from traveling with Balak’s messengers. The ass that Balaam was riding saw the angel, but Balaam didn’t see him. It wasn’t until the angel opened Balaam’s eyes that he saw the angel standing in the way [Num 22:31]. If the Lord had not opened Balaam’s eyes, he would have never seen the angel because the angel was concealed from his view.
In 2 Ki 6:13-18, when the king of Syria sent a host of the Syrian army to “fetch” Elisha in Dothan, they surrounded the city. When Elisha’s servant saw the host he asked, Elisha, “Alas, my master! How shall we do?” Elisha told him, “they that be with us are more than they that be with them.” And when the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, he saw that the mountain was “full of horses and chariots of fire.”
There are all kinds of things going on around you that you cannot see because they are concealed from your view. Look what Stephen saw in Acts 8:55, right before he was stoned to death. There are things God has concealed from your view that you could see if he would let you. Likewise, there are things that you ordinarily can see that God can hide from your view.
For instance, in Jn 8:59, the Jews took up stones to cast at Jesus, “but Jesus hid himself.” The Bible says that “he went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.” Remarkable. He was right there and simply concealed himself so that they could not stone him. He did this again in Jn 10:39, undoubtedly.
During the tribulation, I have often wondered how the Jews are going to be able to hide in Sela Petra. The answer is simpler than I thought. He’s going to hide them in the secret of his presence [Ps 31:20]. The Lord will be there hiding place [Ps 32:7]. He will conceal them.
Conclusion: it’s God’s glory to conceal these things from view until he is ready to reveal them. While this is very interesting and informative, we should make an application at the end of this message. And the application is this. The Bible is filled with truth that you cannot see until God reveals it to you [Matt 11:25]. You can study and search and look up commentaries and define the words in other languages until you grow weary. If God doesn’t show you what’s in his word, then you will be helpless to see it [Matt 23:24]. Humble yourself like a child and ask the Lord to reveal his truth to you for his glory, for your edification and for the benefit of others whom you must teach [1 Cor 2:9-10; Deut 29:29].