There are some things that the LORD our God has kept secret; but he has revealed his Law, and we and our descendants are to obey it forever
Deuteronomy 29: 29 (GNT)
Scripture: Deuteronomy 29: 1-29
God as Sovereign Lord has not shared all of His secrets with us. He has shared His law with us as the standard by which we should live. This devotion looks at what scripture tells us about secrets and keeping His law and applies that to society today.
Cliff Notes
- God is all-knowing, but He hasn’t shared all of His secrets with us.
- God has not hidden His laws from us, expecting us to live up to them.
- These are the laws that will govern us for eternity.
So, I am having trouble sleeping tonight. It’s morning, and the birds are singing. And I am wide awake. So, I write.
I hadn’t taken the bottom draft on the recent list lately. Next in the pipeline is Deuteronomy 29: 29. I think we should be able to find some interesting nuggets in this rich verse as we unpack it.
God Keeps Secrets
“There are some things that the LORD our God has kept secret …” (Deut. 29: 29 GNT).
If we look at Proverbs 25: 2, it says, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings” (NIV). God already knows everything. We do not.
One example is how God created the heavens and earth. Did God use evolution, creation, or a combination? All God has really told us is that, through the power of His speaking, whatever happened, happened. The “who” is in plain sight. The “how” is a secret.
But then Luke 8: 17 says, “There is nothing hidden that will not be found. There is no secret that will not be well known” (CEV). Really, what this is saying is that God will reveal things to us — when can understand it.
There is the whole milk/child thing Paul had going in 1st Corinthians. It says, “When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity …” (I Cor. 13: 11-12 NLT). Some day, we will see things as God does.
God does give us some knowledge. “God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ — which is to fulfill his own good plan” (Eph. 1: 9 NLT).
Everything hinges on Jesus and what He did. He left all the splendor of heaven to be born on this earth. He lived without sin. (No, I don’t know how He got around answering if someone’s robe made her look fat.) He died a really painful death so He could defeat death and rise again.
From before the original sin occurred, God had the Jesus-as-Redeemer plan ready. That is to where the Old Testament points. That is what the gospels are about. That is what the rest of the New Testament talks about.
God doesn’t want us to miss that.
But Not Everything
“… but he has revealed his Law …” (Deut. 29: 29 GNT).
Not everything is a secret. God has revealed the standards by which we are to live.
My ladies and I started studying I Timothy. Chapter 1: 8-11 talks about the purpose of the law. God gave the laws to show people how to live. More importantly, they show us that we need a Savior. The laws can’t save us.
Jesus provided what the law can’t. God required a blood sacrifice. All the sacrifices of sheep/goats/pigeons/whatever couldn’t fit the bill. Jesus could.
That doesn’t mean the laws are null and void. Quite the contrary. Jesus came to fulfill the law (Mt. 5: 17-20).
In fact, Jesus said, “For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 5: 18-19 ESV).
It seems society’s goal is to rewrite God’s laws. Jesus talked about that, too. Go back and read verse 19: “Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven …” (Mt. 5: 19 ESV).
No, it didn’t say a believer who rewrites God’s laws to fit in better with Satan’s world will lose their salvation. But our goal shouldn’t be to be considered the least in heaven! Our goal should be to please our Father God.
Are we trying to pretend to be the rich young ruler? Remember, he asked Jesus for the one thing that he could do to secure eternal life (Mt. 19: 16-22). Jesus told him to keep the commandments.
I have always wondered why Jesus said the ones He did when asked which ones. “… And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mt. 19: 18-19).
Why didn’t Jesus say “You shall have no other gods before me” (Ex. 20: 3 ESV)? I mean He did tell the lawyer, when he asked what the greatest commandment was, “… You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Mt. 22: 37-40 ESV). Jesus tells the rich young ruler to put Matthew 22: 39 into practice in Matthew 19: 21.
Why didn’t Jesus stress the greatest commandment? Or did He? Isn’t Greatest Commandment #2 going to flow out of Greatest Commandment #1? Because we know the love of God, we are going to love our fellowmen. Because we have been given much, we want them to experience the same.
Because we know Jesus is coming again as the judge of the world, we want others to believe in Him. No, that doesn’t make us hate them because of their sin. It should make us love them so much more because they are worthy of being saved.
But they have to renounce their sin. Yes, believers will still sin — we are still in these human bodies. Our righteousness is following God’s standards.
Think about it this way. Jesus came to restore man’s relationship with God. He came to put the law in its proper place. He came to show God’s heart.
So, Do It
“… we and our descendants are to obey it forever” (Deut. 29: 29 GNT).
You caught that in Matthew 5: 18 that “… until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished” (ESV emphasis added), right? Not if … when.
This heaven and earth is slated for destruction. Sorry, it won’t be climate change. It is going to be a specific act of God. We will have no doubt who is calling the shots. It won’t be something man has supposedly done.
One of these days, Jesus is coming again. He will set up His kingdom on earth (Rev. 20: 4). Satan will be defeated (Rev. 20: 10). Judgment will happen: “And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20: 15 ESV). Then heaven and earth will pass away (Rev. 21: 1-2 ESV).
Only then can an iota or a dot be removed from the law (Mt. 5: 18). Let me tell you, it won’t be one of us doing the removing. We won’t be twisting it around to fit our sensibilities.
God or Jesus will be the ones making any needed changes — based on Their wishes, not someone of this world’s.
It doesn’t look to me like there are going to be any, though. Read Deuteronomy 29: 29 one last time: “There are some things that the LORD our God has kept secret; but he has revealed his Law, and we and our descendants are to obey it forever” (GNT emphasis added). That doesn’t make it sound like there are going to be any changes.
How Do We Apply It?
I think we’ve talked enough about what it means. We just have to do it. We have to live the lives God asks of us.
Will we crash and burn sometimes? Yes. Does that mean believers are kicked out of Heaven? No.
It means that becoming a believer comes with an attitude adjustment so that we don’t want to do the things God doesn’t want us to do. We want to do what He wants us to. We don’t try to rewrite our way of thinking — especially not God’s way of thinking — to match the worldview.
Confession. I did fall asleep somewhere in this and finished it when I woke up four hours later. This is heavy, I know. It is important. We are talking about people’s eternity here. Believers have to show others how the future is going unfold.
Father God. You are all-knowing. You have not chosen to reveal all of the mysteries to us. But You have shown us how You expect us to live. Help us to follow You and withstand the pressure from others to conform to this world. We earn for the day we will be following Your commands in Your presence. Amen.
If you have not admitted that your relationship is not right with God,
have not asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior,
and have not confessed your sins,
please read through the Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
What do you think? What part is more challenging for you — the secrets, the laws, or the obeying forever? Leave me a comment below (about this or anything else) or head over to my Facebook group for some interactive discussion.
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