Why does God conceal things?

What is to His glory is to our benefit

Although Scripture is often as complex / hard to understand as it is simple, one needs no more special insight than that which is readily available to all who are willing to pursue God with an enthusiastic, intentional and meaningful effort to draw closer to Him, to search out His word and to align one’s life with His will. This pursuit is a vital component of a faithful life, promising divine rewards, a deeper relationship and a deeper spiritual understanding, Luke 11:9-10, Jeremiah 29:11-13. Scripture in many ways is like a sweet onion, where just below its readily discernable surface, there exists yet other, deeper layers, each with the same but sharper and more pronounced savory of truth than the previous layer. In other ways, Scripture is like that of a tapestry, its truth like a thread, strategically woven through the historical accounts that showcase God’s actions, promises, and covenants. Through the spiritual lessons conveyed in relatable parables and impactful stories / paradigms, examples, and patterns. Through the divinely inspired prophecies that offer hope and assurance of God’s plans for humanity.

For a purpose

It is not that God has concealed certain things so that they cannot be found and understood by His children but rather, God has distributed throughout, and deep within Scripture, certain aspects of Himself and His divine truth and plans. In part, as reward for diligently searching.  This is not to say that God has revealed all that there is to know of Himself, Ecclesiastes 3:11. However, unless one believes that God babbles incoherently without purpose, then that which God has revealed of Himself is purposed for us who are of the Spirit, to search out, discover, know and to understand. Deuteronomy 29:29.

As a security protocol, hidden in plain sight from His enemies

Great are the glorious gifts and rewards of searching out God’s truth, Proverbs 25:2. Although these things that we search out are often camouflaged and therefore not always clearly perceived, self-evident, neither are they comprehensible & discernable through human reasoning alone, if at all, 1 Corinthians 2:14. In some ways we could liken it to a “national security protocol”, where sensitive information is shared only with those who have the proper security clearance and is for their eyes only. Thus, I believe that God’s purpose for camouflaging and concealing within Scripture, certain aspects of Himself, His divine truth and His plans for humanity is so that such knowledge is revealed only by the Holy Spirit and only to the right persons and only at the right time. Steadfast believers who diligently and sincerely seek God’s word through God’s eyes. In other words, it is purposed, in part, for God’s glory and for our benefit, that certain things be kept hidden from God’s adversaries. After all, we would be naïve to believe that Satan does not know Scripture, metaphorically speaking, like the back of his own hand. Yet Satan obviously did not perceive the mystery of Christ that was hidden in plain sight, within the Old Testament. Genesis 3:15.

From those who refuse to be grounded in His word

Satan did not understand the significance of this as the first Gospel, the protoevangelium, which poetically foretold of the Messiah’s heel wound. The sacrifice at Calvary that would deliver to Satan a fatal head wound, and bring victory over sin and death. Had Satan understood this, then it only stands to reason that Satan would have done everything within his deceptive power to make sure Christ was never crucified. Conversely, somethings in Scripture are not hidden from God’s enemies, but instead are meant for and speak specifically to them. In but one small example, Jesus was speaking to and of His enemies when He said, “YOU” in John 8:44 ESV. “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies”? The “You” in the previous verse are the many, be they spiritual or human entities, who oppose Christ / God, His people and His righteous purposes. Those who have learned from their father, the devil. Those who are deceived and do their father’s will to deceive others who are ignorant and unstable. This in itself underscores the necessity for grounding oneself in sound doctrine and being vigilant against false teachings.

From those who choose to remain ignorant, unstable

The English word  “Ignorant” as translated from the Hebrew word “amathēs”, characterizes those not taught by God, to be lacking in knowledge of or to have a darkened understanding of Scripture. 2 Peter 3:16 ESV: “… There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures”. The English word “unstable” as translated from the Hebrew word “astēriktos”, characterizes individuals, unbelievers and or believers who do not lean on and trust in God for understanding. As a natural result of this ignorance, they are, as described in Ephesians 4:14,“… tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes”.

Ignorance is of no excuse for the responsible and accountable

This underscores the necessity of grounding oneself in sound Scriptural doctrine so as to be vigilant against false teachings. It is not that the believer should claim to be, in and of themselves, without ignorance and instability. Instead, anyone who does not lean on God and trust in His word as the staff for guidance, understanding and stability, will surely fall. Proverbs 3:5-7. Although many live as though “Ignorance is bliss”, it is important to understand that ignorance no more equates to innocence, than innocence equates to ignorance. Despite often used, Ignorance and innocence are distinguished by ones capacity or ability to know and understand that which is established and available for them to know and understand. Thus be response able and account able. Most of us should be familiar with the phrase “ignorance is no excuse” which refers to the legal principle “ignorantia juris non excusat”. The principle whereby a person who is capable, response able and account able cannot escape liability for violating an established law simply because they were unaware of it. This principle emphasizes that capable individuals are expected to know and understand the laws that govern them, and lack of knowledge or understanding will not absolve them from their responsibility or accountability.

Equally, one should not expect instability by way of one’s ignorance of God, His revelations and His word to exonerate those who are capable, response able, account able and li-able for violating His righteous commands. In further clarification, the English word “responsible” comes from the Latin word “responsus”, meaning commitment & the moral obligation of a response able moral agent to respond in action or inaction & to do what is right and fulfill a given duty. Today, many misunderstand “responsible” as merely accepting personal ownership of a duty, wherein the unfulfillment of responsibility leads to internal feelings of guilt and shame. However, the English word “accountable“, dates back to the 14th century where it was formed by combining the English words “account” and “able“, meaning “liable“ or “liability”.

Liability is the obligation & responsibility of lawful authority to demand justice, to hold unto account and levy unto an individual or an entity, the fitting consequence or debt for the damages or injuries caused by their dereliction of duty, the act of willful misconduct or the willful and gross neglect of a given responsibility. Accountability must be demanded and it must be certain. If accountability it is to be more than meaningless words, then fitting consequences must accompany the accountable actions. Hosea 10:4. It is as unfortunate as it is evident within our secular world, that there is no shortage of God’s enemies. Those who do the will of Satan, of Evil and deceive others to do that which is sinful, abhorrent and of evil in the eyes of God. They will twist God’s word and His teachings. If God’s enemies cannot destroy God’s word then their next available tactic is to keep those who are ignorant and unstable of it; ignorant and unstable of it. They accomplish this by exploiting the desires of “self”, the weakness of flesh, the emotions of fears and anxieties to deceive, and lead astray into sinful acts, those who do not lean fully on God for knowledge and understanding.

For the protection of the innocent

This has not taken God by surprise, but rather in His Omniscience, God foreknew that the ignorant and unstable, would be vulnerable to these, His enemies tactics. Vulnerable to the twisting of anything in Scripture that for example, unambiguously confirmed infant salvation, as perverse  justification for the sinful desires, the want for something sinful to happen and practice of child sacrifice. In other words, His enemies would use it to deceive those leaning not on God, but on their emotions, anxiety, fear, and uncertainty of unintended pregnancy by justifying abortion as benefitting to millions of children, who would likely otherwise never be saved if brought into this world of such depraved conditions. As incomprehensible as that may sound, it is the practice of “making excuses”, for sinful desires and actions & for which there is no excuse. Excuses are lies that we tell ourselves or others, so as to displace our responsibility and accountability of unethical behavior by means of false attribution of blame onto someone or something else. The sole purpose is to rationalize, defend and justify sinful desires and actions. Often practiced by both unbelievers and believers who manipulate scriptural texts, to make a sinful desire or act acceptable and thus avoid the consequences of guilt and shame. It is both a moral disengagement and a disconnect from the truth and righteousness of God. It is not then, that God necessarily conceals answers to questions like that of infant salvation, so that it cannot be found in Scripture, but Instead, in His Omnisapience (His wisdom), He has purposely and strategically camouflaged the answer. Camouflaged by distributing it throughout and deep within Scripture so that it in the process of being searched out by the faithful, and revealed to them at the right time by the Holy Spirit, it is properly discerned so as to not only protect the sanctity of life of the innocent / helpless child but to likewise and just as importantly, protect the best interests of parents, families and all humanity.