The Scriptures teach us that some things are hidden which shouldn’t be, some things are hidden that should be, and some things are hidden that can’t be.
Any good thing the Lord has done should not be hidden. In the days of Jehoram, king of Israel, the Arameans laid siege to the capital city of Samaria. When it seemed that Samaria would surely fall, God promised that within 24 hours the siege would be lifted and there would be a sudden abundance of food in the capital. That night, some lepers of Samaria discovered that the camps of the Arameans were abandoned. They saw that food and stores were in abundance, ready for the taking. At first, they hid as much plunder as they could carry off; but then they came to their senses and knew that what they were doing was not right. “This day is a day of good news, but we are keeping silent” (2 Kings 7:9).
Any opportunity to do good should not become hidden by the sin of self-righteousness. In Isaiah’s day, the question often asked was, “Why has the Lord hidden His face from us?” One reason given was that this wicked generation had hidden themselves and their provisions from their own kinsmen! The Lord declared that the “acceptable day to the Lord” involved more than sacrifices and prayers (Isa. 58:1-5). It could never be an acceptable day to the Lord if they did not divide their bread with the hungry, bring the homeless poor into their house, cover the naked, and stop hiding themselves from their “own flesh” (v. 7).
Any commandment of the Lord should not be hidden. Nor should we ever hide from others the ways of the Lord. David could honestly say, “I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great congregation” (Ps. 40:10). When Jesus was teaching the meaning of discipleship in the Sermon on the Mount, He said, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house” (Mt. 5:14-15).
However, a child of God should always hide himself from evil. Solomon wrote, “The prudent sees the evil and hides himself, but the naïve go on, and are punished for it” (Prov. 22:3). It is worth observing that Solomon calls those who hide from evil, “prudent.” The psalmist had noted that the wicked and the greedy intend to hide their true intentions so that the naïve will be ensnared. “He sits in the lurking places of the village; in the hiding places he kills the innocent; his eyes stealthily watch for the unfortunate. He lurks in a hiding place as a lion in his lair; he lurks to catch the afflicted …” (Ps. 10:8-9). The same idea of hiding from evil is expressed another way in the New Testament, when Paul writes that we must flee from immorality (1 Cor. 6:18); flee from idolatry (1 Cor. 10:14); flee from the love of money (1 Tim. 6:9-11); and flee from youthful lusts (2 Tim. 2:22). Using “hidden” with the thought of safeguarding and treasuring, David said, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee” (Ps. 119:11 KJV).
Some things are impossible to hide even though we do all we can to keep them hidden. Our actions cannot be hidden from God (Eccl. 12:14). Our wicked schemes and evil plans cannot be hidden from Him. “Woe to those who deeply hide their plans from the Lord, and whose deeds are done in a dark place, and they say, ‘Who sees us?’ or ‘Who knows us?’” (Isa. 29:15). It is impossible to put one over on the Lord. “’Can a man hide himself in hiding places so I do not see him?’ declares the Lord. ‘Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?’ declares the Lord” (Jer. 23:24).
Let’s make sure we know what shouldn’t be hidden, what must be hidden, and what cannot be hidden!
Keep studying. DC Brown ©2016