The Things Revealed
I've been thinking a lot lately on Deut. 29:29: "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law". For the new year I want to focus on the things that God has revealed, and give myself whole heartedly to following after them.
Here are some comments by D.A. Carson on this verse:
"...we cannot know many hidden things. But what has been revealed to us...is what must capture our interest and devoted obedience.
"...we must frankly admit that some things are hidden from our eyes. We really do not understand, for instance, the relationships between time and eternity, nor do we have much of an idea how the God who inhabits eternity discloses himself to us in our finite, space/time history. It is revealed that he does...but we do not know how. We do not know how God can be both personal and sovereign/transcendent; we do not know how the one God can be triune.
"Yet in none of these cases is this a subtle appeal to ignorance, or an irresponsible hiding behind the irrational or the mystical. When we admit - indeed, insist - that there are mysteries about these matters, we do not admit they are nonsensical or self-contradictory. Rather, we are saying that we do not know enough, and we admit our ignorance.
"Indeed...the implication is that it would be presumptuous to claim we do know, or even to spend too much time trying to find out--lest we should be presuming on God's exclusive terrain. Some things may be temporarily hidden to induce us to search...But that is not a universal rule: the very first sin involved trying to know some hidden things and thus be like God. In such cases, the path of wisdom is reverent worship of him who knows all things, and careful adherence to what he has graciously disclosed." (emphasis added)
May the new year ahead find us worshipping and adhering.
Here are some comments by D.A. Carson on this verse:
"...we cannot know many hidden things. But what has been revealed to us...is what must capture our interest and devoted obedience.
"...we must frankly admit that some things are hidden from our eyes. We really do not understand, for instance, the relationships between time and eternity, nor do we have much of an idea how the God who inhabits eternity discloses himself to us in our finite, space/time history. It is revealed that he does...but we do not know how. We do not know how God can be both personal and sovereign/transcendent; we do not know how the one God can be triune.
"Yet in none of these cases is this a subtle appeal to ignorance, or an irresponsible hiding behind the irrational or the mystical. When we admit - indeed, insist - that there are mysteries about these matters, we do not admit they are nonsensical or self-contradictory. Rather, we are saying that we do not know enough, and we admit our ignorance.
"Indeed...the implication is that it would be presumptuous to claim we do know, or even to spend too much time trying to find out--lest we should be presuming on God's exclusive terrain. Some things may be temporarily hidden to induce us to search...But that is not a universal rule: the very first sin involved trying to know some hidden things and thus be like God. In such cases, the path of wisdom is reverent worship of him who knows all things, and careful adherence to what he has graciously disclosed." (emphasis added)
May the new year ahead find us worshipping and adhering.
posted by Violet | 11:33 AM
1 Comments:
Whoa, you must be reading my mind. I have a post already in my brain much along the same lines. I think I will link to you when I write it. I love these quotes. They really wrap it all up. Wow. I will keep thinking on these things. Thanks for sharing.
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