Hidden in Plain Sight
Revelation 2:17 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it."
God has given each one of us the promise that He will always reveal Himself and His word to those who seek Him and walk in His ways. The person who overcomes has all the promises of God open before them and the secret mysteries of God will be revealed to that person. The hidden things of God are hidden in plain sight for those who set their eyes to search and have an ear to hear God’s instruction.
The things of the Spirit are only revealed through the Spirit for God’s word is spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14). The first requirement is to have an ear to hear. Those who turn away from the word of God cannot overcome and cannot gain understanding. All of the mysteries of God are revealed to those who search His word expectantly. So what does it mean to overcome? The Bible tells us that the sin that abides in the flesh rises up and seeks to overcome us and bring our minds under subjection to sin (Romans 7:23); however, we have the power in Christ to overcome the flesh and bring every thought under subjection to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). The one who overcomes is the one who puts to death the lusts and sinful passions of the flesh as they seek the Lord through His word and spend time with God in prayer.
The hidden manna is the spiritual things revealed to us in the word of God. Manna is the bread from heaven that the children of Israel ate while wandering through the desert as they journeyed to the Promise Land. This manna is the foreshadow of Christ who is the true bread that came from heaven (John 6:32-35). Jesus Christ is also the word of God made flesh (John 1:1). The hidden manna is the bread from heaven revealed to us through the scriptures as we wander through the desert of this world as we journey toward our promise. The majority of those claiming the name of Christ will never find the hidden manna because most people never overcome the flesh and walk in the Spirit. This is why Jesus made the following statement in Matthew 5:
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
Until you hunger and thirst for the things of God, you will not truly seek it and will not find it. Everyone who seeks finds, but those who do not seek, do not find. This message is preached throughout the Bible. Consider this passage from Proverbs 3:
32 For the perverse person is an abomination to the LORD, But His secret counsel is with the upright.
The perverse person is someone who is living in the flesh and abiding in sin. Those who walk in uprightness and experience God as they seek Him through the word will find His secret counsel. It is God’s desire to reveal Himself to you, but not unless you step out of complacency and begin to seek Him with all your heart. Proverbs 25:2 says it wonderfully:
2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.
Do not forget that God has called us to be kings and priests to our God if we walk in obedience (Revelation 5:10). God conceals the truth of the word (or manna), draws us by His Spirit to seek, and if we respond and apply our hearts to seek Him, He reveals the secrets of His counsel to us. God could instantly enlighten us, but He has chosen to conceal spiritual matters and reveal them only to those who cry out for wisdom, knowledge and understanding as they seek with all their heart.
God is Revealed to the Lowly
One important principle to understand is that God continuously states throughout scripture that He resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. This is affirmed by Jesus in this passage from Matthew 11:
25 At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.
This should be an encouragement for all those who desire to know God and His word. God does not reveal His secret counsel to the PhD, seminary professor, theologian, religious guru or the powerful leaders of our culture. God reveals them to those who are babes in Christ – those who humble themselves before God and feed on His word as they seek Him expectantly. We look to His power, not our education, abilities or authority. Even the theologian must humble himself before God if he is to know the secret counsel of God and see God’s word come alive with instruction, wisdom and promise. It is unfortunate that the high minded always miss the truth of scripture even as they articulate the doctrines that they believe shore up their positions. A man can know the answer to every theological debate and doctrinal position and still miss the understanding God gives to us to know His will, word and how to live in His promise of rest. The apostle Paul explained this in 1 Corinthians 2:2-5
2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
Paul was highly educated under the most respected teachers in Israel, but when God revealed Himself to Paul, he realized that it all meant nothing. Almost all of the well educated leaders in Israel missed the truth of the gospel. The Scribes, Pharisees and Lawyers all knew the theology of the day, but completely missed the promise of Christ. The same is true today. Even the theologian must recognize that he knows nothing that he ought to know and is dependent on God to teach him the truth that reveals God’s counsel to the individual. Look at 1 Corinthians 8:2-3
2 And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him.
The Bible warns that knowledge puffs up and in order to understand knowledge, we must humble ourselves and realize that we don’t know anything other than what God reveals to us. I can know everything about the early church fathers, reformers and study the theology of the great minds of today, but it means nothing if I don’t humble myself and seek the wisdom that only comes from God. Look now at 1 Corinthians 4:6-7
6 Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other. 7 For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?
If we know anything, we still have nothing to boast of, for anything we have has been given to us by God’s Spirit and not by our efforts. When we boast or think highly of ourselves or our achievement, we are only showing that we do not understand that all understanding is a gift from God. If we think too highly of those who have a lot of knowledge, we are showing that we are putting our confidence in the flesh. Even the apostles warned the church not to put them on a position of undue honor. Since this is so, it should also be understood that we should not put our leaders, teachers and preachers on pedestals or look to them as beyond what is written. And what is written? Look at Jeremiah 17:5-6
5 Thus says the LORD: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the LORD. 6 For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, And shall not see when good comes, But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, In a salt land which is not inhabited.
If you put your trust in man, your heart has departed from the Lord and you are under the curse. Christian leaders do not stand in God’s place. They are examples that lead those who are not mature until there are able to walk on their own spiritual feet. There is a balance that we must realize and apply to our understanding. The Bible does indeed tell us to mark those who walk uprightly and to look to those who walk according to the scriptures as an example to follow; however, it is a mentorship among equals and not a master – follower relationship.
Overseers of the Church
Look at 1 Timothy 5:
17 Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine.
It is important to recognize the leaders who preside over the church and execute their offices well. To rule (or preside) well is to lead according to the instructions laid down by Jesus and taught throughout scripture. The word ‘rule’ used here is the word ‘proistemi’ (pronounced pro-is’-tay-mee) which means, to preside over, protect or superintend. This is not the same Greek word translated into ‘rule’ which is meant to govern. This word comes from the Greek word ‘poimaino’ (pronounced poy-mah’-ee-no) which means, to tend a flock, rule or govern. This is also translated as the word ‘rule’ in Revelation 12:
5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
The elders do not rule over the people, but preside over the church to insure the doctrine of scripture is taught and followed by the local body. The pastor and those who are appointed to work to instruct others in the word and do so according to scripture are worthy of honor; however, this is honor and not adoration. Church leadership presides over the body, but does not rule the individuals of the church. I say this to make sure this is clear before I go on to share the passages that are misunderstood by the church concerning leadership. We do indeed honor those who serve according to scripture, but we do not look to them as our providers.
Jesus warned His disciples not to allow themselves to be given a title of undue honor. These honors belong to Christ alone. Look at Matthew 23:8-10
8 "But you, do not be called ’Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. 9 "Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10 "And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.
‘Rabbi’ comes from the Greek word ‘rhabbi’ (pronounced rhab-bee’) which means ‘great one, or one of honor’. In verse 10 the word ‘teacher’ is the Greek word ‘kathegetes’ (pronounced kath-ayg-ay-tace’) which means ‘master or guide’. When we think of a teacher, we picture someone who teaches in order to instruct. The passage above is not referring to an instructor but someone who is set on a pedestal as a spiritual master over the people. Jesus was referred to as Master (kathegetes), but the apostles referred to themselves as teachers. While our English translations may not make it clear, there is a big difference in the Greek words that refer to ‘teacher’ and ‘master’. The word ‘teacher’ comes from the Greek word ‘didaskalos’ (pronounced did-as’-kal-os) which means, ‘a teacher or one who teaches the things of God’ (see 2 Timothy 1:1, 1 Timothy 2:7, Romans 2:20, Ephesians 4:11 and James 3:1).
When the Bible instructs us to follow the examples of teachers, it is always ‘didaskalos’ or someone instructing us in the ways of God. Ephesians 4:11 tells us that one of the callings God places within the church is teachers (didaskalos) for the equipping of the saints for ministry. The Bible warns us not to allow ourselves to be put into the honor that belongs to Christ alone and the Bible warns us not to place any man into a place of honor and look to a leader as though he stands in the place of Christ. No man can be a father to us for only God has the right to be called our spiritual father; no man can be a great one for only Christ is our Rabbi; no man can be our master for only Christ is our Master. To have respect toward someone for their God given knowledge and faithfulness in their calling is commendable, but to look to a man as ‘God’s man’ or as a source for your spiritual enlightenment is unhealthy and unbiblical.
The biblical calling of teacher (didaskalos) serves four roles in the scriptures: 1. serve as an example by living a Christ centered life; 2. disciple those immature in the faith so that they know the word of God; 3. instruct others as to how to seek God and study the word; 4. continuously put the church in remembrance of the things that they already have been taught. Anyone who goes above these things is outside of God’s will and has committed mutiny against Christ. The goal of every teacher should be to build disciples to get them to the point of independence from man but dependence on God and then to work to keep others in constant remembrance of the truths of scripture. Keep in mind that it is not he that studies that finds, but he that studies with a heart that is seeking the Lord. As teachers we should be instructing others how to seek the Lord.
Several years ago I heard a man get up in church and say to the pastor, “You are our good shepherd and we thank you for leading us”. I had never really thought about it before hearing this comment but where does the Bible say that the pastor is the shepherd who is the provider of the flock? There is only one Good Shepherd. Look at John 10:11-14
11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 "But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 "The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. 14 "I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.
To call a man by the title that Jesus gave himself is blasphemy. In fact, looking to a man as the Shepherd over God’s people and exalting him to the point of being in the place of Christ amounts to idolatry. Not once in scripture is the pastor given the title of shepherd. There is only one time in the scriptures where the pastor is given the task of shepherding God’s people. This is taught in the context of the pastor being an overseer but not the lord over the church. The overseer is the one sent by the Chief Shepherd to feed the flock. We have to be very cautious in this area so as to not overstep the bounds Jesus has established as the role of church leaders in His plan. Some leaders are power hungry and usurp undue authority, but most people do this ignorantly because it has been handed down through traditions. In order to receive the reward for faithfulness, it is vital that we are consistent with scripture and not to establish the authority of man in a way that is contrary to Jesus’ instructions. The role of a pastor is an overseer who leads the flock of Christ waiting for the Good Shepherd to return and take His rightful place. Look at 1 Peter 5:2-4
2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; 3 nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; 4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.
Notice that even though God appoints men into roles of leadership, it is as an overseer waiting for the Shepherd. Jesus is the Chief Shepherd who lords over the flock, but those who feed the flock are not. Jesus is the bread from heaven that satisfies those who hunger for righteousness and those appointed by Him to feed His sheep (or teach the word) are overseers over the task of the word appointed to them. The underling provides to the Sheep what the Lord provides to them, but do not lord over the flock nor are to be looked upon as the master of the church.
An overseer is someone who takes instruction from his master in order to insure the master’s will is being followed among the other servants. He is not the master and has no authority other than the authority of proclaiming the instruction that the master has given. We are in the same position. We continuously put the flock in remembrance of the instructions of scripture as we insure each member knows the will of God and that the flock adheres to it. When we look upon ourselves as the authority, we lose sight of the Master and begin to look to our own wisdom.
The overseer (or pastor) plays an important role in the church and is therefore promised the crown of glory if he is faithful. The confusion lies in the difference between being a shepherd and an overseer. The overseer does have authority, but not his own authority. He acts as a stand in for the Lord to communicate what has been clearly stated in the word. When a preacher proclaims the word of God, if he is faithful, he is not speaking his own instructions but accurately proclaiming what God has revealed through the word. The authority is in the word – not the man. The bishop, elder, pastor, or overseer stands upon the word that was instructed and the word alone is the authority. Let me give an example from Genesis 22:15-16
15 Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, 16 and said: "By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son --
The scripture shows clearly that the one actually delivering the word was an angel and not God; however, the word is truly the word of God and through the word, God is indeed speaking. To avoid confusion, this Angel of the Lord is indeed an angel for the same phrase is used throughout the Bible when angels speak in the name of the Lord. Zechariah 1:9-15 gives a clear example where the ‘Angel of the LORD’ speaks to God and is instructed by God. We can see that the angel had the authority to instruct Abraham in the name of the Lord because he was accurately communicating the word God had proclaimed to instruct Abraham. This is the exact same authority that the overseer of the church stands upon. By God’s own appointment, the pastor is placed over the flock to proclaim the word of God to them and to stand upon the authority of the word.
Those who are faithful in this role will be rewarded when the True Shepherd comes and those who are faithless or abusive will be judged according to Luke 12:43-46, Matthew 5:19, and James 3:1. Those who rebel against the Lord, turn completely away from the faith, and lead others away from the Shepherd will bring upon themselves destruction (2 Peter 2). Those who cease from speaking the word of the Lord will no longer sound out the voice of Christ and the sheep will not recognize the false teacher’s voice. The sheep are those who are truly following Christ and they will not follow a stranger’s voice. Even if he is persuasive, the deviation from the word will become a strange voice that will cause us to flee from the false shepherd. Jesus explains this in John 10:
5 "Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."
When the overseer departs from the word of God, he becomes a false shepherd speaking in his own voice. His voice then becomes the voice of a stranger that true disciples will reject. The false disciple will follow those who come in their own name (John 5:42-43) but the sheep of God will only follow the voice of Christ. So you can see that a pastor has a valuable and even a critical role in the church to lead the flock of God, but no man is to take upon himself the role that God has not given nor the honor that Christ has reserved for Himself. Jesus alone is our Good Shepherd and the faithful overseer will always point people to the word and call them to submit themselves to the will of Christ. The obedient teacher will faithfully proclaim the word of God and serve others by overseeing the flock to ensure the word of God is understood and followed by the church. We as God’s people do not follow the man, but the voice of the Good Shepherd which is the word of God. Those who are truly serving God will not stand in their own name or authority but will consistently submit themselves to Christ as they proclaim the word faithfully.
In an era when the focus is being shifted away from Jesus Christ and toward leaders, it is important for us to recognize the proper place of leadership and to look to our Shepherd, Jesus Christ, and not put our confidence in man. It is just as important for leaders to obey the commandment of Jesus Christ and let no man call you master, father or place you in any position of honor that belongs to Jesus Christ alone.
The Wisdom of this World
There is a difference between the wisdom of this world and the wisdom of God. The wisdom of the world is foolishness to God and the wisdom of God is foolishness to the world. We as Christians must choose whether to be wise in God’s eyes or wise in the world’s eyes; we can’t have it both ways. Look at these two passages:
1 Corinthians 3: 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their own craftiness"; 20 and again, "The LORD knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile."
1 Corinthians 1: 18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent." 20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.
God does not accept the wisdom of the world which is based on the flesh and human nature and the world does not accept the wisdom of God. In fact, most Christians do not accept the wisdom of God. Most in the church claim to believe God and accept the wisdom of the scriptures, but just try to truly live by faith and see what kind of reaction you get. Once you start going against the culture, even Christians will start acting as though you are out of touch with reality. Many years ago we decided to get rid of TV for two years, our church friends offered to buy us a new TV so that we could have some entertainment to fulfill our lives. We got snide comments and strange looks when we explained that we didn’t want the influence of TV.
When people find out we home school our children, we are told that we are depriving our kids of proper socialization. What skills do we actually learn in public schools? We learn to be rebellious; we learn that our individual differences are a shame and that we must look and act like everyone else; we learned not to think as individuals; we learned that those who act like punks are praised and gain popularity. In fact, we spend the early years of our adult life trying to deprogram ourselves from the poor social behaviors and bad habits we learned from the social body of public school. Kids learn to feel inferior over their looks and anything that distinguishes you from the crowd is cruelly mocked. I am hard pressed to identify any good social skills that I learned in public school.
The same holds true for adulthood. If you choose to set your life apart from the culture, you will also be frowned upon and made to feel inferior. A woman who chooses to stay home with her children is called foolish for ‘wasting her life’. The world (and the worldly church) looks down on women who do not fulfill their careers in the job market. A woman who works, puts her children in daycare and stretches her life to the breaking point will be praised as a sacrificial working mom, but a woman that sacrifices the material gain to invest her life in her children will not be praised by the world or the church.
The Christian life is counter culture and will always conflict with the standards of the world. It is foolish to be modest; it is foolish to give money; it is foolish to deny yourself; it is foolish to die to your flesh and live solely for the hope of heaven. We have made changes in our lives that our relatives roll their eyes at and are very critical of because it is an embarrassment to be plainly distinguished from the culture. I know another family that chose to live by faith and immediately had conflict with their relatives. Even those claiming to be Christians will watch you and critically point out any fault to make you feel like a failure when you set your heart to walk by faith. Jesus said that anyone who does not hate his life in this world cannot be His disciple; but the wisdom of this world tells you to love yourself, labor to be rich, and have your best life now. All of this is based on the world’s wisdom, but listen to the answer of God in 1 Corinthians 1:20-21
20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.
Who is the real fool – the one who invests themselves in the materialistic, pleasure focused life that is quickly passing away, or the one who counts all things as a loss in this world for the eternal riches that cannot ever pass away. Is it better to live as a king in this life or rein together with Christ? Is it better to hear, “well done, you have been successful and prosperous in this life” by those in our culture, or to hear Christ say, “Well done. You have been a good and faithful servant. Because you have been faithful over little, I will make you rein over much”? If the church truly believed God, our lives would reflect this and set us apart from the world.
Become a Fool
There is no way to avoid it, you will be a fool to someone. You must choose to be a fool for God, or a fool to God. Either the world is going to say that you are foolish or God is going to say, “You fool”. To find the wisdom of God you must become a fool to the world. Look again at 1 Corinthians 3:18-20
18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their own craftiness"; 20 and again, "The LORD knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile."
If you think you are wise, you must first become a fool that you may be wise. If you stand upon your own wisdom, you cannot have the wisdom of God. To become a fool, you acknowledge that you have no understanding or wisdom by your own human intellect which is rooted in the flesh and therefore look expectantly to God for His wisdom. Look at one of my favorite passages in the Bible from Proverbs 2:1-9
My son, if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you, 2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding; 3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding, 4 If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures; 5 Then you will understand the fear of the LORD, And find the knowledge of God. 6 For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding; 7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly; 8 He guards the paths of justice, And preserves the way of His saints. 9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice, Equity and every good path.
I use this passage often because it is so rich in truth and has so many practical instructions that we can live by. The person that is wise in their own eyes does not seek for the wisdom of God for they are dependent upon themselves. The person that becomes a fool that they may be wise rejects their reasoning based on human nature and pride and looks expectantly to God. We first receive His words so that we have instruction and know the way to live and guide our hearts. We apply God’s word rather than being a forgetful hearer. We then cry out expectantly to God for knowledge (based on His word) and understanding (the revelation of His word) as we begin to recognize that the word of God is truly more valuable than money and the treasures of this life.
If you do not receive instruction by prayerfully studying the word as you seek God through the scriptures, you cannot find wisdom. If you are wise in your own eyes, you will not see the need to cry out for God to reveal these things to you. If you seek, you will find – but only when you seek with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13). The treasures of God are truly hidden before us and are found by those who gain the wisdom of God as they continuously seek. Jesus explained what it truly means to seek in Luke 11:5-13
5 And He said to them, "Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ’Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 ’for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 "and he will answer from within and say, ’Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? 8 "I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. 9 " So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11 "If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 "Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"
It is the Holy Spirit that reveals all things to those who set their hearts on finding the richness of God’s goodness. What a vivid illustration Jesus has given us so that we understand the principle of seeking. Many try to interpret this through human nature and claim this passage fulfills our greed so we can have treasures in this life, but if we look with eyes to see, the meaning of this passage is plain. The words seek, knock and find are written in a context that is often missed in our English translation. The tense of the word ‘seek’ is to seek until you find. The grammar of ‘knock’ emphasizes the act of knocking until there is an answer. The word ‘ask’ is used with a grammatical tense that states to ask continuously until an answer has been given. This passage does not mean to ask for houses until we get a bigger house or to seek money until we become wealthy for nothing in this passage puts any focus whatsoever on materialism or greed. This is the act of seeking something we recognize as a necessity that we can expect to be given from our Heavenly Father.
Look at the illustration Jesus used first. A man went to his friend to get bread he needed to provide for someone who came into his home. He did not get what he needed because he asked. He got his needs met because he continued to ask with persistence until his friend got up and provided his request. Jesus then used this to illustrate an important principle: if we who are sinful and selfish by nature will give to those who persistently ask, how much more can we expect God to answer when we knock without ceasing, seek until we find, and ask with persistence until God answers? God, who is good, desires to give good things to us for our eternal benefit, will surely answer when we apply ourselves to get what we know He desires for our lives.
Now take this knowledge back to the wisdom that is hidden and revealed through the scripture in Proverbs. If you cry out for discernment and lift your voice for understanding, you will be asking until you get an answer. If you seek as for silver and search for them as for hidden treasures – and do so until you find – you will find knowledge and wisdom. If you truly want the things of God and the gifts of the Spirit, you will seek God’s word with diligence and ask for these things in prayer persistently. Those who do so are the ones who become the wisdom and righteousness of God. The Lord alone is our source of wisdom, knowledge and understanding. If you are dependent on you, you will never find the wisdom of God. It is when we realize that we are not wise that we begin to see the need to seek wisdom, discernment, the knowledge of God through the word and all the things God desires to reveal to us. It is God’s glory to conceal it and it is for your glory to search it out. If you seek God, you will find Him and all the good spiritual gifts that He gives.
Most people ask and never receive because they either ask with the wrong motives for the things that they want to consume for their fleshly desires (James 4:3) or they ask and give up. Why is it that people trekked across five thousand miles of untamed land in a wagon drawn horse in the hope of finding gold in the California gold rush, but they will not spend more than a few minutes a week (if that) seeking the things of God. People will spend four years of hard study to get a degree or up to twelve years for a masters degree, but to seek God’s word is too much of a sacrifice if it interferes with our daily routines. The problem is that we do not recognize the spiritual things of God as something to be treasured and therefore we do not seek them.
Ask God to give you a seeking heart. Also take a step of faith to put God’s word to the test. As you begin to seek Him through the word, you will begin to see the value of what God has given. This will become our reason to seek more and as you grow, your desire to seek will continue to grow. When you begin to grow in the faith, don’t fall back into human wisdom by thinking you can stand upon your own understanding. You must continue seeking or you will stop growing. All living things begin to die when they reach the point where they no longer grow. Since we have an infinite God with unsearchable wisdom, there is never a point where we will no longer grow unless we turn away from God’s call to seek.
Tying it all Together
Studying the word is one of the most important steps in seeking, but it is not merely reading the word. We must seek God in the word, not just read as if we are doing a duty. A treasure hunter does not dig just enough to feel like he has fulfilled his daily duty, but he seeks with hope and with the confidence that he will find what he is searching for. Our goal in Bible study is not to complete a set number of chapters, but to find the treasures God plans to reveal to us through the word. Whether you spend all your time on one verse or one book of the Bible, your goal is to find, not just to meet your daily reading list.
Since we know for a certainty that it is God’s desire to give us of His kingdom, we can seek with hope, ask with expectation, knock with persistence knowing that He will give us these things. Dive into the word expectantly as you seek to know God deeply and find the knowledge, discernment, wisdom and understanding of God. You cannot acquire any of these things; they must be revealed to you by God. So merely reading does not fulfill our hope. We must seek God and search for the treasures God has hidden for us to find. As we obey His call to search and look expectantly to God as our provider, He will reveal Himself to us through the word and out of His mouth comes knowledge and understanding and only God gives true wisdom. All of these things are hidden in plain sight and will be found as the Lord opens our eyes to see them. Consider this passage from John 14:
21 "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."
In Isaiah 28 the Lord states that He builds His people precept upon precept and little by little as He teaches His people to grow in understanding. I believe this principle is again being affirmed by Jesus as He taught His disciples. As we learn the word and keep it, the Lord continuously reveals Himself to us. The secret counsel of God is made manifest to those who take the truth God has revealed and build their lives upon it. As you are a doer of the word, God reveals more and more. Those who do not receive the word by applying it to their daily lives cease from growing in understanding. God will not reveal the deeper things to us while we are unfaithful in the basic things God has already shown us. The strong meat of the word is not taught to those who are not applying the basics of the word to their lives. This was the problem that is being addressed to immature believers in Hebrews 5:12-14
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
The problem with the immature believer is not that the word is not before them, but that they need to be constantly presented with the first principles of the word. Those who do not apply the basic principles God is revealing to their lives cannot move on to the meat of the word. If you apply the principles God is teaching you to your life, you will have the understanding to be taught greater things. You must first submit to God and obey what He is instructing you in order to receive greater things. This fact is always true. Anytime we reject the instruction of God by apathy or resistance, we cease from growing as God deals with our immediate disobedience. You cannot move deeper in the faith until you apply what God is teaching to your life.
Seek God through His word as you faithfully apply it to your life and you will find the secret council of God which has been hidden for the sole purpose of being found by you. When you seek expectantly, God will reveal Himself to you when you continuously seek with all your heart, continuously knock until He answers and continuously ask until He gives you wisdom, knowledge and understanding.
No leader, book, program or spiritual practice can fulfill your life or give you what God has promised to give. It is a promise that those who obey the word will be taught by God (John 6:45, 1 John 2:27). The only way to find what God has hidden is to receive what God has clearly revealed to you in the word, obey it by applying all of His counsel to your life, and have a lifestyle of seeking God through His word. God reveals Himself to those who seek and obey by faith.
