Proverbs 25

This chapter begins in a very intriguing way: “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter.” (vs 2) To conceal a matter… hmmmm, perhaps like the meaning of this proverb? Whatever could this mean? It has been my habit to praise God for His commitment to self-revelation. Why would Solomon say that God not only conceals things, but that it is His glory to do so?

Well, I immediately thought about our planet, the universe, and even our own bodies—how so many things that we can observe and experience are still complete mysteries to us. In fact, I once heard a scientist say that we seem to be in one of the best places in the universe to observe, study, and discover things about the universe. So, I thought that perhaps the glory of God in concealing certain matters might be that it encourages us to seek meaning and understanding, which is a good use of our reason.

But then I thought about this verse from 1 Peter: “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” (1 Pet 4:8) If God is love, and love covers over a multitude of sins, then might God be involved in a cover-up of our sin? Would it be His glory to conceal our sinfulness?

I suppose the answer to that might lie in what the purpose of such a “cover-up” would be. For instance, there are quite a few Christian folks who hold to the belief that because of what Jesus did at the cross, we can put on His robe of righteousness (which covers up all our filthy sinfulness) and get into heaven. This implies that God doesn’t really want or need to change anything in our hearts; we just have to make sure we “look right” on the outside. On the other end of the spectrum are some of the glowing descriptions of Old Testament “heroes” of faith in Hebrews 11. Whenever I read that chapter, I think, does God have amnesia? These people weren’t as faithful and loyal as it sounds!

When it comes to sin, God is certainly interested in changing us. Paul said, “I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” (Phil 1:6) If God is covering anything up in our lives, it’s not for the purpose of leaving us sinful for the rest of eternity! He is passionate about restoring the damage sin has done in our hearts and minds.

On the other hand, as God does His work of restoration in us, it is not His purpose or intention to expose us, to air our “dirty laundry” for all to see, or to humiliate us over our bad choices. Love is always interested in protecting and healing and saving. God loves us, and He doesn’t want us to be embarrassed or humiliated. Wherever and whenever possible, His love will smooth over and cover up our failures, mistakes, and shortcomings.

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God is into self-revelation, but maybe when it comes to revealing the often-awful truth about us, God’s glory is to conceal a matter. He doesn’t dwell on what we’ve been, but what we can be. He doesn’t focus on our outward appearance, but on our heart. We can trust Him with our secrets, with the darkest parts of ourselves.

There is no safer and more protected place to be than in the hands of our wonderful and gracious God!