“No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth under a bed; but setteth on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light. For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.
Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.” Luke 8:16-18
“And He said unto them, ‘Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed?, and not to be set on a candlestick? For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.’
And He said unto them, ‘Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.’” Mark 4:21-25 (KJB)
Since Jesus had just explained the parables mentioned before, now Jesus it telling them the importance of giving these words, telling them to others. Jesus has revealed to them the light and power of the gospel. Now the apostles have the responsibility to share the gospel with others.
So as we who have believed; because the Spirit of God has opened our understanding, revealed to us the gospel of Christ; so also do we have the power and calling to let it shine and endeavor to give it to others.
Let us take note of the caveat’, “For he that has, to him shall be given: and he that has not, from him shall be taken even that which he has.” If God gives me the ability to understand, and I share it, I am faithful in giving it away, then He will give me more understanding; but if I keep it all to myself, and do not share it, then He will take away even what I have.
Nothing was held back in giving understanding of the mystery of the gospel; its light, power, and glory; neither did they put it under a bushel to hide it. Neither should the Christian of today.
Daniel 2:46-49
There is a theme which runs through all the Old Testament. That theme is “…That they shall know that I am the LORD…” That thought is used at least sixty three times in the prophecy of Ezekiel; and other books of the Old Testament. The king of Babylon was discovering who the LORD is.
“Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him. The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret. Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon. Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.” Daniel 2:46-49. (KJV).
In Nebuchadnezzar’s thinking only a god could have revealed his dream, and told its interpretation. He did the thing that anyone with his thinking would do – he worshiped Daniel. This, most likely, was not amusing to Daniel, because he knew God was the only one worthy of worship.
Through this dream, and by the revelation of the dream the king is introduced to the God of all creation. Nebuchadnezzar does not put his faith in Him, yet, but he will later.
Through this dream also, Daniel and his friends are brought to the front of God’s rule and sovereignty. When God’s people follow God’s way; not matter their place inlife – God will be glorified.
“2:44 One final feature of the vision records the ultimate reason for the dream. The vulnerable toes of the great image become the target of a stone which comes from nowhere. The stone has been ‘cut out’ without hands, and indication that the stone, unlike the great image, is not of human origin. Striking the toes of the image, the stone renders a crushing blow to the iron and clay composition. The entire image falls, being utterly destroyed in that fall. This stone, which ‘became a great mountain and filled the whole earth’ (v. 35), is identified as the kingdom of God. Following the destruction of the image, the kingdom of God continues forever in full strength. Apparently, the dream had several results: (1) the dream and its interpretation brought Daniel to prominence in Babylone with Nebuchadnezzar (vv. 46-49); (2) the dream further served as an initial warning to Nebuchadnezzar that he, though great, was not invincible, and must prepare for the ultimate dissolution of his kingdom unless he humbled himself to the true God; (3) the dream must have provided immense consolation to Daniel and the Hebrew captives, assuring them that ultimately God’s kingdom would be triumphant, overcoming all of the ruthless reigns of earthly sovereigns; and (4) Nebuchadnezzar was thereby introduced to the true and living God (v. 47)” (From the BELIEVER’S STUDY BIBLE).
Daniel was not self-indulgent either. He brought Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah into the picture too. The king gave Daniel many gifts; made him a ruler; chief of the governors; and all the ‘wise men’ of Babylon. There must have been much jealousy among those ‘wise men’ who had been in the kingdom for years, and had never received such recognition as this.
Oh, that the leaders and rulers of the countries of the world today would understand…
“The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever He will.” Proverbs 21:1 (KJV)
We get a start on knowing who GOD is by trusting His Son Jesus as our Lord and Savior who gave His life as a redeeming sacrifice for our sins; He died, was buried, and bodily arose; and He ever lives, and trusting in Him we live eternally with Him.
Daniel 2:14-23.
Seeing how Daniel and his friends were not invited to the council meeting they had every right to ask what was going on. “Why is the kings decree so hasty?” (v. 15).
Arioch was the ‘captain of the king’s gruard’, and in charge of killing the incompetent ‘wise men’. When Arioch came to Daniel; Daniel had questions. He knew nothing about the king’s dream nor his edict to kill the frauds.
Arioch seems to be patient with Daniel and his friends. He shares with Daniel how the king has made a decree to kill all the astrologers, magicians, sorcerers, etc., including all those newly trained in the crafts. This include Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. REMEMBER THE ABOVE QUOTATION BY GRAHAM SCROGGIE. They studied astrology, etc. “to understand it, but not to believe it.” The power of these Hebrews was the person who created all things. The person…
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Do you have any secrets? Secrets that only you know, and you have shared with no one else; not even your husband, wife, friend, or any relative? Guess what. There is One who knows them. Whether you believe it or not there is One who knows your thoughts, your dreams, your wants and desires. He knows what you are thinking right now.
The LORD God knows every secret that men and women have ever had.
For our passage of Scripture today we need to back up a bit, and see what is happening. Nebuchadnezzar has had a dream, but cannot remember what it was. He has asked for his “wise men”, “soothsayers”, “astrologers”, and “magicians” to tell him his dream, and its interpretation. They knew that was too much of a challenge. They knew it was an impossible task; and never even attempted to tell the king his dream. Because of their lack of power in telling Nebuchadnezzar his dream, and its interpretation the king threatens them with death.
Daniel ask one Arioch for some time to pray, and seek God for the answer. Daniel does and now stands before the king with these words:
“But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these; as for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and He that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass. But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.” Daniel 2:28-30 (KJV)
It should comfort the Christian to know that God knows the thoughts and minds of every king, president, judge, every despot, and dictator on the earth. He knew the thoughts and mind of Hitler, Pilate, Herod, the current leaders of the world, our President of the U. S. of A., and He knows your heart, mind and thoughts, your secrets as well.
It does not bother me that our government can spy on us; that there are security cameras every where you turn. I know there is some one bigger than our government; and He has His eye on them. He knows every wicked thought, deed, and desire that we all have. One day there will be a judgment, and all will give an accounting of their lives – including their vain, wicked thoughts.
“There is a God in heaven” who reveals secrets. God used a wicked and vile king to reveal secrets for the future of the world. The dream speaks mainly of the end of the Gentile rule on earth.
We do not know when that will come. It will come, because God has said it. The best way to be prepared for it is through believing the One who bled and died on the cross, was buried, and bodily arose from the grave. He is the One who said, “I will come again and receive you unto Myself…” (John 14:3); His name is Jesus the Christ.
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
In reading the book of Ecclesiastes we find that the life of every individual has an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. The body of our lives includes many plots and sub-plots, and climaxes. Those climaxes are not the end, or conclusion of life. They are just another peak reached, then we do something different, more, or less adventure, etc..
From seeing things as vain in life; “vanity of vanities all is vanity” were Solomon’s words as he writes of his life’s adventure. He reaches the conclusion of the matter.
That conclusion is that only with God does life even matter.
The sole duty of man is not to live for oneself, but for God, and to glorify Him; to enjoy Him forever. He alone has made that possible.
We must remember that there is nothing hidden from God. In our era of time there are so many frightened that the government(s) of men have so much observation of our personal lives by means of video, video cameras, and satellite and by our computers. I think of that this way; I already have Someone who sees all that I do. He knows every thought I think. He sees everything I do. There is nothing that I do, no secret thing, that gets past Him; He is God. What do I have to fear from a government that is run amuck from God.
Jesus said,
“For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.” Mark 4:22
We can be certain that nothing we do gets around God. We can also be certain that there is nothing that happens which surprises Him. The conclusion of the matter of life is found in knowing God and being known by Him.
When we have both, then we are assured of an eternal home with Him. That is made possible through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ God’s only begotten Son.
“The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.” Deuteronomy 29:29 (KJV)
There are many things which belong to God that He has not revealed to us in His word or in any other way. We have been given the things we need to know that we may obey Him and His word.
Someone has said, “It is not the things I do not understand about the Bible that causes me problems; it is the parts I do understand.” At least something similar to that, and with that I sympathize. The parts we do understand are the ones we do not practice as we ought.
So why should we spend time trying to understand the “secret things that belong unto the LORD”, and leave undone the things we do understand? That is to our shame.
God has revealed to us His Son Jesus Christ. He [Jesus] is the fulness of God revealed to creation . Let us follow Him, walk in His footsteps and by the power of His Spirit within us be like Him in our living; in our words, our walk, our witness.
You may remember, when you were young, having a place you could go to be away from others; family, friends, etc., and have time alone. Maybe you went there when you were angry at someone; like Mom or Dad. This was a place only you knew about; at least you thought so. Let me tell you about a place for all ages of folks. A place you can go to be alone with God. It is a place of protection, encouragement, and many other blessings. A place for receiving His message.
“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” Psalm 91:1 (KJV).
This is the place the follower of Jesus Christ lives. We never want or desire to live apart from the presence of the LORD. It is a genuine, real place. When you are with Him He speaks with you. He comforts you. He encourages you. At the times it is necessary He will correct you. Oh what a place it is; to dwell in the secret place of the Most High.
Here is one of the most wonderful promises of God’s Word. It is wonderful because there is nothing so glorious as being in the “Secret place of the Most High” God. You might be asking, “Just where is that secret place?”. It is quite frankly not hard to find. God is near you. That secret place is in His presence.
To dwell in that secret place is to live in His presence. You live in His presence by being in His Word; reading it, studying, praying, praising, and glorifying Him in word, song, praise and worship, and in the very acts of your life: with your acts living out the words that you speak.
The “Most High” is the One who is our creator. He is our Sustainer. He is our hope, our tower of strength, our sword, and our shield. He could also be called our Exceeding Great Reward.
“Abiding under the shadow of the Almighty” is a place of protection; a place of shelter; not to keep us from the storms of life, but to take us through them. Dwell in that secret place and you shall “Abide under the shadow of the Almighty”.
-Tim A. Blankenship
The Work of Intercession
“And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it. And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty’s sake. And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake. And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake. And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.” Genesis 18:23-33 (KJV)
The word “Intercession” means, according to the MIRRIAM/WEBSTER DICTIONARY, “1: MEDIATION 2: Prayer or petition in favor of another.” The word is not used in these verses of our text, and according to some hermeneutical professionals we are not allowed to use it in the discussion of the text either. That may be a bit of an overstatement, but it can get quite picky with some folks at times.
When Abraham heard of the condition of Sodom and in particular Lot, His nephew, he began to petition the Lord concerning the city. That was the place where Lot had chosen. Remember Lot had lifted up his own eyes and determined the place he wanted by its richness, and the way it appeared to be already blessed; but he did not determine by the conditions of the hearts of the people who lived there. There are many professing Christians of our day who see what they think is a “Mission field”, they may have their heart truly on seeing the conversion of the people, but they can, if not very careful find themselves in a situation similar to Lot’s. They had best be very strong in the Word of God and faith of Christ, and guard their own hearts concerning the teachings and beliefs of the group of people to whom they are witnessing. Too many times “Christians” have turned away from their faith in acceptance of the beliefs of others. No, they may not accept the belief of that group, but they begin thinking that they are okay with God, they believe something. In doing that they have turned from the faith of God.
Whatever Lot’s motive for going to Sodom, and the cities of the plain, he had soon lost sight of the situation. Lot would have been in a desperate situation were it not for the grace of God. Nowhere in our text does Abraham even mention Lot, or his family. It is for the people. The Intercessor begins pleading for the people, believing in the righteousness of God, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” That is really where true intercessory prayer begins; ie., with God. It is He who is offended by wickedness. It is He who will deal with the wicked. It is God who must be approached, petitioned, and given requests from the heart. It should also be done for His name sake. In Abraham’s prayer/petition he addresses the righteousness of God. The Intercessor is not as concerned for the outcome of the wicked as he is the outcome of the appearance of God’s righteousness. Too much prayer is done in the name of the one praying – that meaning; give me what I want- and when we pray in His name we pray as He wants and directs.
Intercessory Prayer is best defined as To plead with God in behalf of others. Even to provide a wall between God’s judgment and the lost, the sick, the backsliden, etc. In Ezekiel 22:30 we read, “And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.” Ezekiel 22:30 (KJV). Intercessory Prayer can be seen as the power of God at work in His child, and a release of that power in the one for whom intercession is given.
When Abraham prayed for Sodom he received more than what he asked for. It was by the sheer mercy and grace of God, that Lot, and his two daughters were delivered (See Genesis 19:15-29). It seems that in Abraham’s prayer at the beginning he may have thought in the time Lot had been in the valley, with the people, having developed a name for himself, that there might just be more than the family. Sadly, there were not, and Abraham gets all the way down to the number of ten, stops, and the LORD says, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.” We know there were not ten righteous people living in Sodom. In our eyes we would not even have called Lot righteous, nor his daughters. It is by the mercy and grace of God that Lot and his daughters were saved. The city was not spared, but Lot was; after being forced to leave.
It could be asked, What is the purpose of intercession? To that we would find the answer throughout the pages of Scripture; to be; to exalt the justice and righteousness of God in the intercessor. This first of all shows us that the heart of Abraham was set firmly on God, and not on having his own way. The highest act of prayer is to depend upon the will of God being done, and that was at the heart of Abraham’s prayer. Another thing concerning the purpose of intercession is to plead God’s mercy in behalf of others (vv. 24-32) and in James 5:13-20 we see prayer being offered for things such as sickness, forgiveness, afflictions, calling for the elders to pray, and even praying for rain or no rain. One other purpose for intercession would be to know and receive the will of God concerning unholy practices. The Word of God tells us to avoid the unholy, but sometimes there may be some things that are not really clear; so we must seek for guidance. Most likely if you must pray to find out it is probably not good or right.
There are results we receive from intercessory prayer. The first one is the intercessor will accept God’s will for how it turns out. The heart of the intercessor will be at rest with God. The Lord’s “Place” and the intercessor’s “Place” is much the same “Place”. People are saved and God’s justice, righteousness, and holiness is fulfilled and done. The intercessor will have and put greater trust in the Lord.
There is really no great secret in being an Intercessor for others. The secret is revealed in the pages of God’s Word, and they are seen in these verses of our text. First, to know God, and to be known by God (v. 19); Abraham was known by God and he knew God, ie., he had a personal relationship with Him. To know God means we know His heart, His thoughts, His righteousness, His holiness, His justice, and we don’t want to do anything to offend these. To be known by God is the best. When He knows you He will never cast you out of His presence. He knows you as His own. Secondly, to know His secrets (v. 17), and in John 15:13-15 we read, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.”; and in Amos 3:7 it is written, “Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.”; and in Psalm 25:14 the Psalmist has written, ” The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.”. A third matter of being an intercessor is you have a burden to share (v. 23), and you are caring for what the will of the Lord is concerning others, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 (KJV). Last of all; but this list is not exhaustive; is the intercessor is of humble spirit. Always humble before the Lord, never seeking their own, always jealous for the Lord’s will, and not that of the flesh (v. 27). The truly humble are lifting up the name of the Lord, and never notice their own humility. It is of a genuine heart and pure motive.
You will notice in the final verse of our text, “And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.” This shows us the LORD was pleased with His time with Abraham, and Abraham was content to leave the outcome in the LORD’s hands. When we cannot sleep at night because of fear for the one we pray, it is because we have not gained peace in the matter. We have not trusted it to the LORD’s hands and will. It is quite possible that we fear our desire and will is not going to be done. That was not true of Abraham or God in this case. Nor, should it ever be in ours.
-Tim A. Blankenship
The King’s Valuables
“What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 10:27-33 (KJV)
The things of Jesus Christ, especially His teachings, and the preaching of His Word are His valuables. These are very precious to Him. The Psalmist wrote, “For You have maginified Your Word above all Your name.” (Psalm 138:2b NKJV). Jesus preached with His heart toward the cross, and that should be our destination as well. Preach without the fear of men, their threats, dangers, pits, snares, and savage attempts to destroy.
Everything Jesus reveals about Himself or His kingdom to us is to be proclaimed. Three of the “fear nots” of Scripture (those beginning in 10:26) are right here in this passage of Scripture.
There is no place for “secret disciples” in the kingdom of God. If you have secret disciples you will have a secret message, and there is no secret message of Christ. It has been said, “If we fear God, we need fear nothing else”. The one who can kill the body but not the soul is the devil, the old serpent, liar and deceiver. Warren Wiersbe has said, “The fear of God is the fear that cancels fear.” God is the only one who is able to cast into Hell both soul and body. Men can destroy our body, but they cannot touch our soul.
The disciple of Christ is of value to the Lord well. He has numbered the very hairs of our head. This numbering shows that he holds great value not only of every individual believer, but even each hair of our head. Even as they fall out.
Our open confession, even to those who are hostile, is testimony of our genuine faith in Jesus. Some will profess Christ in the midst of a friendly atmosphere, but deny Him in a hostile environment. To confess Christ is to be faithful no matter the environment or culture. Our silence, at the time, is denial. Those who profess Christ in the friendly, but deny Him in the hostile will also be denied before the Father. Those who are His valuables will never deny Him, but will profess, confess, and proclaim Him any where in time and place.
As a young and very inexperienced preacher I was asked by a cousin and good friend, to conduct his wedding ceremony. He and his fiance’ wanted to have their wedding small, with just a couple of witnesses, myself and them. They also wanted to have it on the cliff overlooking the spring pool at Roaring River State Park. Being my first wedding I was thrilled to do it. The sad part is the marriage did not last. Within a few short years they had a young daughter, and they divorced.
Divorce is a sad element in society today. Christian marriages are failing just as non christian marriages. It seems that the word “commitment” is a lost word. It seems to mean nothing anymore, and that truly saddens me. Love means lust instead of joy of endurance in marriage. God’s way of marriage is to be a lifetime together, truly loving one another. Helping one another grow in Christ. When one is sick the other aids the one who is week. When there are good times both rejoice together.
Hear God’s Word on this matter:
“This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.’
‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” Genesis 2:23-25 (NKJV).
God officiated at the first marriage. He formed the woman from Adams’s rib, taking her from his side to be together with him, walking side by side. Each would encourage the other. Each would love and enjoy the other.
Following Adam and Eve each child when they married would need to leave the protected home of their parents, and make a home for themselves.
Marriage is a very precious matter. God made them male and female to love, enjoy one another, and to propagate the human race. Marriage is precious union between two adults who covenant together to love, cherish, live, and at times to even endure one another. The married couple will know things about one another that no one else knows. That is part of what the Scripture means when it tells us, “they were both naked…and were not ashamed.” In marriage, between husband and wife, there should be no secrets. Everything should be out in the open for one another.
When an individual starts doing secretive things, without the spouse knowing, then, there is a marriage headed for trouble, and if not corrected will sadly end. At the least trust will end. At the worst divorce will come. Be unashamed before one another in all things. And by the way – I am not speaking of the purchasing of special gifts – concerning the secretive things.
The Fire and Hammer 