
It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.
(Proverbs 25:2 NIV)
I normally don't like bumper stickers because they so often trivialize
the message, but one exception stands out. It used to show up around
Christmas time, though I haven't seen it for a while. It is the simple
but profound assertion: WISE MEN STILL SEEK HIM.
2) Those who seek God are given the benefit of the doubt, that if they
seek Him, they will find Him. This is actually a promise in scripture:
"He rewards those who earnestly seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6 NIV). This is
why those of us who already know Him don't have to jump all over those
who are seeking when they get something wrong or don't put it in
exactly the right words. If they are truly seeking, they will find Him,
and it will be God who opens their eyes anyway. We need to respect the
search of those we know who are seeking and not get impatient with them
or think of them as stupid for not seeing what we see. When it's time,
they will.
I
like this because it says at least two things. 1) Those who seek God
are wise. God affirms the dignity of the searcher and the search. The
fact that God has set it up this way - has concealed His matters and
invited us to search for Him - confirms our nobility. It says we have
enough smarts to look for Him and recognize Him when we find Him. In
fact, the proverb puts the searcher in the realm of kings. It's a noble
task to seek after God.
This may mean you might have to bite your tongue a little bit and not
say everything you know all the time. Better to listen for those parts
of the truth the seeker has already found and affirm them. Jesus didn't
spill all the beans as soon as He started preaching. He let a little
bit out at a time. He talked in code (parables). He asked a lot of
questions. He protected the search. He didn't give what was sacred to
dogs or throw out pearls to pigs. He always said, "He who has ears to
hear, let him hear," and then He went on to not say everything.
He made them hang on His words and come back for more. All of this
protects not only the dignity of the search and the searcher, but also
the dignity of the truth.
It really should be this way; otherwise we could just put it all on a bumper sticker.