God's Revelation Is For Us

"The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law."

Deuteronomy 29:29

There are things about God and His ways we cannot know and will remain secret to us no matter how diligent our search, for He is God and we are not.  It is possible to be so curious and desirous to receive new revelations we are distracted from remembering what has already been revealed.  I have found there is infinitely greater wisdom and complexity in the most basic elements of faith and scripture than I initially realised, and thus in the foundations there is precious truth we have yet to unearth.

God gave the children of Israel His laws, not to know them but so they would walk accordingly.  The righteous judgments of God, revealed in the Law of Moses, the people were called to learn, obey and teach their children to do the same.  James wrote in James 1:19-22:  "So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; ²⁰ for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. ²¹ Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. ²² But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."  This exhortation from James reveals those with knowledge can be deceived to think because they know facts they are living in light of them.  Doing what we know is right in God's eyes by faith leads to spiritual growth and maturity facts alone cannot provide.

Our righteous standing with God is not earned by the sin we avoid or the good we do but by faith in Jesus Christ, having been born again through the Gospel.  When it comes to training our children (and at all times), we ought to be swift to hear, slow to speak and slow to wrath.  An easily angered and harsh parent does not produce the righteousness of God.  The call for all believers, whether parents or not, to lay aside all wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word.  We must humbly receive instruction before we can walk uprightly and provide sound instruction by our own example.  I have heard it said with children "more is caught than taught" and we never know how much is caught until we shockingly recognise our bad attitude, tendency to complain or negative reactions to circumstances reflected back to us from our own kids.

Praise the LORD He has provided His word and the Holy Spirit who enables us to glean God's truth and walk therein!  Not only does He instruct and teach us, but God also gives us correction we need along the way.  Knowing what is right does not mean we are doing it, and knowing what is sin does not keep us from it.  It is God and all He has revealed to us that enlightens our path and conscience, and how grateful we ought to be for God's patience, love, swift to hear and is slow to wrath.  When He speaks it is exactly what we need to hear and what we should labour to heed.