The Secrets of Men

The Secrets of Men

God will judge the secrets of men. These secrets can be hidden to you and to others, but God knows us through and through. He deals with us according to the hidden things in our life, because that is the deciding factor in the long run. Therefore it is often difficult for us and for other people to understand why God does certain things.

People can be compared to a lake. In calm weather the water is as clear as a mirror. It looks pure, but no one knows what lies on the bottom or what the lake is like until it storms and the water is stirred up. Then it will be revealed. If the bottom is foul, the water will also become fouled, and you cannot drink it, even though it may look pure. However, if the bottom is pure and good, the water will also remain pure and good in spite of bad weather and storms. Then it is never dangerous to drink it. People are the same. They can appear to be such good people who lead such self-sacrificing lives when there is no storm in their life and when everything goes according to their wishes. People can gain confidence in them and entrust them with much. But then come the times of bad weather, and some of the things that lie on the bottom of the heart are revealed. Now people get to know them to some degree, and they are disappointed.

People can react like this when they are in difficulties. They become unfriendly toward the others. They show a tendency to lord it over them, seek their own, seek honor, etc. But then they are admonished, and the others keep their distance. Then they acknowledge their mistakes, and it appears as if they have repented of their past behavior. They make an effort to be humble and show an attitude of sacrifice. Now the water appears to be good and clear again. People get the impression that they have desisted from their foulness and cleansed themselves from it, and so they begin to have confidence in them again. But when new difficulties arise, the old things reappear. The water becomes muddy again. This proves that their conversion was not true. Sin has not been cleansed away. The foulness only sank to the bottom. Their wretchedness was lying on the bottom, hidden from the eyes of man, covered by clear water as smooth as a mirror: by humility, self-sacrifice, and love. However, God will judge the secrets of man.

Who can understand God’s election and calling? Samuel did not understand it when he was to anoint David to be king. 1 Sam. 16:7. Even though God has made the election, He nevertheless tests the person concerned so that the secret things of man are revealed. Saul was elected but he did not pass the tests. 1 Sam. 13:13-14. When a servant in the church is chosen, he is to be blameless; but that is not enough. He must also be tried before you can safely rely on him. 1 Tim. 3:8-10. Peter writes that we are to be even more diligent to make our calling and election sure. 2 Pet. 1:10.

God sends us such trials, and we do not really know what it is all about. If we had understood it, then we would have been more alert. Quite often you can hear people say, “If I had known that, I would have acted differently.” We can be sure that Saul said this to himself after Samuel had reprimanded him. Yet that was the very thing he was not supposed to know, because through the trial the things that were hidden in him were revealed.

This teaches us that we can never sneak our way into the kingdom of God. . If in your hidden life you deviate only a little bit from God’s commandments—with the result that the bottom of your heart becomes fouled—you can still stand before the face of man, but it lasts only for a short time. God knows how to bring the secret things to the surface by means of various trials. Then excuses will not help. Therefore, if you want to preserve your calling and election, you need to walk before God’s face and constantly work out your salvation with fear and trembling. It is easy for dust and refuse to collect through this constant activity. If one is not humble and does not cleanse it away, it can very easily sink to the bottom, and there it can gather in heaps that muddy the waters on the day of trial. Therefore purify your souls in obedience to the truth unto sincere brotherly love. You are not risking anything by doing it. Then you do not have to be afraid of trials, because you do not have to preserve anything that is hidden.

When King Joash came to Elisha, looking for help against the Syrians, the prophet told him to take the arrows and strike the ground. The king struck the ground three times. The prophet was angry with him and said: “You should have struck five or six times, then you would have struck Syria till you had destroyed it. But now you will strike Syria only three times.” 2 Kings 13:14-19.

This was a strange trial, and Joash most likely thought afterwards, “If I had known that, I think I would have struck the ground twelve times, if necessary.” But he did not know it, and what was hidden in him was revealed. He was too slack and indifferent; he was not worthy of destroying the Syrians.

When Moses was on the mountain and received the Ten Commandments, Aaron did not restrain the people, and they danced around the golden calf. When Moses descended from the mountain and saw the people, unrestrained, he stood in the entrance of the camp and said, “Whoever is on the Lord’s side, let him come to me.” Then all the sons of Levi gathered around him, and Moses said, “Consecrate yourselves today to the Lord, that He may bestow on you a blessing this day, for every man has opposed his son and his brother.” Ex. 32:26-29.

The sons of Levi had been chosen to be priests; now they were being tested, and they passed the test. The question could be asked, “Why did not one of the other tribes gather around Moses?” Quite simply, because they had danced around the golden calf they did not have the boldness. The day when the others feared and trembled before God’s anger was the day when the sons of Levi were consecrated to be priests. That day became the day when the Lord gave them His blessings. Deut. 33:8-11.

Here we can see again that God knows how to bring the secret things to light. The sons of Levi had made their calling and election sure.

We are also called to be kings and priests. 1 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 20:6. We will also come to our day of consecration—just as the sons of Levi did. Jesus says, “No one can be My disciple unless he hates his father and mother, sister and brother, wife and children, and even his own life.” This is precisely how the sons of Levi had to act on their day of consecration. When we begin to follow Jesus so that we live the truth without having any regard for the flesh, then we realize that the way is narrow. Then relatives, friends, and acquaintances come to you because they are so caring, just like Peter came to Jesus before he received the answer, “Get behind Me, Satan!” They surround you, and matters slowly come to a head. You realize that the day of decision is approaching. You feel like a stick of dynamite packed tightly into a hole. Now the day of consecration has come. The fuse is lit, and the dynamite explodes. On that day there is nothing that is called “spare yourself.” It costs you both relatives and friends. It costs you everything—but then you are free. You can serve God without hindrance or human considerations. You have confirmed your calling and election. It is this decisive test in the beginning of your life that makes it possible for you to be a perfect disciple.

The majority of people fail on this day. When they feel that it is getting narrow, they compromise a little bit here and there and bargain their way out of the tight spot into which they have come. They keep fellowship with their relatives and friends, but they are rejected as Jesus’ disciples—as kings and priests.

However, even if you have passed the test of consecration, God continues to send you trials. They are not so serious that you risk losing your calling and election, but if you are not faithful, your candlestick will be removed. You sink every time you do not pass such a test, and if you suffer many defeats like that you can lose your calling and election. Then you have a name that you are alive—people do not know any better—but God, who judges the secrets of man, knows, that you are dead.