WHAT ARE THE "SECRET THINGS OF GOD?" DEUTERONOMY 29:29

 

Moses has spent the previous 28 verses warning the people not to abandon their covenant with God or dire consequences will ensue. And then in a somewhat change of pace comes this verse. So the main question is: “What are the secret things of God?” Of course, one simple answer is: “If He told us, it wouldn't be a secret anymore.” Perhaps He has told us; however, let's not get ahead of ourselves.

The most obvious meaning to this verse is expressed by several scholars:

    Andrew Hill: The word translated as hidden or secret may “refer to the residual mystery of the transcendent God, who is free to remain hidden (Job 34:29; Prov 25:2; Isa 45:15) or free to involve himself in his creation...Likewise, the secret things like wisdom belong to God (Deut 29:29; Job 28:21). This contributes to the suddenness of human destiny and purpose in life (Job 3:23), making divine revelation all the more essential (Ps 119:19).”

    R. K. Harrison: “Certain matters of eternal significance belong to God alone, while others are revealed to men. The law has been given for the obedience of Israel, and if the kingdom is sought in this way, everything else needful will be added (cf Mt. 6:33).”

    Cousins: “God has revealed his law and his nature in the covenant (Much more, Christians would say, in the New Covenant.) God's people should attend to these and not hanker for knowledge of his hidden purposes.”

    J. A. Thompson: “The secret things, i.e. things beyond man's knowledge, such as the future, are God's concern...Sufficient is revealed in Yahweh's covenant with Israel to provide her with a sure guide for living in the present and to this she is called. This is a salutary observation which is as relevant for the Christian community as it was for Israel.” In this regard, we should keep in mind the lesson of Job 38-41. If we can't even comprehend all the secrets of the natural world, how can be expect to understand God's nature and plans?

    Craigie treats the context as the previous verses. “That is to say, one thing was certain and revealed, namely, the words of the law...It would be presumptuous of man to assume that in revelation he has been given total knowledge of God.”

Others have attempted to get more specific in determining what the secret things are:

    Mayes: “The secret things are usually understood as a reference to the future which only God can know...what lies in the future, whether a continuation of the present conditions or a happy restoration, should not be the object of speculation. It lies in God's hands.”

    Levinson: They are “concealed acts that God will punish (vv. 18-19), or future events. More likely, the antithesis with revealed rejects religions of esoteric speculation that restrict access to truth to a learned few. Torah, based upon a public revelation (ch 5) and Mosaic instruction (chs 12-26), is accessible to all.” Although I would certainly agree with Levinson's last sentence, the two explanations he gives do not have much to recommend them in my mind. How can concealed sins of others be the secret things of God? And proposing that the Jews would encounter esoteric religions in Canaan such as the much later Gnostics rests on a thin historical basis and falls into the category of speculation itself.

    Beale and Gladd (Hidden But Now Revealed) present the most elaborately reasoned thesis concerning this verse, treating the previous verses 22-28 as the context. That passage can be interpreted to say, in marked contrast to other future scenarios present in the OT prophets, that the Jews will reject God and only be restored after the Gentiles have come to salvation.

This hidden truth is only revealed much later and explained by Paul in Romans 11:25-27. Thus, “Paul has experienced the resolution to the Deuteronomic secret or 'mystery; indeed, the first to be saved in the eschaton [last days] were Jews in Jerusalem and Judea, and then the Jewish Christian witness went out to the Gentiles resulting in their salvation.” But for the rest of this age, the order will be reversed.

As evidence pointing to this interpretation, Beale and Gladd note that:

    (a) Later Jewish writings actually explained Deuteronomy 29:29 in much the same manner.

    (b) The Greek phrases “kept secret” and “revealed” found at the end of Romans (at 16:25-26) are either the same or synonymous with those found in the Septuagint version of Deuteronomy 29:29.

Lastly, the intended immediate context for v. 29 bears a little consideration. As mentioned above, Craigie says that it is the previous verses while Mayes and others associate this verse with 30:11-14 rather than with what precedes it. Thus, they feel that 29:29 and 30:11-14 actually serve as a framework to the intervening verses. Beale and Gladd agree with both these views in that 29a harkens back to verses 22-28 and 29b connects to 30:1-10.