Deuteronomy 29:27-29

27. Therefore the Lord’s anger burned against this land, so that he brought on it all the curses written in this book. 28. In furious anger and in great wrath the Lord uprooted them from their land and thrust them into another land, as it is now.” 29. The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.

Beware of Excessive Curiosity (Deuteronomy 29:27-29)

 < Remember Grace >
 
  In his poem, “To Woman,” Lord Byron sang like this:
   
  Woman that fair and fond deceiver,
  How prompt are striplings to believe her,
  How throbs the pulse, when first we view,
  The eye that rolls in glossy blue;
   
  Or sparkles black, or mildly throws,
  A beam from under hazel brows;
  How quick we credit every oath,
  And hear her plight the willing troth;
   
  Fondly we hope 'twill last for aye,
  When lo! she changes in a day,
  The Record will forever stand,
  "That woman's vows, are writ in sand."
   
  The passionate poet Byron sang that a woman easily changes, but in fact, every human being easily changes. The poet Bourdillon sang, “The mind has a thousand eyes,/ And the heart but one.” Since we have a thousand eyes of the mind, we are all capricious. But when we meet a lord with one heart, we might respond to him either partially or wholeheartedly. We, as believers, should respond wholeheartedly to God, who has only one heart.
 
  God wants us to remember His grace and keep our eyes on Him. He turns into God of discipline when His people betray him and turn their eyes on other gods. As a child grows older, he thinks that he grows up on his own and forgets the grace he received from his parents. Similarly, as we learn more, have more, and live better, we look away from God and his Word. Eliminate those conceits. You need to remember grace in order for persisting grace.
   
  < Beware of Excessive Curiosity >
 
  Why did God set limits to human knowledge? He did it in order to make us keep the commandments (v.29). Humans do not know well about the divine plan and providence. They sometimes cry in distress, “Lord! Why do I have to go through these difficulties?” The answer is to discipline them a life of faith and obedience. Don’t fret but have patience trusting in God’s great wisdom. Try to learn only those that are allowed for you. Do not say that you know His will which you will never know, nor twist His will. And do not be arrogant as if you know everything.
 
  It is not the image of a true believer to have excessive curiosity and to try to know things that you shouldn’t know. Worship service means to acknowledge God just as He is. He said, “I and who I am.” This suggests his highness and greatness. The excessive curiosity—trying to figure out things beyond the human knowledge—easily becomes the act of insult and to an invasion of God’s realm. Trying to figure out mysterious things that He conceals easily results in a spoiled faith. The time-limited eschatology prevailed in 1992, Korea is a good example of it.
 
  Those who believe in the false eschatology are setting the exact date of the Second Coming. How is it shameful to enforce the folks to believe it, spreading the date instead of the gospel? The excessive curiosity or conviction about the exact date of the Second Coming might be used as a bait by Satan. Know your place and live a life of faith according to God’s will. You will experience the true faith when you leave unknowns to Him. It’s not the attitude of a true believer trying to know things that belong to Him. But you may try to know things that He grants you. A person who knows his place is the most beautiful person. Why did mankind fall? The reason for this is humans did not keep their place.
 
  After the creation, God saw that it was good. This means that everything in the world was harmonious in accordance with His will of creation. Harmony and order were broken because humans did not remain in their own place. The problem was their excessive curiosity and self-indulgence. There was corruption because they were deceived by the serpent and tried to exercise infinite power. The true blessing is not knowing mysteries but remaining one’s place and obey the will of God.
   

ⓒ Pastor Lee Hangyu http://www.john316.or.kr