Proverbs 25:2 (NIV)

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter;

to search out a matter is the glory of kings.

Subject Scripture Part 1:

God Conceals things; Why?

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter;
to search out a matter is the glory of kings.

Daniel 2:22
He reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with him.
Job 12:22
He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings utter darkness into the light.
1 Corinthians 2:9-16
However, as it is written:
What no eye has seen,what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived
the things God has prepared for those who love him
these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a persons thoughts except their own spirit
within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not
the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what
we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with
Spirit-taught words. The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers
them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. The person with the
Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for,
Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?
But we have the mind of Christ
To restate some of the above (John's emphasis):
1) No one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
2) We have received the Spirit so that we may understand what God has revealed to us.
3) The person without the Spirit considers spiritual things foolishness, and cannot understand them.
4) But we have the mind of Christ so we CAN understand.
Romans 16:25-27
Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in
keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the
prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes
from faithto the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen
Deuteronomy 29:29
The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever.
Why does God conceal things? So He can reveal them to us and thereby bless all peoples.
Proverbs 25:2 (NIV)
It is the glory of God to conceal a matter;
to search out a matter is the glory of kings.
Subject Scripture Part 2:

Who are the Kings?

Revelation 1:4-6
Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne,
and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve
his God and Fatherto him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
Revelation 5:8:10
And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a
harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of Gods people. And they sang a new
song, saying:
You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased for God
persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth.
1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the
praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Romans 8:17 (NIV)
Now if we are children, then we are heirsheirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in
order that we may also share in his glory.
Who are the kings? Why, WE are!
Proverbs 25:2 (NIV)
It is the glory of God to conceal a matter;
to search out a matter is the glory of kings.
Subject Scripture Part 3:

Why are we supposed to search?

Acts 17:11-12
Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great
eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. As a result, many of them believed,
as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.
2 Timothy 3:15-17
the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is Godbreathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be
thoroughly equipped for every good work.
The Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10,17)
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against
the devils schemes...Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Why? To strengthen our belief, to equip ourselves for what God has purposed in us, so we can stand against the Enemy.
Going Deeper: Okay, if were going to search, what
Simple. Read, and ask questions. Heres an example.

does "searching" look like?

Genesis 5 is a listing of the 10 generations, beginning with Adam, leading up to Noah. God provides a brief synopsis of each
person, including how long they each lived.
What's the purpose of the Word of God listing how long everyone lived? Why does it matter? Boring!
Maybe not.
All of those generations died, with one possible exception.
Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. Genesis 5:24

For all the rest, the text explicitly states that they died. Then right in the middle of all of those dying people theres Enoch, who
was no more, because God took him.
Okay, so why is Enoch noted differently in the Bible?
Because he's the only one who didn't die (as the text suggests) it's thought that Enoch is the first person in the Bible to be
raptured. Hmmm
When people walk together, they tend to talk together, too. When Enoch walked with God, did God speak to him and reveal some
of his concealed matters? Did you know that Enoch uttered the first prophecy in the Bible concerning the second coming of
Christ?
Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy
ones. Jude 1:14
Hmmm
Okay, next question: Did God tell Enoch some of His plans for the future?
When Enoch was 65, Enoch had a son, Methuselah. Methuselah's name is composed of two Hebrew words, Muth" meaning
Death and Shalach" meaning to bring" or "to send forth. So the full translation of Methuselah's name is His Death Shall
Bring.
Why in the world would a father, who walked with God, name his son " His Death Shall Bring"?
Enoch was 65 when Methuselah was born, and lived for 300 years after, so Methuselah had plenty of time to question his father
on why he gave him such a name.
Do you think a son would ask his father why he was named " His Death Shall Bring"? Wouldn't you?
When Methuselah had lived 187 years he became the father of Lamech. Enoch was still around (he was 255 at that time, and he
walked with God on the Earth until he was 365), so Enoch may have influenced his son in naming his grandson. The root of
"Lamech" is the same root as in "Lamentations" or "to lament", which is still used today. Lamech means "Despair" or "the
Despairing".
Why in the world would a father (or Grandfather) name his son " the Despairing"?
Do you think a son would ask his father why he was named " the Despairing"? Wouldn't you?
What was there to despair about?
When Lamech was 182, he had a son, Noah. Methuselah was still around, but Enoch had already been "taken" by God.
Methuselah was 369 (187+182) years old when Noah was born. Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, so Noah was 600 years
old when Methuselah died (969-369).
What's the purpose of the Word of God listing how long everyone lived? Why does it matter? This is SO boring!
How about this: How old was Noah when the flood came?
Gen 7:6 "Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth."
And Methuselah died when Noah was 600. His Death Shall Bring. Hmmm. That wasn't real obvious, was it?
Proverbs 25:2 (NIV)
It is the glory of God to conceal a matter;
to search out a matter is the glory of kings.
Going still Deeper-Whats

in a Name?

So, next question, why are the generations listed? And why those 10 individuals? Adam had at least Cain, Able, and
Seth, so why is Seth the one who's figured in the 10 generations, when we know that Cain had children? The answer is
in the names themselves. Your normal lexicon wont get at the true meanings of the names, you have to either go to the
scriptures or consult a Hebrew root word dictionary to find the meanings.

The first human, of course, was Adam, which comes from "adomah", and means "Man."
After Adams son, Able, was killed, Eve had another son, Seth In Genesis 4:25 Eve said this new son was appointed
to be a replacement for Able, so Seth means "Appointed"
Enosh -is from the root "anash", and means "Mortal" http://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Enosh.html
Kenan- the name comes from the verb ( qin), meaning to chant a dirge (Amos 8:10). This verb comes from the noun
( qina), meaning lamentation, or a sad poem which is sung (Jeremiah 7:19, Ezekiel 2:10). Kenan's name translates
as "Sorrow"
Mahalalel- "El" you should recognize, for "El" means "God" (as in Elohim). Mahalal means "blessed" or "praise";
Mahalalel means "the Blessed God"
Jared- from the verb "yaradh", a common verb expressing a downward motion. Jared means "Shall come Down"
Enoch - The two most popular meanings are "Consecrated" and "Teaching". We'll go with "Teaching"
Methuselah His name is composed of two Hebrew words, Muth" meaning Death and Shalach" meaning to
bring" or "to send forth. So the full translation of Methuselah's name is His Death Shall Bring.
Lamech means "The Despairing" (as in Lamentations, still used today)
Noah As found in Gen 5:29, Noah means "Comfort" or "Rest"
Now let's put it all together:

Man appointed mortal sorrow. The Blessed God shall come down teaching. His death shall bring the despairing
comfort.
When you read the meanings of the names, it sounds like a great summation of Jesus life, doesn't it? So how in the
world did ten generations of pre-Jewish (remember, this was before Abraham), pre-Christian men manage to spell out
the gospel of Jesus Christ by using the names of their sons, thousands of years before the event happened?
Hint: the Entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is focused on Jesus. He's in the New Testament revealed and in the
Old Testament concealed.
Proverbs 25:2 (NIV)
It is the glory of God to conceal a matter;
to search out a matter is the glory of kings.