Hidden in the Heart of the God

“How great is Your goodness, which You have stored for those who fear You, which You have wrought for those who take refuge in You, before the sons of men!

“You hide them in the secret place of Your presence, from the conspiracies of man; You keep them secretly in the shelter from the strife of tongues.” (Psalm 31:19,20 nasb.)

Journal,

David shared a truth that belongs to all God’s people from all the ages. He said that God hides His people in the secret place of His presence.

What does that mean to be hidden in God’s presence? How can God do that?

God hides us by bringing us to the place that He Himself dwells. David is drawing on a prophetic inference that is seen in the tabernacle of God.  David knew that the tabernacle told the story of God’s plan of redemption. And the Holy of Holies provides the very key to our hiddenness in Christ Jesus.

Over the golden lid of the Ark of the Covenant were two covering angels. Right above the mercy-seat was a brilliant light, known as the light of glory. The angels have their gaze fixed on a form in the light. As we shall shortly see, the form was the Son of God.

The apostle John draws attention to the glory over the mercy-seat:

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (Joh 1:14)

The more literal rendering is, “And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us.” This means that the body of Jesus Christ was the Holy of Holies. And in Christ we see the Father’s glory. Jesus is called, ‘the image of the invisible God.’ 

The apostle Peter also calls attention to the gaze of the angels over the mercy-seat:

It was revealed to them [the Old Testament prophets] that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you from heaven-things into which angels long to look.” (1Peter 1:12)

Once again we are seeing the picture of the mercy-seat.

And then we have this from the apostle Paul:

… but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.“ (1Co 2:7-8)

Now let’s draw a little more attention to …

What Do Angels Long to See

As I shared earlier, the angels gazing at the mercy-seat, is a picture of their wonderment at the atonement of Jesus Christ, that is, they wonder at the whole of His humanity, both in His incarnation, in the work of the cross, and in His ascension to the throne of God. The angels long to understand more deeply into God’s gracious work of saving the human race.

In fact, according to the apostle Paul, the angels are learning something of God’s wisdom by how He provides for all who belong to His kingdom. (Cf. Eph3:8-10)

Out of the cross would come the manifold wisdom and the mercy of God’s incarnate Word. The writer of Hebrews calls the mercy-seat, ‘the throne of mercy.’ God’s mercy reaches from the cross to the crown.

This wonderful truth of redemption is fully brought out in the new covenant. Paul said that all believers are now hidden with God in Christ.

But first let’s see how the tabernacle sets forth this truth of our redemption.

The Light of His Glory

In the brilliant light over the mercy-seat was a form that only Moses was allowed to see. The form was God’s Son. Listen to these portions from both the Old Testament and the New Testament.

When the Lord rebuked Miriam and Aaron over their presumptuous attitude towards Moses, He said to them,

…’Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, shall make Myself known to him in a vision. I shall speak with him in a dream.

“Not so, with My servant Moses, He is faithful in all My household; with him I speak mouth to mouth, even openly, and not in dark sayings, and he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant, against Moses?” (Num 12:6-8)

Did you catch it? Moses beheld the form of the Lord. Now, if God has no form, who, then did Moses see? Moses saw the image of the invisible God. To the Jews, God’s Messiah was known as the form of God, as the glory of God, as the image of God, and at times even as the Shekinah of God.

Listen carefully to what Paul said of Christ:

Although He [Jesus] existed in the form of God, He did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself…” (Phi2:6)

Any Jewish person reading Paul’s writings would immediately connect Jesus with the light over the mercy-seat and the form that Moses beheld.

Let’s carry this to when a Jewish man is visited by the same glory that was over the mercy-seat.

Paul Meets the Glory of God

Listen carefully to the story:

As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’

“And he said, ‘Who are You, Lord?‘ And He said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.’

“The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus.”(Act 9:3-8)

Paul is hearing the very voice of God. The Lord speaks to Paul in Hebrew, and Paul asked a question in Hebrew.

When Paul asked, “Who are You, Lord?” he was saying, “Who are you Yahweh.”

Paul was perplexed. He knew it was God speaking to Him, but how could Paul have persecuted God? This is where he made the greatest discovery of his life. The Lord of Glory is Jesus Christ.

Now let’s talk a bit more about  …

God’s Secret Hiding Place

David could see by the Spirit into God’s redemption plan that would stretch across eternity past and eternity future. Actually all the prophets had spiritual insight into the future glory to come. They just did not have all the answers, so the wrote in what is known as ‘prophetic perfects.’

A prophet perfect means that the prophets were enabled to actually see into the future as though they were actually there.

The secret place of God would take in all His people from ancient time on. The tabernacle was a picture-perfect symbol of God’s eternal purpose for all His people.

The Old Testament saints somehow knew in their hearts that the Lord Himself was their ever-present security in life. Moses said,

Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” (Ps90:1,2)

Here Moses uses the same word that David used with regard to the ‘secret place’ of the tabernacle.

Again think about the two cherubim with their golden wings spread over the mercy-seat. Listen again to David:

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, `My refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.” (Ps91:1,2)

David uses the same word again which references the secret place of God’s presence, that is, the mercy seat in the holiest of holies. God’s people dwell under the very presence and protection of angels.

Here is where we come to the great mystery of God’s love for His people. The Psalmist Asaph speaks of God’s people as His ‘treasured ones.’ He writes,

They make shrewd plans against Your people, and conspire together against Your treasured ones.” (Ps83:3)

These treasured ones are God’s people from the ages. The Hebrew for ‘treasured ones’ speaks of that which is covered by God, that which is hidden, or that which is kept secret. But it especially speaks of the secret of one’s heart. God’s treasured ones are the secret love of His heart.

The Psalmist puts things together when he writes,

One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple.

“For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; in the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock [the Rock is Christ]. And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.” (Psalm 27:4-6)

The Hebrew for ‘conceal’ is the same word for God’s ‘treasured’ ones. God’s people are His treasures in the earth and for all eternity. This allows us to have a better understanding of a kingdom parable concerning a treasure. Jesus said,

And now we can speak of …

The Very Heart of God

Jesus said,

The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field [world], which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” (Matt13:44)

The treasure has to do with the kingdom of heaven. The story is the story of the cross. Jesus Christ gave His life for the hidden treasure. Jesus came to seek that which was lost. Now the treasure is hidden again, but this time it is hidden in Christ.

Paul said,

For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.” (Col3:3,4)

Being hidden in Christ means that we can never be separated from God’s love. Our life is placed in the Light of God’s very being. Peter said that our calling was into, “His marvelous light.”

We have already been raised up and seated with Him in the heavenly places. Jesus said,

All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. … This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.

“For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:37,39,40)

You have come to love God because He first loved you.

Did you know that your joy in the Lord is a reflection of His joy over you? Did you know that the grace that flows in your life is not something that you earned? It is freely given to you in God’s Beloved.

This is what the great apostle said:

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Eph2:8-10)

Well, I need to find a stopping place for now.

Why not listen to a song that has much to say about God’s heart.

Think about it. Have you met the Great I AM?

Much love coming your way,

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