What are you trying to hide?
Give me a minute to answer.
Proverbs cautions
“beware the person who disguises his words with grace but harbors deceit in his heart; though his hatred be covered with deception, his wickedness will be exposed.”
No one can know for certain the intentions or motivations of a person. What these verses describe as “inner workings” coming from “inward parts” is a concealment of motive. “Deceit” is literally “put into” a person’s innermost thoughts from a person who “devises evil,” who “sets an ambush.”
Only God knows those sentiments. Sooner or later, the veneer will be chipped away, the facade lifted, the well-crafted public relations ploy will be unveiled, the fake smile will fall away. It may take a while for the weed to crack the concrete but Jesus’ words suggest both temporal and eternal caution:
“Nothing is hidden that shall not become evident, nor anything secret that shall not be known and come to light.”
Thanks for spending this minute with me, Dr. Mark Eckel.
[Quotes from Proverbs 26:24-26; 12:20; Jeremiah 9:8; Genesis 18:12-13; Psalm 64:6; Luke 8:17; also, Luke 12:2; Matthew 10:26; 1 Timothy 5:25-26]
Mark Eckel (MA English, ThM Old Testament, PhD Social Science Research) is Executive Director of the Center for Biblical Integration, Liberty University.
“Give Me a Minute” is an ongoing effort to simply, clearly, and quickly explain aspects of true Truth.
Gratitude, as always, to my longtime friend, videographer, and tech guru Josh for his continued service.