（申29）隐秘的事与明显的事 (Deuteronomy 29) The Secret Things and the Revealed Things

(ChatGPT translation from Chinese, edited by Mijiale, 中文在后面）

Deuteronomy 29:29 says, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.”

Rashi explains that this verse is related to the previous content. https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Deuteronomy.29.28.1?lang=bi
The preceding passage might give the impression that individual idol worship could lead to the punishment of the entire community. This verse says that if someone worships idols, and people know about it, they are responsible for purging the evil. If no one knows, there is no responsibility, nor is it possible to purge the evil, but the responsibility for punishing the secret idolaters belongs to the Lord.

My interpretation of this verse is different. We must discern between the revealed and secret teachings in the Bible, and not violate the clear commandments due to misunderstandings of secret matters. My understanding is related to these two verses:

Numbers 21:9: “So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.”

2 Kings 18:4: “Hezekiah removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones, and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. It was called Nehushtan.”

Looking at the bronze snake Moses made could heal the people, but the act of looking at it closely resembles idol worship. However, it was indeed commanded by the Lord at that time (Numbers 21:8), and the Lord did not explain the reason, so this was a secret matter. But not worshiping idols is a clear commandment included in the Ten Commandments, which must be followed for generations. Several hundred years later, the Israelites were still burning incense to the bronze snake, which shows that they violated the clear commandment of the Ten Commandments due to misunderstanding a secret matter.

The secret matter regarding the bronze snake only became clear in the New Testament, when Jesus said in John 3:14-15, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” Therefore, looking at the bronze snake was a foreshadowing of belief in Christ for eternal life. During the several hundred years before the Lord made this secret matter clear, people should not have violated the clear commandment against idol worship due to misunderstanding the secret matter.

We must acknowledge our limitations regarding secret matters and trust that, if necessary, the Lord will reveal the answers to us one day. Until then, our responsibility is to firmly hold on to the clear teachings of the Bible.

（申29）隐秘的事与明显的事

申命记29:29 “隐秘的事是属耶和华我们神的。惟有明显的事是永远属我们和我们子孙的，好叫我们遵行这律法上的一切话 。”

Rashi解释说这句经文与上文的内容有关https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Deuteronomy.29.28.1?lang=bi，前面的内容给一种人印象，个人拜偶像可能会连累群体受惩罚，这节经文说如果有人拜偶像，只要大家知道了，就有责任除恶。如果大家不知道，也就没有责任也不太可能除恶，但惩罚那些隐秘的拜偶像者的责任，主自己会担负。

我对这句经文的解释不同。我们要分辨圣经中明显与隐秘的教导，不要因为对隐秘事物的误解而违背明显的诫命。我的理解与这俩句经文有关：

民数记21:9: “摩西便制造一條銅蛇，掛在桿子上。凡被蛇咬的，一望這銅蛇就活了 。”

列王记下18:4 “他（希西家）废去丘坛，毁坏柱像，砍下木偶，打碎摩西所造的铜蛇，因为到那时以色列人仍向铜蛇烧香。希西家叫铜蛇为铜块 （或作人称铜蛇为铜像）。”

仰望摩西造的铜蛇，可以疗伤，但是仰望铜蛇的行为，太像拜偶像了。然而这的确是出于主当时的教导（民21:8），主当时没有解释原因，所以是一个隐秘的事。但不能拜偶像，则是列入十诫的明显的诫命，是世世代代要遵守的。几百年后的以色列人还向铜蛇烧香，这就为了对隐秘的事的误解，违背了十诫中的明显诫命。

关于铜蛇的隐秘的事，在多年后的新约里才变得明显起来，约翰福音3:14-15里耶稣说，“摩西在旷野怎样举蛇，人子也必照样被举起来。叫一切信他的都得永生 。” 所以仰望铜蛇是预表信基督得永生。在主还没有把隐秘的事变成明显的事之前的几百年期间，千万不能出于对隐秘的事的误解而违反不拜偶像的明显诫命。

我们对隐秘的事要承认自己的局限，并相信如果有必要，主自己有一天会告诉我们答案。在此之前，我们的责任是要牢守圣经里的明显教导。