Jeremiah 23:24

Jeremiah is addressing the false prophets and leaders who think they can lead without guidance and direction from God. The idea of a “secret place” reveals the intent to conceal something from God (think about the Garden of Eden story in Genesis 3). From a grander theological perspective, this is showing the futility to trying to escape from God.

We often see phrases like “declares the Lord” or “says the Lord.” It’s actually a common prophetic way to show that these words are coming from God. (The obvious thing is obvious, right.) On a deeper scale, this is teaching us the ability to keep in mind that these are God’s words, and we need to take them seriously.

God is not confined to any physical location, unlike the gods the Israelites worship in surrounding nations that were often associated with specific places or idols. This challenges any idea that limits God’s presence to the church or any other place of worship.

Reiterating the “declares the Lord” or “says the Lord” emphasizes the divine sovereignty and the authority of its message. This serves to bookend the statement to reinforce that these words are a divine proclamation.

Understanding that God sees everything should lead us to a life of integrity and accountability. Now, I’ve heard the concern with this being: “Does God see me go to the bathroom?” Listen, God created the human body we have and created the functions needed to maintain it. It’s not a bad thing, but God allows us the idea of privacy – but not secrecy. God knows that we should not have everything be publicized, but he knows that secrecy can be incredibly harmful. As Christians, we are called to be transparent before God. Be honest about your addictions. Be honest about your struggles with lust and pornography. Be honest about how you view your relationships. Be honest about your job and everything. God wants you to submit your life to him and work through him to honor how he created you to be.

Next slice of manna: Manna for the Mind #231