Johnny’s classmate tells him that most adults are hiding at least one dark secret, so it’s very easy to blackmail them by saying, “I know the whole truth.” He decides to it out. Johnny’s mother greets him at home, and he tells her, “I know the whole truth.” His mother quickly hands him $20 and says, “Just don’t tell your father.”
Quite pleased, the boy greets his father with, “I know the whole truth.” The father promptly hands him $40 and says, “Please don’t say a word to your mother.” Very pleased, the boy is on his way to school the next day when he sees the mailman at his front door. The boy greets him by saying, “I know the whole truth.” The mailman immediately drops the mail, opens his arms, and says, “Then come give your Daddy a great big hug!
Truth be told, we all have dark secrets. The news is rife with mega-church scandals where money-improprieties and infidelities have come to the light. While we may try to hide them from family, friends and the press, it is utterly futile to hide them from God. In Ezekiel 8, God showed the prophet what is hid in our own dark closets will find the light.
Then He said to me, "Son of man, do you see what the elders of the house of Israel are committing in the dark, each man in the room of his carved images? For they say, 'The LORD does not see us; the LORD has forsaken the land.'" Ezekiel 8:12-13 12
First, we all have in our dark closet secret sins, but God sees. God showed Ezekiel that we all have a private place for our personal idols, but what is done in the dark will come to the light.
“…see what the elders of the house of Israel are committing in the dark, each man in the room of his carved images?” Ez. 8:12a
God saw their violence (v. 17). God saw their burning incense to other gods (v.11). God saw their sun worship (v. 16.). All that was in the open. There were other acts of worship each man did in secret (in the inner court of the temple) peculiar to his own private idols. Each was doing his own thing that he thought God couldn’t see. Men have always done things in the dark that God brought to the light.
Achan took banned spoils of battle and buried them in the ground. But God saw and Achan was stoned to death. (Joshua 7)
David took a man’s wife, fathered a child and tried to hide his adultery deep in murder. But God saw and David was exposed and gripped with grief and shame. (2 Sam. 12)
Adam and Eve tried to hide their sin of disobedience by hiding in the trees of the very garden they committed their offense. But God saw and banished them from the garden (Gen. 3).
Enough said. We all have our own dark closets with private idols—pride, greed, envy, lust, to name few—that we think no one will ever know. God sees. It is futile to hide.
Second, we all have the capacity to blame God rather than take responsibility for our secret sins. The House of Israel blamed God’s abandonment for their deeds of darkness according to Ezek. 8:12b:
“ For they say, 'The LORD does not see us; the LORD has forsaken the land.'" Ezk. 8:12b
Hiding in the blame game is nothing new.
Adam blamed Eve. Eve blamed the snake (Gen. 3).
Moses blamed the complaining Israelites for God’s anger and subsequent prohibition of Moses entering the promise land (Deut. 4:21).
The quickest way to clean up a mess is to “fess up”, not cover up:
1 John 1:9- If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
The quicker we clean our spiritual closets, the more room we have for something fashionably timeless—God.
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