Deuteronomy 29:29: “The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but the things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all of the words of this law.”
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
The Secret(s) of the Lord
Copyright © 2012 Marvel Lang
ISBN: 9781483688732
Published by:
All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. Cover and/or contents may not be reproduced in whole or part in any form without the express written consent of the Publisher.
Printed in the United States of America.
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER ONE:
FEAR THE LORD …
CHAPTER TWO:
PRAISE YE THE LORD …
CHAPTER THREE:
WORSHIP THE LORD …
CHAPTER FOUR:
TITHING AND GIVING …
CHAPTER FIVE:
PRAYER …
CHAPTER SIX:
FASTING…
Several years ago, my wife and I were invited to attend a revival service in Pontiac, Michigan by friends of ours. Reluctantly we went, more so out of courtesy to our friends than our enthusiasm for a revival service being held at a hotel. During the service, a male evangelist, who was a Black man from Shreveport, Louisiana, began to prophesy. He came over to me, pointed his finger at me and said, “I see a book in you! You will write a book that will have a major impact on a lot of people. There is a book in you!”
At the time I wasn’t even thinking about writing a book of any kind, not to mention one that would have any impact on anyone! Six months later I accompanied my wife to a women’s conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She had been invited to be one of the major speakers at the conference.
On the second night of the conference, there was a dynamic female evangelist speaker from a small town in Oklahoma who immediately caught my attention. At the end of her message, she began to prophesy to different individuals in the congregation. She came to me, pointed her finger at me and said, “I see a book in you! You will write a book that will impact a great number of God’s people. There is a book in you!”
Neither person knew me and had never met me before so I didn’t give much credence to what they were saying.
A few years later, in November, 2011, I was sitting in a service in our church in Lansing, Michigan, and the idea came to me to write this book, The Secret(s) of the Lord. Although I had not had the idea or the inclination before, it was so strong until I couldn’t get it out of my mind. I came home that day and told my wife about my idea. She felt that I should write it and that it was the fulfillment of prophesy I had received from the two evangelists several years prior.
The Secret(s) of the Lord is about those things that let us into the power of God. It is intended to enlighten on the things that reveal the mystery of the glory of God and the full benefits of His covenant with us. Those things are: the fear of the Lord; praising the Lord; worshipping the Lord; and tithing and giving. These things do not come to us automatically but are revealed through diligent study of the scriptures and must be learned and practiced in order for us to receive their benefits.
Most people when asked what does it mean to fear the Lord, unless they have studied the subject or been taught, would probably reply that it means to be afraid of his power. But we learn through studying the scriptures that fearing the Lord means to reverence and worship the Lord. The Amplified version of the Bible uses reverence and worship in almost every instance where the phrase “fear the Lord” occurs. We further have to understand what it means to reverence and worship the Lord in order to fully understand what it means to fear the Lord. That is what Chapter One of this volume deals with in detail.
Chapter Two is about praising the Lord and what it means to praise Him. Many people assume they know what praising the Lord means – to exalt and make a loud noise in reverence to Him. But there is much more to praising God than that. Thus, in this chapter we learn how to praise God, when to praise God, where he is to be praised, and much more.
Praise and worship are not the same; they are two separate and distinct actions. They do not necessarily occur together or at the same time and place. Praising the Lord means to exalt Him, show adoration for Him as seen in Chapter Two; while worshipping the Lord is to show honor for Him by bowing before Him as discussed in Chapter Three.
As mentioned, worshipping the Lord involves showing honor and humbling yourself unto Him by bowing one’s head or bowing down and prostrating oneself before Him. We think of praise and worship as a service that involves singing and praising God before the Word is spoken. Thus we think of praise and worship going together as one service. However, as we will learn in Chapter Three, worship is a separate act of honoring the Lord and involves a protocol that must be followed in order to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth, as the Bible proclaims in the gospel of John 4:24.
Tithing and giving is an act of faith which involves trusting God to do what he says in his Word he will do. Unless we trust and believe God’s Word, we will never receive the full benefits of tithing and giving. Chapter Four looks at the history of tithing and giving and discusses the faithfulness that is displayed by our believing God’s Word and acting on it through our tithing and giving. We must understand that God has commanded us to bring our tithes into the storehouse (the church). It is not an option we have, but a command God has given!
Prayer is our way of communicating with God. It is two-way communicating and involves both talking to God and listening to what he has to say. Prayer helps us to develop a relationship with God and is vital to our maintaining that relationship. Thus, prayer is one of the secrets to our gaining access to the things that God has created for us. Chapter Five looks at and explains prayer as it is practiced in the Christian religion especially. It also looks at how prayer is practiced in other religions as well as prayer in the Old and New Testaments.
Fasting is the act of abstaining from food and water for a certain period of time. While it is intended for the individual, it allows one to concentrate on God while reconditioning the body by allowing it to have a break from the digestive process. Chapter Six discusses fasting as a physical and spiritual act, and as a secret to receiving God’s blessings through personal sacrifice.
Many things in my life have changed since I first received prophesy to write this book. For one thing, I have retired from my job as a professor at Michigan State University, which allows me to spend more of my time searching the scriptures. Secondly, I have more time to meditate on the Word and listen to the Holy Ghost minister to me, something I’ve never had time to do before.
The Secret(s) of the Lord are those things which open the mystery of God’s glory to us. It is those things that let us into the glory of God and manifestation of his Word. This book will enlighten some and encourage others. Thusly, if we gain a better understanding of the words of God, then it has accomplished its goal and purpose for which it was intended.
Fear the Lord
“The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant.” Psalm 25:14
First and foremost, before you can fully understand and receive these secrets, you must be a believer of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. You must believe in God’s plan for salvation: that God sent His only begotten son, Jesus, to die for our sins, so that we will not perish but have eternal life. Further, you must believe that Jesus Christ was crucified for our sakes, rose on the third day, ascended into heaven; and now sits at the right hand of the throne of God. Moreover, you must believe that God is the trinity in one: that is, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This plan for salvation was not only foretold by God’s chosen prophets in the Old Testament of the Bible, but it is fully revealed in the New Testament of the Bible.
The secret of the Lord is to fear Him – plain and simple. In other words, if you want to know the secret of the Lord, you MUST fear Him! To fear the Lord means not only to be afraid of Him but also to reverence Him. To reverence the Lord is to hold Him in high esteem, above any other god, individual or thing. Strong’s Concordance indicates that the word fear in Psalm 25:14 comes from the Hebrew “yare’” which means “afraid” or “to revere” or “reverence” and the Hebrew “yir’ah” which means reverence. (p.52) WHICH VERSION OF STRONG’S?
In the book of Genesis, we are told of a man born by the name of Jacob, who had great reverence for the Lord. His name was later changed by God to “Israel.” Israel had twelve sons. They lived in the land of Canaan. Israel’s sons felt that he favored one son in particular, Joseph. Thus, they began to dislike their brother, Joseph, and sold him into slavery. They did not know, however, that Joseph had found favor with the Lord. Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt, had appointed Joseph as the Governor of Egypt.
During this time, famine had overtaken the land of Canaan. Ten of Joseph’s brothers went into Egypt to buy corn. Their youngest brother, Benjamin, whom Joseph adored, stayed home with their father. Joseph recognized his ten brothers when they came into Egypt and made it seem difficult for them to buy corn. However, Joseph’s brothers did not recognize him, but felt that their past sins were the cause of the trouble they were experiencing in their attempt to buy grain in Egypt.
Although Joseph knew his brothers, he accused them of being spies. They assured him that they were not and that they had only traveled to the land of Egypt to buy grain for their father’s household. They explained that there were twelve sons, that the youngest one, Benjamin was home with Israel and that the twelfth brother was away. As a result, Joseph put nine of the brothers into custody for three days and sent one brother home to bring their youngest brother, Benjamin, to prove they were telling the truth.
Joseph’s encounter with his brothers lets them know that he had great fear and respect for God. In Genesis 42:17-18, we find the following: “And he put them all together into ward three days. And Joseph said unto them the third day, “This do and live; for I fear God.”
Dake (1963) points out that the Hebrew version of what Joseph said was “I also fear (ha Elophim) the Gods.” Joseph used the emphatic ‘ha’ with Elophim emphasizing the Supreme Being, the God of Israel, in contrast with the idol gods of Egypt. He told his brothers that he was a worshipper of the true God and they had nothing to fear if they were telling the truth. (p. 42). Thus, they returned with their brother, Benjamin. Later, Joseph revealed that he was their brother and Israel and all of his sons were restored as a family. Joseph brought them back to live in Egypt where they were blessed to receive the riches of the land.
Another instance of fearing the Lord occurs in Exodus 9 where the Lord had declared that He would cause hail to destroy all that was left in the field by the Egyptians. Pharaoh and the Egyptians were holding the Israelites slaves in the land of Egypt where the Israelites had been enslaved for over 400 years. Moses and Aaron were chosen by God to go to Egypt and lead the Israelites to freedom, out of the bondage of slavery of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. They went to Egypt to beg Pharaoh to let the Israelites go free so they could worship God. The Lord sent plagues upon Egypt because Pharaoh would not let God’s people go free.
In Exodus 9:14, God declares: “For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth.” And in Exodus 9:18, God further declares: “Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation therefore even till now.”
The key here occurs in Exodus 9:20 and 30: “He that feared (was afraid of) the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the house.” The Lord had declared that all that was left in the field would be destroyed. In verse 21, it says, “And he that regarded not the word of the Lord left his servants and his cattle in the field.” Verse 25 tells us, “And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast …”
Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron. It tells us in v. 27, “And he said to them I have sinned, the Lord is righteous and I and my people are wicked.” Then in verse 30, Moses says to Pharaoh, “But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not fear (be afraid of) the Lord God.” In this instance, Moses is saying to Pharaoh, “I knew you will neither be afraid of nor give reverence to the Lord God.”
For as soon as Moses had stretched forth his rod in his hand and caused the hail and thundering to cease, Pharaoh continued sinning and hardened his heart towards the people of Israel. Eventually, we find out that the children of Israel were freed from bondage because of Moses’ continued reverence and belief that God would set the children of Israel free.
We see another example of fearing the Lord in the book of Psalm. The book of Psalm is the 19th book of the Bible written mostly by David, a king of Israel chosen by God. It is a book sometimes referred to as a book of praises or songs unto the Lord. The book of Psalm is based on its presentations on the first and second advents of Christ, the future tribulation, the millennium; and other periods of God’s plan for man.
The advents of Christ refer to the times of his coming to earth. The first advent refers to his birth as first coming. The Second Advent refers to the time when he shall come again or return to earth or his second coming. Tribulation refers to times of calamity, distress, grief, misery, sorrow and trouble. Future tribulation refers to the time in the future before the second coming of Christ when all the world will be under great tribulation like never before has seen on earth. The millennium refers to the thousand years that Jesus Christ will reign on earth (Revelation 20:1-7) after the first resurrection when Satan will be bound for a thousand years.
Psalm 25 gives more insight into the fear of the Lord in terms of both being afraid of and reverencing Him. Starting in verses 12 and 13, it reads “What man is he that feareth the Lord? Him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose. His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth.” Dake (1963) further points out that in verses 12 thru 14 of that chapter, there are five blessings to him who fears (reverences) God:
The Amplified Bible (1987) makes the secret of the Lord and the fear of the Lord explicitly clear. It states: “The secret [of the sweet, satisfying companionship] of the Lord have they who fear (revere and worship) Him, and He will show them His covenant and reveal to them its [deep, inner] meaning.” (Psalm 25:14). According to Strong’s Concordance, the Hebrew word for secret used in Psalm 25:14 is “cowd” which translates to “intimacy” or “counsel” or “take counsel”.
What does it mean exactly “the secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him?” It means, literally, that the unknown things of God are revealed to them that reverence or worship Him. In other words, the intimate or unknown things of God are revealed to them that worship God and hold Him in high esteem; those that bow to the Lord and give Him glory and praise. He will “show them His covenant” means that He will reveal to them the things He has promised and guaranteed they shall have. When God makes an agreement He will not go back on His word; those things that He promises in covenant will come to pass in due time. Those that reverence and worship Him shall receive those things that He has promised!
Proverbs 3:32 tells us “But his secret is with the righteous.” The book of Proverbs was written by Solomon, who was the son of King David. Solomon became King of Israel when King David died as God had promised King David that his son would inherit his throne. Proverbs is not a collection of human wisdom, but a collection of divine rules from heaven to govern man’s conduct, civil, religious and business life.
The Amplified Bible says it more explicitly: “But His confidential communion and secret counsel are with the [uncompromisingly] righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with Him).” Being upright means living according to God’s standards and not departing from His principles. Right standing means to keep God’s commandments and statutes, to live according to His ways.
Dake (1963) declares that Deuteronomy means the second law, Leviticus being the first law. It is the 5th book of the Bible, and is called the second law because it records the repetition of the Ten Commandments. It contains the parting counsels of Moses to Israel in view of their entrance into Canaan; a summary of the wilderness wanderings; many new laws that needed to be added to those given some 40 years before; many warnings in view of the possibility of sin; prophesies concerning the future of Israel; and the Palestinian covenant. (Dake, 1963, p. 236)
In the book of Deuteronomy, there are numerous occasions where the Israelites are admonished to fear the Lord and keep His commandments. In most of these instances, the meaning is to reverence the Lord. For example, in Deuteronomy 5:29, it states: “O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children forever.”
And further, in Deuteronomy 6:13, it says, “Thou shall fear the Lord thy God and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.” And Deuteronomy 13:4 states further, “Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave to him.”
The book of Proverbs has further interesting perspectives on the fear of the Lord. Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” In Proverbs 9:10, it states: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”
Proverbs 2:3 thru 5 in the Amplified Bible makes the fear of the Lord even more plainly clear. It states: “Yes, if you cry out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek [wisdom] as for silver and search for skillful and godly wisdom as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of [our omniscient] God.”
In other words, reverencing God and worshipping Him is where knowledge and understanding and wisdom begin. Wisdom is the practical use of knowledge. In the biblical sense, it means to be wise, intelligent, skillful and cunning according to Strong’s Concordance (p. 39). Reverencing God means worshipping Him or giving Him credit for being real. When we fear God we reverence Him, and when we reverence Him, we worship Him.
Even Job declares that God said unto man that the fear of the Lord is wisdom in Job 28:28. Job was a man in the land of Uz who feared God and was perfect and upright in the sight of God. He was the greatest of all men of the east according to the Bible. He had great wealth and possessions and refused to partake in evil doings. God allowed the devil to tempt Job because He knew that no matter what negative things transpired in Job’s life, he would continue to serve the Lord. Although Job’s body was stricken with illness and he lost all of his possessions, he remained persistent in his fear and reverence for the Lord.
In the 12th and 20th verses of the 28th Chapter of the book of Job, he raises the question “where shall wisdom be found and where is the place of understanding?” In the 28th verse, he answers that question: “And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.” In the end, God restored Job’s health and possessions, even more than he had in the beginning.
In the book of Deuteronomy, both Moses and Joshua admonished the children of Israel to fear or reverence the Lord. Moses, in Deuteronomy 31:12-13 says: