“The heavens for height and the earth for depth, so the heart of kings is unsearchable.”
~Proverbs 25.3
Recently government classified documents are showing up frequently and in some odd places. Classified documents are those secrets to which only certain high-level government officials are privy. The intention of classifying documents is to protect people from the knowledge that they don’t need to have. The government may be protecting those who are working undercover or information that they have on other countries that concern our national security. Sometimes classified documents are a coverup for people who would be punished for crimes if the right people discovered what went on. Nevertheless, the government keeps secrets, and they don’t want those secrets to get out by someone wandering through a former vice president’s garage, his son’s laptop, or even wandering through a former president’s house.
Whatever you believe about the classification of documents and the secrets that they hold, the principle of authorities keeping secrets is a sound one. That is, the Bible teaches that there are some things that authorities will know that others don’t. This is not a gnostic-type special revelation given only to the upper-echelon Illuminati. This is a perspective that subordinates may not have along with information that may hurt them or other people.
Proverbs 25.3 speaks to authorities being men of mystery. As it is impossible to exhaustively search the created order—heaven and earth—so the hearts of kings are unsearchable. This may be more prescriptive than descriptive; that is, Solomon may be telling his son that he is to present himself to his subjects as mysterious. That is true. There needs to be something about the authority that makes him attractively mysterious because of the depth and gravitas the authority has. This generates respect and confidence in those under your authority. There is always this sense that they can’t figure out what you know and don’t know and/or that you probably know more than you are letting on. When your character is trustworthy, you have proven that you will use your authority out of love for them, this mystery creates a sense of awe for the authority. This doesn’t mean that he is unapproachable, but it does mean that you know there is more going on than he will tell you. If an authority is spilling his guts all the time about everything, he is putting everyone in jeopardy.
The prescription needs to become the description. The authority doesn’t need only to appear this way. He needs to be this way. There needs to be a certain amount of mystery in authorities. This may be something as simple as your authority having more information to you that you don’t need to know. You may not need to know it because it will hurt your relationship with another individual. You may not need to know it simply because it is none of your business. If you knew it, you would then have the burden of knowledge without any power to change the situation. When a parent tells a child, “I don’t want you to be close friends with that young man or young woman,” it is likely because the parent, looking out for the welfare of the child, sees issues that the child doesn’t. In those cases, the child will need to trust without full knowledge.
God does this with us. Deuteronomy 29.29 says that God reveals certain things that we need to know, and other things he keeps secret. He hasn’t given specific revelation as to why you have cancer, why you must suffer persecution while other Christians don’t, or why you, when you are doing everything right, are experiencing heartache. We know the general principle that God is disciplining us through our suffering, but that is all the knowledge we have. No specifics on our situations. God calls us to trust. Those are his secrets. Some of those secrets will be revealed when we are mature enough to handle them, but until then we are to trust him.
If God does this with us, should we not expect it from those who image him in authority?
This need for mystery calls for a proper response from those under authority. All of us under authority must realize that there are things we shouldn’t know. It is not our right to know everything. Prying, manipulating, and insisting that you know everything is not always good. Knowledge is power. But if you have this power without having legitimate authority in a situation, it will only frustrate you and will probably be used illegitimately to cause problems. Like gossip.
This doesn’t mean that you check your brain and trust authorities implicitly. No authority is beyond challenge. However, you need to be careful, especially if your authorities have proven to be trustworthy and are people of good character. You don’t need to know everything about everything all the time. You think the knowledge will help you. Maybe it will. But maybe it will only frustrate you more.
The need for mystery also calls for a wise response from those in authority. There are times that things must be hidden that, if exposed, you know would probably vindicate you immediately. You carry around this burden of knowledge that you want others to share, but you know it will be too heavy for them because they are not mature enough or because they have no responsibility in this area. To tell them what you know would crush them in some way. Just as a parent withholds information about the evil that goes on in the world because a child’s mind is not ready to handle those things, so all authorities must be willing to keep secrets until people are ready to hear.
Can this be abused? Yes. And it has been abused by many. But abuse does not make use illegitimate. As those under authority, there are things you don’t need to know, so don’t overly pry and throw a fit when you don’t get all the information you think you deserve. As those in authority, be willing to live with the burden of holding secrets even when it costs you.
Photo by AbsolutVision on Unsplash
