Learning about God from the words of the literal Bible is not easy because God reveals himself in mystery and secrets. He has told us this in his many references to dark sayings, proverbs and riddles, figures of speech, words of the wise and riddles, dreams and visions, enigmas, difficult problems, shadows, types and patterns, parables/taunts/proverbs, and symbols, signs and allegories that appear in the literal Bible. The spiritual meanings of these mysteries and secrets are the truths that we listen for him to reveal in his spoken word. 

Religious leaders try to explain these mysteries with fine-sounding intellectual explanations embellished with clever human knowledge and no small amount of imaginative speculation. Religious people think that their leaders are anointed with special knowledge and insights into these mysteries, so they listen to them. This relationship is not what God wants. What he wants is that his people listen to his voice — not the voices of religious leaders.

Religious leaders tend to ignore most mysteries because they don’t understand them and can’t explain them. Religious people think that if they understand a few basic doctrines, and practice their religion more or less faithfully, they will be right with God. They are content with knowledge that God is love, that he loves them, and that they will spend eternity with him, but anything beyond that is optional. They consider mysteries as unimportant because their leaders strategically avoid the mysteries and do not teach them how to listen to God’s voice for understanding.  Mysteries and secrets may not be important to religious leaders and their followers, but we know that understanding is important to God because he has loaded scripture with them. To help us understand how important they are, he tells us that all scripture is available for training in righteousness. This means that understanding of Biblical mysteries are not be optional for anyone who aspires to righteousness.

The truth, therefore, is that knowledge of God exists in Biblical mysteries and symbolism — not in simplified doctrines deduced from literal interpretations of the Bible. People who seek to understand mysteries show that they hunger and thirst for righteousness. People who vigorously ask, seek and knock for understanding of mysteries show that they love God with their heart, mind soul and strength. All the others just love their religions.

We may rightly conclude that Biblical mysteries are puzzles to be solved for those who aspire to righteousness. And from the fact that there are so many religions, we may also conclude that none of these religions have solved the puzzle.

If solving the God puzzle was possible just by reading and understanding the literal words of the Bible, it is reasonable to expect that many religions would have solved the puzzle by now and religion would be growing instead of declining. Religions can not and will not solve the puzzle, however, because religions depend on the teaching of men — not on hearing God’s voice. Despite their claims to the contrary, religionists who do not make the effort to hear God’s voice prove that their love for him is lukewarm. And they do not make the effort because they believe that their intellectual knowledge of the literal Bible makes them spiritually rich. In God’s view, they are actually poor because they do not listen to his voice.

Religious people who depend on religious leaders to explain mysteries will never come to understanding of God and his ways. As long as they trust false prophets to teach them about God, God  denies understanding because they willfully and ignorantly insert an idol (i.e. teacher) between themselves and God instead of listening to God’s voice. In God’s eyes these religious leaders are idols and the people who listen to them are idolaters.

GOD EXPLAINS MYSTERIES TO THOSE WHO LISTEN
Neither Jews nor Christians like to acknowledge that mysteries comprise the majority of the Bible. And yet they deceptively claim that that the Bible is the source of their religious faith. Worse yet, because people focus their studies on select scriptures to the exclusion of scriptures that are hard to understand and obey, they fail to consider other scriptures that should be considered when forming doctrinal statements. Or, it can be said that they fail to discover other scriptures that should be considered when forming a picture of God. Obviously they have chosen to ignore the following scriptures:

Psalm 78:1-4: 1 A Maskil of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth! 2 I will open my mouth in Proverbs; I will utter dark sayings from of old, 3 things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. 4 We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders which he has wrought.

INTERPRETATION: This is God speaking to his people. He says that  the purpose for understanding the ancient mysteries (i.e. parables and dark sayings) of God is so that we might teach our spiritual children about God and the things he does for his people.   The knowledge is for teaching others about God so that they might be drawn to him.

Proverbs 25:2  It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.

INTERPRETATION: Here God says that concealing himself in the mysteries and secrets of the Bible brings him glory. It also says that glory accrues to his people (i.e. kings) who search to discover God.

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

INTERPRETATION: Note that the secrets are revealed so that we may follow God’s words written on the hearts of New Covenant disciples when God speaks to their hearts.

Matthew 11:25  At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants;

INTERPRETATION: God hides revelation from those who think they are wise and intelligent. He makes revelation known to infants who know that they know nothing and are eager to learn with excitement like an infant. This is the description of a disciple.

Being open minded and ready for discovery about God is especially difficult for people who have been in church for a long time because they are convinced that they understand God. They think that they are rich but they are spiritually poor.

Matthew 13:34 All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and He did not speak to them without a parable.

INTERPRETATION: Everything Jesus said was inspired by God. Therefore, if God spoke in dark sayings, proverbs and riddles, Jesus did the same. 

None of what God/Jesus said can be  understood unless God gives ears to hear (i.e. understand) what they are saying.

Matthew 13:10-13 His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 He answered, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 13 The reason I speak to them in parables is that “seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.’

INTERPRETATION: From these scriptures we learn that secrets will be revealed to some some people but not to others.  True disciples who listen for God’s voice will know the secrets.

Numbers 12:8:  With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in dark speech; and he beholds the form of the LORD.

INTERPRETATION: Moses listened to God’s voice. He understood God’s spiritual essence and was not confused by God’s dark speech.

Proverbs 1:1-9: The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: 2 That men may know wisdom and instruction, understand words of insight, 3 receive instruction in wise dealing, righteousness, justice, and equity; 4 that prudence may be given to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth– 5 the wise man also may hear and increase in learning, and the man of understanding acquire skill, 6 to understand a proverb and a figure, the words of the wise and their riddles. 7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. 8 Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and reject not your mother’s teaching; 9 for they are a fair garland for your head, and pendants for your neck. 

INTERPRETATION: These verses verify that understanding is possible for those who hear God’s voice.

Daniel 5:11-12: There is in your kingdom a man in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him, and King Nebuchadnez’zar, your father, made him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chalde’ans, and astrologers, 12 because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshaz’zar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.”

INTERPRETATION: Daniel is a type of New Covenant disciple who listened to God’s voice. Because he listened, he could solve the puzzle.

John 16:17-31: Some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ‘because I go to the Father’?” 18 They said, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he means.” 19 Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him; so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’?20 Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. 21 When a woman is in travail she has sorrow, because her hour has come; but when she is delivered of the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a child is born into the world. 22 So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. 23 In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father, he will give it to you in my name. 24 Hitherto you have asked nothing in my name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. 25 “I have said this to you in figures; the hour is coming when I shall no longer speak to you in figures but tell you plainly of the Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name; and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; 27 for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from the Father. 28 I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father.” 29 His disciples said, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly, not in any figure! 30 Now we know that you know all things, and need none to question you; by this we believe that you came from God.” 31 Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe?

INTERPRETATION: Jesus’ disciples would not have received understanding unless they had wondered about his teaching and asked  each other what he meant by it. This kind of inquisitiveness is key to acquiring understanding of the deep things of God. Those who think they know what God is trying to say because they understand the literal words will not receive spiritual understanding because they already think that they are wise.

The issue of “asking” here is not about asking for something in prayer like people normally do when praying. What God is talking about here is asking for spiritual understanding that can only come to people who hear God’s spoken voice. Answers will come to New Covenant disciples (i.e. those who ask in Jesus name/character) who constantly acknowledge their lack of understanding of difficult scriptures and express their desire to have God give them spiritual understanding beyond the literal meanings of scripture.

We see here also that belief is tied to spiritual understanding of the Bible.

Job 33:9-19: You say, ‘I am clean, without transgression; I am pure, and there is no iniquity in me. 10 Behold, he finds occasions against me, he counts me as his enemy; 11 he puts my feet in the stocks, and watches all my paths.’ 12 “Behold, in this you are not right. I will answer you. God is greater than man. 13 Why do you contend against him, saying, ‘He will answer none of my words’? 14 For God speaks in one way, and in two, though man does not perceive it. 15 In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, while they slumber on their beds, 16 then he opens the ears of men, and terrifies them with warnings, 17 that he may turn man aside from his deed, and cut off pride from man; 18 he keeps back his soul from the Pit, his life from perishing by the sword. 19 “Man is also chastened with pain upon his bed, and with continual strife in his bones;

INTERPRETATION: Saying that God speaks in one way, and in two is a confirmation of the “first the natural, then the spiritual” principle. This principle says that God first reveals a little bit of himself in the literal words of the Bible and then reveals himself fully in his spoken words.

Verses 15 through 19 indicate that spiritual understanding, when it comes, will have chastening effect that will turn men from their deeds (i.e. religion).

We conclude from these scriptures that Biblical mysteries and secrets are not insurmountable obstacles to knowing God. They are insurmountable for Old/First Covenant religionists who get all of their instruction from religious teaching, but understanding is possible for New Covenant disciples who listen to God’s voice.