“At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.” Matthew 11:25
Whatever religious knowledge, carnal wisdom, or worldly prudence a man possesses, if he is devoid of the life of God in his soul he is destitute of the workings of godly fear. He has no solemn awe or reverence for the Lord God; he has never seen his sins in the light of God’s holiness. He has never trembled at “the wrath to come”; he has never prostrated himself with a reverential spirit before the eyes of a heart-searching, all-seeing, all-knowing God. All his knowledge, wisdom, and prudence leave him just where they found him, unimpressed, carnal, sensual, worldly, and “dead in trespasses and sins.” All his wisdom never reached beyond the surface, never broke up the crust of unbelief so as to enter through that seared crust into the conscience and produce living effects; produced only by the touch of God’s Spirit. His knowledge, wisdom, and prudence are all floating in his judgment, and never descend into the depths of his heart. Therefore, God hides the workings of spiritual fear from those who are “wise and prudent.” He does not condescend to manifest Himself to them; He does not show them light in His light, He does not reveal Himself to their consciences; He does not come with power into their hearts; He does not take the veil of unbelief and blindness from their carnal minds and reveal to them Himself. He takes them not where He took Moses into the cleft of the rock where His glory was revealed. He deals not with them as He did with Isaiah when He manifested to him His glory in the temple. He reveals Himself not to them as He did to Job when He brought him to “abhor himself and repent in dust and ashes.” Therefore all his knowledge of God is an external, intellectual knowledge, a mere exercise of the faculties of the mind, without any spiritual teaching or special revelation of the presence, power, glory and majesty of God in his conscience. On the other hand the “babe”, the living babe in Zion has “the fear of the Lord” in his soul, “as the beginning of wisdom.” Therefore having this fountain of life within, he has it springing up in spiritual exercise. As the Apostle speaks, he “serves God acceptably with reverence and Godly fear.” He dare not rush with presumption into His holy presence. When he comes into His sanctuary a solemn dread falls upon his spirit. He has the feelings of Isaiah when he cried, “I am a man of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts”.
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