Proverbs 25:2

The glory of the Lord, to conceal the word, etc. The glory of the Lord is more to show himself in the flesh of his humanity than in his divinity to the eyes of mortals, and to confess himself rather through the miracles of his …

It is the glory of God to conceal a thing,....

THE translation of our text, if it had been more literal, would have run thus, "It is the glory of God to covera matter, but the honor of kings is to search out a matter." For the sake of variety in language, our translators sometimes gave two different interpretations to the same word and though that makes the verbiage more smooth, it is generally a great mistake and apt to mislead us. The word, "conceal," is just the same word that we get in the passage, "Blessed is he... whose sin is covered." So the text runs thus—I will give it to you again that I may further impress it upon you—"It is the glory of God to cover a matter, but the honor of kings is to search out a matter." First of all, I will give you the common interpretation which is given to these words and the topic which is suggested to most minds thereby, namely, that it is God's glory to conceal much of the great Truth which concerns Himself and His dealings with the sons of men. "Clouds and darkness are round about Him." It is His glory that He is not seen, His glory that He is concealed, while, as for kings, it is their honor "to search out a matter." This is the general interpretation which almost every expositor gives of this passage, but I am not able wholly to agree with it. However, I will speak upon it for little while. It is certain that such an explanation as this would have to be taken in a limited sense, for it cannot absolutely and without qualification be the glory of God to conceal a thing, for, if so, He might have concealed everything from us. It is evidently for His glory that some things should be revealed or else, why has He revealed them? He might have dwelt forever in that wondrous solitude in which we suppose He did dwell before He commenced the work of Creation.

It is the glory of God to conceal a thing - This has been understood as referring to the revelation of God’s will in his word, where there are many things concealed in parables, allegories, metaphors, similitudes, etc. And it is becoming the majesty of God so to publish his will, that it must be seriously studied to be understood, in order that the truth may be more prized when it is discovered.

The earthly monarch might be, in some respects, the type of the heavenly, but here there is a marked contrast. The king presses further and further into all knowledge; God surrounds Himself as in “thick darkness,” and there are secrets unrevealed even after the fullest revelation.