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A Need-to-Know Basis
A Need-to-Know Basis
In military operations, a commanding officer sometimes will tell his men certain details of the operation, but will refuse to tell them everything. The officer will say, “Sorry, soldiers, that’s on a need-to-know basis,” implying that those details are not necessary to complete the mission. The commanding officer is not being rude. Unnecessary information might even endanger the mission.
That was the case during the planning for the 1944 invasion of Normandy. Officers and men knew their own objectives, but only a very small handful of generals knew the full scope or the target date of the operation. This tight control on information allowed each soldier to perform his duty, but prevented the enemy from gaining insight through espionage or prisoners. It worked, for even on D-Day, Germany thought the invasion was a feint, and did not commit enough troops to resist the assault until it was too late.
In Deuteronomy 29:29, God says,
The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.
Bible students would be wise to keep this principle in mind. God says that there are certain things that He has seen fit not to reveal. We must get comfortable with the fact that we are on a need-to-know basis. In His great wisdom, He will not provide the answers to every question we have. He will not clarify all His reasons for doing certain things.
And we get in trouble when we attempt to fill in some of the gaps, or try to outguess God. If there is not a clear answer in Scripture, then God is withholding the information for a reason.
For example, God knows the day that the great judgment will come. Acts 17:31 says “He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world.” But He never reveals the day. I’d really like to know which day God has circled on His calendar. I’m not the only one! But, “that day and hour no one knows” (Matt. 24:36). “As to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night” (1 Thess. 5:1-2).
God has revealed many, many things regarding the judgment and how to be prepared for it. But the date is a secret which belongs only to Him. If He told us, knowing my weak human nature, I would sin flagrantly until the moment before the judgment, and then hastily repent and ask God to forgive me. But since God has not revealed the date, I must live my life in such a way that I am ready to be judged at a moment’s notice. When it comes to the date, we are on a need-to-know basis. And, we don’t need to know. Knowing would endanger our mission. I can ignore calculation, and focus on preparation.
For another example, despite the popular view that 12-25-0001AD is Jesus’ birthday. God
didn’t reveal Jesus’ birthday because it is not important for our salvation. In fact, it might actually distract us from the real focus of Jesus’ life, which was to die on the cross for our sins. God intentionally kept the focus off His birth, and put the focus on His sacrifice.
I would like to know more about the early years of Jesus’ life. But, while all four gospel writers tell us of his three years of ministry and His death and resurrection, only Luke gives us one brief snippet into his early life, when He was twelve and stayed in the Temple to teach the rabbis. There have been some pseudepigraphal efforts to fill in those early years, but they are full of ridiculous stories about how Jesus miraculously helped Joseph build furniture in the carpentry shop, and how he dealt with other neighborhood kids who teased him on the playground. The gospel writers are silent about these years, because they are not important to the message.
There were other things Jesus did during his three years of ministry, “which are not written ... but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing, you may have life in His name” (John 20:30-31).
I would like to know more about the world before Noah, and how the patriarchs lived so many years. And many other things.
We shouldn’t spend our time wrangling over things that God has not revealed. “The things revealed belong to us.” God has revealed more than enough of His will to keep us busy in the meantime. One can spend a lifetime studying what is revealed and never grasp it all. We have enough of a challenge as it is to obey the rules and fulfill the responsibilities He has given.
didn’t reveal Jesus’ birthday because it is not important for our salvation. In fact, it might actually distract us from the real focus of Jesus’ life, which was to die on the cross for our sins. God intentionally kept the focus off His birth, and put the focus on His sacrifice.
I would like to know more about the early years of Jesus’ life. But, while all four gospel writers tell us of his three years of ministry and His death and resurrection, only Luke gives us one brief snippet into his early life, when He was twelve and stayed in the Temple to teach the rabbis. There have been some pseudepigraphal efforts to fill in those early years, but they are full of ridiculous stories about how Jesus miraculously helped Joseph build furniture in the carpentry shop, and how he dealt with other neighborhood kids who teased him on the playground. The gospel writers are silent about these years, because they are not important to the message.
There were other things Jesus did during his three years of ministry, “which are not written ... but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing, you may have life in His name” (John 20:30-31).
I would like to know more about the world before Noah, and how the patriarchs lived so many years. And many other things.
We shouldn’t spend our time wrangling over things that God has not revealed. “The things revealed belong to us.” God has revealed more than enough of His will to keep us busy in the meantime. One can spend a lifetime studying what is revealed and never grasp it all. We have enough of a challenge as it is to obey the rules and fulfill the responsibilities He has given.
