Article 1, Section 5, Paragraph 3
Each House shall keep a Journal of its Proceedings, and from time to time publish the same, excepting such Parts as may in their Judgment require Secrecy; and the Yeas and Nays of the Members of either House on any question shall, at the Desire of one fifth of those Present, be entered on the Journal.
Except where Secrecy Is Demanded
Godly secrets are to be kept guarded.
Some things are to remain secret; realizing that what is done in secret will be proclaimed loudly as well as judged.
Ephesians 5:12, "For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret."
Luke 8:17, "For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad."
Ecclesiastes 12:14, "For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil."
Secret things belong to God, so must be holy to be kept secret.
Deuteronomy 29:29, "The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law."
We are not to reveal secrets to others.
Proverbs 11:13, "A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter."
Proverbs 20:19, "He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips."
Proverbs 25:9, "Debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself; and discover not a secret to another:"
Secret things include gift giving, offerings, prayer, and fasting.
Proverbs 21:14, "A gift in secret pacifieth anger: and a reward in the bosom strong wrath."
Matthew 6:4, "That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly."
Matthew 6:6, "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly."
Matthew 6:18, "That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly."
The Lord Jesus at times moved about secretly.
John 7:10, "But when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret."
He did not know the day He would return.
Matthew 24:36, "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only."
God reveals secrets.
Daniel 2:28, "But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;"
He reveals them to His prophets.
Amos 3:7, "Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."
Those that reverence God have his secret.
Psalm 25:14, "The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant."
Elisha was able to warn the Israeli king of the Syrian king’s intentions.
2 Kings 6:8-12, "Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp. And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down. And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice. Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel? And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber."
God reveals secrets to spare His people. In times of trouble, God hides us in His secret pavilion
Psalm 27:5, "For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock."
There are things that should be secretly done and kept secret as much as possible. However, these things are to be righteous. Secrecy is not to be used to do evil. It must be remembered that righteousness is done openly (as Daniel’s prayers).
Daniel 6:10, "Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime."
John 3:19-21, "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God."
 |
 |
 |
