Matthew 6:2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward
How many times have you done something you knew to be wrong and no one found out about it? Proverbs says, “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” Is it true that the person who tries to cover his sin will not prosper? You may think, “I’m sure there are a lot of people who have successfully covered their sins and are very prosperous indeed. They have a lot of money and friends.”
Well, is that the prosperity God is talking about? At what will a person not prosper? The Bible says, “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper.” Prosper at what? The answer is he will not prosper in covering his sins. It is not as if at some point God will make known every sin he has ever done to everyone that has lived. The point is what God knows about right now in his heart.
Now, conversely or similarly, how many things have you done that were good that no one knew about? When you do something good, noble, or honest and you don’t get recognized or praised and no one even knows, you can do a couple of things. You can be hurt. You think, “I’ve knocked myself out to do something nice.” Sometimes you can feel morally superior, thinking, “I’ve done something good and I haven’t told anyone. That makes me doubly good. Good because I have done good and better because I haven’t told them.” Then you feel smug or morally superior.
How should you feel at such a time? I would say be sure your good will find you out. In Matthew 6:1-2, Jesus says, “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.” So, when I give, I don’t need to announce my good works. No one needs to know because I am not doing it for the glory of men. Verses 3-4 say, “But when thou doest alms, do not let thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: that thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.” Be sure your good will find you out.
Now, I can think of two actions to take. First, be grateful that you can give. I have a friend who often says, “Would you rather need five dollars or have the power to give five dollars?” I’d rather be in the position to give five dollars. You say, “Well, I don’t have any money.” There are all kinds of poverty. King David often wrote in the psalms about his poverty. He wasn’t talking about money.
All of us have something to give. If you are young, maybe you have energy to give. If you are older, maybe you have wisdom to give. You may not feel young, but you are younger now than you are ever going to be again, and you may not feel wise, but anyone that is paying attention should be wiser now than they were five years ago.
In any event, be grateful that you can give. The Bible tells us that God loves a cheerful giver and the reason God loves the cheerful giver is because God is the cheerful giver. Corinthians says that when we give, God is to be glorified because God gives through us. He doesn’t just give to us; He gives through us. We ought to be grateful that we can give. You can be sure your good will find you out. It is true with alms in verse 4, prayer in verse 5, and fasting in verse 16.
Second, be encouraged that God knows. There will be times when you do something noble and virtuous and wish someone knew. God knows. I Timothy 5:24 says, “Some men’s sin are open beforehand, going before to judgment.” For some people everyone knows what they do wrong and they brag about it. It is foolish. It continues, “Some men they [their sins] follow after.” Their sins are like a hungry lion on a dark trail pursuing them. Either way they are going to be found out.
Verse 25 says, “Likewise also the good works of some are manifest beforehand.” Sometimes we do good and everyone knows. The verse finishes, “And they that are otherwise [the good works we do that are not manifest beforehand] cannot be hid.” From whom are they not hidden? Haven’t you done good and realized that no one knows? So, from whom can your good not be hidden? Your good is not hidden from God. The good works we do that are hidden cannot be hidden. They might to be hidden to my friend, neighbor, or spouse, but they are not hidden to God.
Life is short. God is good. Be sure your good will find you out. Can I be sure my sin will be known by God? Yes. Can I be sure that my good, obedience, and godliness will be found out? It is not that it will be found out; it is known real time by God Himself.