The Wisdom of Withheld Knowledge

Learning to Embrace What God Has Not Revealed

There are instances where God makes clear that there is knowledge we do not need. His dialogue with Moses concerning other worlds is one such instance. It provides a lesson we would do well to apply more often. We often attempt to speak on subjects God has been explicitly silent on, speculating, debating, and even dividing over unrevealed mysteries, when the scriptures repeatedly teach humility, focus, and trust in what has been given. This principle invites us to center our lives on revealed truth rather than chasing shadows of the unknown.

The foundational example comes from the Pearl of Great Price, in the Lord’s direct revelation to Moses. After showing Moses a vision of the earth and its inhabitants, the Lord deliberately limits what He will disclose:

“But only an account of this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, give I unto you. For behold, there are many worlds that have passed away by the word of my power. And there are many that now stand, and innumerable are they unto man; but all things are numbered unto me, for they are mine and I know them.” (Moses 1:35)

He continues, “The heavens, they are many, and they cannot be numbered unto man; but they are numbered unto me, for they are mine” (Moses 1:37). Earlier in the same chapter, the Lord had already set the boundary: “behold, thou art my son; wherefore look, and I will show thee the workmanship of mine hands; but not all, for my works are without end, and also my words, for they never cease” (Moses 1:4). God does not withhold out of cruelty or caprice; He withholds because Moses (and by extension, humanity) cannot bear it all while in mortality. The infinite scope of creation, worlds without number, each with its own inhabitants and purposes, is known perfectly to God, yet deliberately placed beyond our current need. The account Moses is commanded to record is narrowly focused on this earth and this work of salvation. The lesson is unmistakable: some knowledge is reserved for the Lord alone.

This same principle echoes throughout the standard works. In the Old Testament, Moses declares:

“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.” (Deuteronomy 29:29)

The distinction is sharp: secret things are God’s; revealed things are ours, so that we may act on them. Revelation is not given merely to satisfy curiosity but to enable obedience.

In the New Testament, the Savior Himself applied this boundary to His Apostles. Just before His ascension, they asked about the timing of the restoration of the kingdom to Israel. Jesus replied:

“It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.” (Acts 1:7)

He had spent years teaching them doctrine, miracles, and ordinances, yet on this point of timing and sequence He drew a firm line. Similarly, in the Upper Room discourse, He told the disciples:

“I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.” (John 16:12)

The Lord does not dump infinite truth on finite minds; He measures revelation according to our capacity and His purposes.

The Book of Mormon reinforces the same humility. When the Spirit shows Nephi a sweeping vision of the future, Nephi responds with simple honesty:

“I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.” (1 Nephi 11:17)

Even a prophet who had seen the condescension of God and the tree of life acknowledged the limits of his understanding. He did not press for more than was given, nor presume to fill in the blanks with his own speculation.

These scriptures collectively support the thesis: God is deliberately silent on many subjects, and that silence is itself a form of revelation, a call to trust, to focus, and to refrain from speculation. Yet how often do we ignore this? We fill doctrinal voids with theories about the precise nature of other worlds, the exact timeline of the Second Coming, the mechanics of unmentioned ordinances, the fate of those who never heard the gospel in ways not revealed, the divine nature of Heavenly Mother, or the “why” behind personal trials that heaven has left unexplained. Online forums buzz, classrooms debate, and friendships fracture over questions the Lord has placed in the category of “secret things.” We treat divine silence as an invitation to speak for God rather than an invitation to be silent with God.

The practical lesson is clear and liberating. When we encounter a subject on which the scriptures and living prophets are silent, our default posture should be restraint, not conjecture. We are to “do all the words of this law” with the light we have been given (Deuteronomy 29:29). This counsel does not mean we are to avoid searching the scriptures, applying scientific knowledge to things God has revealed, and seeking answers through the Spirit. But when God remains silent, or has specifically stated that something is outside our realm, we must leave it to the Lord. As the Lord reminded the early Saints:

“For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant” (Doctrine and Covenants 58:26).

He expects us to walk by faith, not by exhaustive explanation. This principle fosters humility, curbs contention, and channels our energy into the work that matters most: becoming like the Savior, keeping covenants, and helping others come unto Christ.

In a world drowning in information and opinion, the ancient dialogue between God and Moses still speaks with power. There are things we do not need to know right now. God has drawn the line, not to frustrate us, but to free us. May we have the wisdom and the courage to honor that line, to speak where He has spoken, to remain silent where He has been silent, and to trust that what He has withheld is withheld in perfect love. In doing so, we will find greater peace, deeper faith, and clearer focus on the work and glory that truly belong to us: the immortality and eternal life of man (Moses 1:39).