Why does God hide things from human understanding?
God hides things from human understanding because in His sovereignty He reserves their revelation for His appointed time. What was hidden in His mind, including truths later revealed to Paul and the predetermined crucifixion of the Messiah, is disclosed only when He chooses, not according to human timing or discovery.
Les explains that God in His sovereignty keeps things hidden from human understanding until it is His time to reveal them. He connects the Hebrew word Olam, used when David asks why the Lord has hidden things, and notes that Paul constantly refers to truths that were hidden in the mind of God. Les also points to Acts 2, where Peter preaches that the crucifixion of the Messiah was by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, not a surprise. God was not surprised by Israel's rejection or Rome's crucifixion; it was all predetermined in eternity past, and the same is true of these truths.