Psalms 25:14 Meaning and Explanation
“The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Many people want to know God's will while keeping God at a distance. David describes a different setting for understanding: the fear of the LORD. This reverence is joined to covenant relationship, where God makes known the faithful bond he has established with his people.
Those who fear the LORD are brought into his confidence and taught his covenant. Reverent trust opens the way for deeper knowledge of God's faithful purposes and obligations toward his people.
The Context of Psalms 25:14
Psalm 25 moves between David's personal pleas for mercy and guidance and his confidence in the LORD's character. Verses 12 through 13 ask who fears the LORD and answer that God will teach that person the way to choose; they also speak of abiding blessing and inheritance. Verse 14 continues the same thought, joining fear of the LORD with the secret of the LORD and the showing of his covenant. Verse 15 returns to David's own prayerful gaze toward the LORD and his need for rescue from a net. The psalm ends with requests for deliverance and redemption for Israel.
What Does Psalms 25:14 Mean?
"The secret of the LORD" speaks of what God shares with those who fear him. In this setting, the word does not suggest hidden knowledge available through cleverness or private power. The next clause explains its direction: "he will shew them his covenant." God makes known the covenantal reality of his relationship with his people, including the path of faithful response within it. To fear the LORD is to regard him with reverence, trust, and moral seriousness. David has already linked that fear with being taught the way one should choose. The secret is therefore bound to humble, obedient fellowship with God rather than curiosity alone.
Within Psalm 25, covenant knowledge grows out of the prayer's whole posture. David waits on the LORD, asks for his ways, appeals to ancient mercies, confesses great iniquity, and seeks preservation. Verse 10 has already named the LORD's paths as mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and testimonies. Verse 14 deepens that theme: the covenant is not a bare arrangement or distant fact. God shows it to those who fear him, teaching them how his mercy, truth, commands, pardon, and guidance belong together. The verse does not claim that every difficult providence becomes immediately clear. It promises God-given knowledge within reverent covenant relationship.
The Scriptures speak of God's covenant purposes being made known in ways that call for faithfulness and bring people nearer to him. Jesus spoke to his disciples about receiving knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom, and he established the new covenant through his blood. These passages illuminate Psalm 25 without changing its emphasis: knowledge from God serves covenant communion and faithful life. In Christ, the covenant mercy sought by David reaches a decisive expression, including forgiveness of sins. Yet the psalm continues to summon us to fear the LORD, to receive his teaching, and to live attentively within the relationship he graciously makes known.
Bible Verses Related to Psalms 25:14
“All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.”
- Psalm 25:10
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.”
- Psalm 111:10
“Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.”
- Amos 3:7
“Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.”
- Luke 22:20
Where Psalms 25:14 Echoes in Scripture
Luke 22:20 provides a particularly strong canonical connection because Jesus names the cup as the new covenant in his blood. Psalm 25:14 says that the LORD will show those who fear him his covenant. At the supper, Jesus gives his disciples a decisive covenant disclosure centered on his sacrificial death. The connection keeps covenant knowledge from becoming abstract. God's covenant is made known through his saving action and calls forth faithful remembrance, trust, and obedience.
How to Apply Psalms 25:14 Today
Reverence for God can shape the way we seek understanding. Rather than treating Scripture, prayer, or worship as tools for gaining control, we may approach God ready to hear and obey. It helps to ask not only, "What answer do I want?" but also, "What does faithfulness to God's covenant require here?" Regular attention to God's commands, promises, mercy, and correction forms this posture over time. In seasons of uncertainty, we can remain near to God through prayer and faithful practice, trusting him to show what is needed for the path before us.
Reflection & Prayer
What would it look like for us to seek God's will with deeper reverence and readiness to obey? Pray: "LORD, teach me to fear thee rightly. Draw me into faithful knowledge of thy covenant, and make my life responsive to thy mercy and truth."