What does it mean that we should not let our left hand know what our right hand is doing (Matthew 6:3-4)?

But there is another invaluable word of the Lord as to this which calls for our heed. "But thou when thou dost alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth; so that thine alms may be in secret, and thy Father that seeth in secret will repay thee." It is not only from others but from ourselves that such doings should be hidden. Self is a subtler evil than men. The action of grace is defiled and becomes a poison to me and a dishonour to God when I think of it with complacency. If rightly done, it was passed to our Father for His remembrance, not ours.

Here lay Job's failure, which no inflictions of Satan, nor unsympathy, nor yet suspicion, of friends even touched. He was a most gracious man, but he thought of it, and not of God only who wrought in Him. To this he must be and was brought: to boast only in God, judge himself, and submit with all his heart. Part of the lesson was that his left hand should not know what his right hand did. This on the contrary, up to the end of his appeal (Job 31), he knew only too well. But all was changed when, instead of looking at fruits of grace in himself, he saw God in very faithfulness withering up all self-satisfaction. "I had heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth Thee: wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes" (Job 42:6).

If we do good deeds we ought to do them as He desires, without even mentioning them. Those who sound a trumpet before them (v. 2) to have glory of men the Lord Jesus calls hypocrites. This is a severe word which shows how detestable such insincerity is.

But one might say, "If someone does good to others the results will remain, even if everybody sees it!" This nobody can deny, but it is not in question here at all. The Lord Jesus speaks of men who pretend to do something for God, but in reality look for recognition and glory from men (as their reward) for their alms. So the Lord Jesus says if they are admired for it by men they do have their reward. They shall not receive any reward from God. God does not primarily honour the results-even if they are most blessed-but the motives of our actions. He desires so much our love for Him (and for our needy fellow-men) to be the motive for our deeds.

In sharp contrast to this hypocritical attitude stands the attitude to which the Lord Jesus encourages every single disciple (vv. 3 and 4): "But when thou doest alms, let not 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." Everyone is called to see how and where he may help. As we said earlier, the Lord does not command the giving of alms. But if we do give alms, it is to be done in secret and without being noticed. For this the Lord Jesus uses an expression which seems to say something humanly impossible: "Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth." If my left hand is not to know what my right hand does how much less ought my brethren and fellow-men to know it!

But there is someone who knows my secret doings and the attitude of my heart. "Thy Father, which seeth in secret, Himself shall reward thee (KJV: openly)." As in chapter 5:16 and 45 the Lord Jesus places His disciples in their new relationship to God as their Father. Though they could not yet understand the full depth of its significance, He told them that Jehovah of the Old Testament had now become their loving, good, but also just Father, who takes notice of every deed and thought of His sons with fatherly interest. He will also reward every one in a day to come.

(1) With regard to alms, which was a very practical thing, the principle of mercy comes in, as it might not in all cases of giving. It is a thing done seriously and solemnly, and the heart is drawn out. It is done in the sight of God. The general admonition is this: "Take heed that ye do not your righteousness before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore" (founded upon this exhortation) "when thou doest thine alms," which was one branch of this righteousness, "do not sound a trumpet before thee"; alluding to certain ways of notoriety and self-commendation then adopted by the Jews — the spirit of which belongs to men at all times. There are few things in which human vanity betrays itself more glaringly than the desire to be known by almsgiving. And what is it that brings true deliverance from this snare of nature? "When thou doest alms (observe, He now makes it entirely individual), 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. But when thou doest alms, let not 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. That is, it is not merely that one is not to blazon abroad what is done, but not to oneself even. Not only another's left hand is not to know what your right hand does, but your own left hand ought not. Cutting are the Lord's words to everything like self-gratulation. The grand point is this: that all be done to our Father. It is not a question of duty simply; but our Father's love has been brought out, and this is His will concerning us. He knows what is best, and we are ignorant of it. We might think to supply the greatest happiness by surrounding ourselves with what we most like; but the letting slip the means of personal enjoyment will open to us fresh sources of blessing. Besides, what we ought to desire is that the alms may be "in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret Himself shall reward thee openly." We shall find this repeated at every point of what is here called our "righteousness." Room is ever made for the flesh where there is not the cultivated habit of what is done being between our Father and ourselves. Nay, more, our Lord would have us dismiss the very thought into the bosom of the Father, who will not forget it.

But the Lord says also, "When thou doest alms let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth" (ver. 3). So it is clearly indicated there that we should not only not talk about them (for it is a miserable thing for saints of God to be advertising their own goodness in any way), but we should also not think about it. Self-gratulation is a miserable thing. We ought to remember Luke 17:10. Let us show the connection, it will quite fit in with what we have in our chapter. In Luke 17:6 the Lord shows that whatever obstruction there is, and however formidable against your acting in the gracious way indicated in the previous verses, it shall be removed. But then there would be the danger of your thinking yourself a very gracious person, and so the Lord gives us verses 7-10. However much grace you show in carrying out the Lord's instruction, say, nevertheless, "We are unprofitable servants." The Lord won't let us have high thoughts of ourselves at all, for all we have is of grace. So do not let us talk of our goodness or think of it.

What have we to forget as to the past? Sometimes people say, I delight to think of God's past goodness. And quite rightly, for where the words "forgetting those things that are behind" occur, it speaks of a race and attainment. Whatever in our past history that would minister to our pride let us forget; whatever would humble us let us remember: then we are wise. So let not your left hand know what your right hand does, means don't dwell upon it. I believe from these words there is much done in the way of almsgiving, prayer, and fasting that is pleasing to God, but which neither the world nor our fellows know anything about. That which is pleasing to God is not displayed here, the time of display will come, but this is the hidden life. Your Father which is in secret is He Who knows the secrets, and He is "not unrighteous to forget your work, and the love that ye have shown to His Name in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister." We have no right to speak of people as hypocrites. It must be the One Who can read the heart to say that. Judas, was a hypocrite when he kissed the Lord. Peter was not, though he denied Him. Judas never loved the Lord, Peter did.

If God has given us an abundance, then certainly it is to be used for the help of others; but the left hand is not to know what the right does in this case. The thing is to be done, and nothing said, no attention drawn to it. For giving is to be done as to the Lord, only for God's approval, not men's, though it is done for the welfare of others.

"When therefore thou doest aims, sound not a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be glorified by men: Verily I say to you, They do get their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right doeth, that thine alms may be in secret, and thy Father that seeth in secret will repay to thee" (2-4). If men walk in a vain show religiously quite as much as in the world, the Lord calls His own to shun publicity, and not merely this, but in His vigorous figure, that our own left hand may not know what the right does. The simple and essential aim is to do what we do to Him and His glory.

"Take heed that ye do not your righteousness before men to be seen of them" (R. V.). He puts His finger upon the tendency which is inherent in every human heart to seek greatness in the eyes of others, and shows how the works of charity and devotion done in this world must be done before the Father and His world. Happy are they who are delivered from the mere appearance of things, and from the value that fellow-mortals may put upon their works, and who value only the approval of Him who sees in secret. Their reward is certain, a reward that will not perish with man and his world, but will abide for ever. Surely it is a mark of Heaven's grace in this world to be able to carry on works of kindness in it, but the effect upon and result to ourselves is the point here. Not only is there a secret chamber into which we may enter and close the door (verse 6), but a secret place in our souls where the record of such gracious acts is concealed, that none but the Father who sees in secret may know and reward openly. "Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand does."

In all cases the snare is ostentatious, doing our righteousness before men to be seen of them. Otherwise, says our Lord, ye have no reward of your Father that is in the heavens. He lays the utmost stress on the manner and the motive with which the act is done. Display in the doing of alms He compares to sounding a trumpet before the doer, and denounces it as what the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, within and without where people meet and pass. Can anything be conceived baser than a son of God playing a part to win the notice and approbation of men? How solemnly He adds, Verily I say to you, They have got their reward!

How elevating it is for the soul, in having to do with the relief of distress among men, to act in secret, and in the sight of the Father that seeth in secret as the One to repay! It is not enough to exclude other men. To bring Him in and in secret is essential to the purity of the case. It is He who is above all, and through all, and in us all; and the least of His gifts to us is what enables us to help the suffering and the needy. To leave Him out is the essence of unbelief. To bring Him in is what we as His children owe Him in love and honour, the witness of our dependence, of our gratitude, and of our loyal service.

One may perhaps object: "But my good works! Alas, that is just my difficulty. With all my inconsistency, I fear that it would more dishonor Christ than honor Him, for me to confess Him." One can understand such language; one can even respect the motive, and yet it involves an essential mistake. We are never called to show our good works, or even to be conscious of them. The Lord's lesson as to alms-giving perfectly illustrates the rule as to all such things, which is "let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth." He is not here, we may be sure, teaching a contradictory principle. He takes for granted that there will be good works indeed: true faith in Him will surely have its fruit; but faith is the very opposite of self-occupation; and certainly of self-satisfaction.

This is not contradicted by the earlier words of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 5:16: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." There He was speaking to His disciples who ought to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. If their good works were seen, God would be glorified by them, and not men. In our paragraph in Matthew 6 the result is just the reverse.

We sometimes find it difficult to judge whether we really do a thing for the Lord's sake or as seeking the praise of men, because our motives are often mixed. It is true that we would like to do something for the Lord but we like men to see us doing it! The world has a saying: "Do good and do speak of it!" As our verse shows, such an attitude does not become a faithful disciple of the Lord Jesus. We therefore need to examine and judge ourselves continuously.