God calls out, “Where are you?” But he knew exactly where Adam and Eve were. I think God is making a statement here more than He’s asking a question.
God is sovereign, meaning He knows all and directs the whole plan. What Adam and Eve did is the same thing people have been doing – you and I have done – for a long time. We try to hide our sin from God.
It reminds me of playing hide and seek with my children. They try to hide, but in their innocence, they don’t realize I can see their feet sticking out of the blanket or see them under the table.
I think God’s ‘question’ is like me as a dad saying, “Are you hiding under the table?” knowing full well I can see them there.
But it’s in that simple metaphor that we realize that we’re the little kids hiding under the table. We think that because God can’t see our face and we can’t see His, He doesn’t know where we are.
Some of us will try and hide our sin for a long time. We sweep it under the rug a little at a time. No one will notice – at first. Slowly a bump forms under the rug that we try to nonchalantly stomp down. But in no time, there’s a pretty noticeable growth. People may pretend not to see it and we may act like it’s not there. But it’s visible to everyone.
The thing about God is He sees into our hearts. The little rug in our chest has a huge lump of sin and guilt that we have accumulated over the years of our lives. Not only is God not impressed by our feeble attempts to hide it, but many of your closest friends and family members know it’s there too because it has changed our attitude and personality.
But here’s the great news. We don’t have to hide from anyone. Not our spouses, our parents or our friends. And most of all, we don’t have to -- or make some silly attempt to – hide from God.
This God in heaven knows everything about you and me and says I still love you and still wants a personal relationship with you – despite it all. But we have to respond. It’s not just a simple yes. It’s an acknowledgment of who the entire Bible is about: Jesus.
Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth as a man; lived a perfect life and was tortured and nailed on a cross because people hated him for the message he brought – a message that saves lives.
Jesus said then and continues to say now that HE is the only way to receive passage to heaven to fellowship with the Father. You have to receive Him and acknowledge the sacrifice of His life as payment for your sins. You repent, meaning you ask the Holy Spirit to take hold of you to turn your life in a His direction.
It’s a new direction that doesn’t bring promises of health or wealth or a comfortable life. But it is a direction that gives you something to hold on to when your health fails, your wealth dries up and life becomes painful and uncomfortable.
When you have Jesus, you can rest on His promise to carry your burdens and to be with you until the end of time.
With a God who loves us that much, you’ll never want to hide again.
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