Hide and Seek

     Our grandchildren Briggs and Beckett love to play hide and seek.  They came to our home on Friday night while our son did some work and one of their first requests was to play "hide and seek".  The only problem is that Beckett, who is three, keeps revealing where someone is hiding.  When his brother Briggs is trying to hide, he goes with him and then comes back to me to show me where he is.  I have tried to explain to him that it takes all the fun out of the hunt when you tell someone where the other person is hiding, but I don't think he yet understands.  Nevertheless, they still enjoy this game.
While hiding from grandchildren brings giggles and fun, it is quite another story when it comes to hiding from God.  In fact, we can't.

A fig leaf

     Adam and Eve had a perfect environment where all their needs were met, and they enjoyed intimate, unbroken relationship with God their Creator.  Nothing could have been more idyllic until that day when they disobeyed God.  The story is told in Genesis 3.
     God had told Adam and Eve not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil or they would die.  Yet, Eve chose to believe the lies of Satan who challenged God's credibility assuring Eve she would not surely die if she ate from that tree.  Tempted, she fell and enticed her husband to join her in sin.  Their fault was not eating the fruit, but in disobeying God.  So what was their response?
     First, they sewed together fig leaves to cover themselves because they knew they were naked.  In doing this, they revealed their shame.  They knew they had broken fellowship with God because He had commanded them not to eat of the tree.  The Bible tells us:  "Then the eyes of both were opened..." (Gen. 3:7a).  This is when they realized that everything was changed.  Now, instead of intimate fellowship with God, they were afraid of Him.
     Genesis 3:8-10 tells us:  "And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.  But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, 'Where are you?'  And he said, 'I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.'"  Now certainly the God of all creation knew where Adam and Eve were.  He wasn't asking about their geographical location, but what He wanted from them was an admission of what they had done.  They thought they would obtain freedom and be like God knowing good and evil, but instead, they were now cowering in fear before the Lord wrapped in the chains of sin.
     When they did emerge from their hiding place, they began to blame their disobedience on someone else.  Adam blamed Eve, and she blamed the snake.  However, they both knew they had transgressed against God, and ultimately, the consequence of their sin brought death into this world.
This is the history of mankind.  It all began in the Garden, but fortunately, it did not end there.
     With the judgement of God came a promise of a deliverer who would overcome sin and death.  It was a promise to Adam and Eve and fulfilled in Jesus Christ the Son of God.  He perfectly kept the Law of God as the second Adam.  There was no sin in Him, and yet, He paid the price for our sins on the cross.  His resurrection forever broke the bondage for all who believe in Him.  So why do we still hide from God today?
     People today don't hide behind trees like Adam and Eve did, but we hide nevertheless.  Some hide behind their title.  Still others hide behind fame, riches, or possessions.  People may wear a mask thinking that no one (especially God) can really see who they are or what they think.  But God does see and know where we are.  Just as He called to Adam and Eve, He calls to us "Where are you?"  Those who answer that call, confess their sins and trust in Christ alone for their salvation are set free from sin and death.  This is the Gospel plain and simple.  And yes, there is no place we can hide from God.  Read Psalm 139 written by King David to know the truth of that statement.
     While the game of "hide and seek" with our grandchildren is a source of entertainment, hiding from God is deadly serious.  Our eternal destination is at stake.  Not only is heaven for real...so is hell.  The Good News is that we can once again walk in the cool of the morning with God in rich fellowship through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  In Him, we live and move and have our being.  Selah!