Monday: Hiding From God
Daily Lesson for Monday 28th of September 2026
Because God is love (1 John 4:8), He would not create human “robots.” Love embraces choice. To be able to love, Adam and Eve had to be created with free will; otherwise, love, true love, would be impossible for them to give.
Thus, Adam and Eve had the freedom to obey or disobey their Creator. The reality of this free choice was depicted in the command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (see Genesis 2:15-17). Why warn them against eating from it unless they had the freedom to do so in the first place?
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“Our first parents, though created innocent and holy, were not placed beyond the possibility of wrongdoing. God made them free moral agents, capable of appreciating the wisdom and benevolence of His character and the justice of His requirements, and with full liberty to yield or to withhold obedience. They were to enjoy communion with God and with holy angels. . . . Without freedom of choice, his obedience would not have been voluntary, but forced.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, Pages 48, 49.
Why did Adam and Eve attempt to hide from their Creator after they disobeyed Him? See Genesis 3:1-8 (compare with Jeremiah 23:24 and Hebrews 4:13).
Genesis 3:1-24 depicts an awful scene—the fall of Adam and Eve. After the epic conversation between the serpent (Satan) and Eve, our first parents were tempted to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which they were forbidden to do. Satan used the power of words, emotions, and pleasurable enticements to convince Eve, who then convinced Adam, to go against God’s command. Eve noted that the tree was “good for food,” “pleasant to the eyes,” and “desirable to make one wise” (Genesis 3:6, NKJV). The promise of Satan that they would be “ ‘like God, knowing good and evil’ ” (Genesis 3:5, NKJV), sounded irresistible.
In reality, Satan’s discourse was riddled with error. Satan hid from them the consequences of their disobedience. After they disobeyed God, their eyes were immediately “opened,” and they saw that they were “naked.” God’s “garment” of light and glory (Psalms 104:1-2), which reflected the divine “image,” was gone. They were no longer covered by that which God had provided for them. No wonder Adam and Eve hid themselves from their Creator (as if it were really possible to hide from God). They attempted to hide because sin makes us feel guilty and, in our guilt, we want to flee from the presence of God.
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What has been your own experience with shame and seeking to hide from God after you have sinned? |
I have to wear hearing aids. I have used them for about 20 years now. My current ones are very good. They use AI to cut through noise, and it helps me to hear conversations in noisy environments. I don’t know if I should tell you this, but one feature I like about my hearing aids is that they have an off switch. When I am concentrating on something and don’t want to be disturbed, I can switch them off and the world becomes almost silent. Now, Carmel does not like that feature, and I get into serious trouble if she finds out I am using it. She is worried that I might not hear her yelling for help if she gets into trouble.
I wonder if in our spiritual lives we are switching off our hearing devices deliberately so we don’t hear God talking to us? The switch is in our control and I suspect that sometimes we are naughty and use the off switch because we do not like what we know God is telling us.
God knows about our hearing problem. In Revelation 2 and 3, he repeats the message seven times:
He knows the value of repeating things to deaf people! That’s the spiritual equivalent of “Read my lips!”
You’re a wonderful writer and interpreter of thought. Yes, we do love to talk and listen to God when it’s convenient
I really love this statement/question!
I believe temptations are so strong because we are too curious. Our curiosity makes us turn off our very special ability to hear properly, much like you turning off your hearing aids. The only difference is you do it to focus. If we turn off the hearing aids to hear Gods voice on every matter, just maybe we will be able to fully commune with God as He intended.
I know what you are saying, my husband wears hearing aids and has had them since he was 18 years old ( now 67 yrs old). I believe there are a lot of people who turn their hearing aids off to God. And to those who are the voices of God. When our church has done an evangelistic series for our community, many people will come, but when the study comes to the Sabbath, their ears are off, and they do not return.
Adam and Eve lived in perfect connection with God until sin entered the world. When they disobeyed, their first instinct was to hide. God, sensing the distance, called out, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9). This was not a question of location but of connection. Sin had created a separation between humanity and its Creator, and hiding became the natural response to guilt and shame. Yet hiding from God never restores what sin has broken; it only deepens the distance. As Isaiah reminds us, “Your iniquities have separated you from your God” (Isaiah 59:2). The tragedy of sin is not merely that we have done wrong, but that we withdraw from the One in whom we were created to live.
Eventually, we discover that hiding from God is exhausting, while being hidden in God is where we find rest, mercy, and restoration. David captures this journey in Psalm 32: “For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long” (Psalm 32:3). But when he stopped hiding and confessed, everything changed: “I acknowledged my sin to you… and you forgave the guilt of my sin” (Psalm 32:5). He could then declare, “You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance” (Psalm 32:7). In Christ, we no longer have to run from God because of our shame; we can run to God for grace. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). The place of safety is not hiding from God, but being hidden in Him.
Sin is a liar; at the end it never delivers what it promises. It always promises something desirable but ultimately delivers the opposite. Adam and Eve hope to get what they perceived to be lacking; greater knowledge and godlike status. “you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5). The end result was shame, fear, alienation, and a desire to hide from the very God with whom they had previously enjoyed fellowship (Genesis 3:7–8). Sin not only separates from God but also deceives us to believe that we can hide from God. Sin tells to hide from God, but grace tells to go God. This teaches us a very important lesson, the answer to sin is not hiding from the One who sees everything, but returning to the One who already knows everything and still calls us to Himself.
“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses… Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”</b< (Hebrews 4:13–16,(NIV)
Some years ago I received a Cochlear implant for my left ear which made an entirely new hearing path via a very sophisticated system so that a receiver beside my head could pick up and process audio signals directly to my inner ear. This was followed by an intensive training program to train my brain to an entirely new way of hearing. It works excellently, so that I now have functional hearing.
But until I admitted my desperate need, and submitted to the surgery, nothing else worked.
But unless I simply place the outside receiver and turn it on each morning, I am oblivious to sounds.
Just as it took time and effort and support from family to get the benefit of the new device, it takes a conscious choice to day by day allow God to tune me in to His voice.
It always amazes me how we try and hid our wrongs, (oh lets call it by its name) SINS, from our friends and family and even from people we don’t really know that well, because of fear and the desire to maintain a certain image – fear of judgement, social acceptance, keeping up persona, protecting self-image.
Through all of the above we forget, that we can hid absolutely nothing from God. Proverbs 15:3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.
Hebrews 4:13: Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
Psalm 139:7–8: Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
Job 34:21: For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings.
Jeremiah 16:17: For mine eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes.
Question ❓ God created human being at its own image even the woman is God image(2) Sabbath day created for human to worship and remembering God does God rest on the Sabbath if so why taking the records
Hi Mogire Shyrock,
I am not sure of the intent of your question, but yes God created man and woman in his own image,
I am also not sure about your question about God keeping records on the Sabbath when he is resting. It sounds as though you are entertaining the idea of a very physical recording of details of man’s actions. I would like to suggest that we write our own record. If you walk in sand, you will leave your footprints behind you. Someone coming along behind you will see where you have been. Our lives are written in the sands of the universe and see where we have been and what we have done. It does not tie God down to recording things on Sabbath or any other day for thqt matter. We write our own record.
When we’re told that God rested, I don’t think it means “rested” as we consider rest from physical/mental labour. I think it means “I rest my case” as in a court drama. After creating this planet and its two inhabitants, God could say to the devil, his angels, and others throughout the universe, “I rest my case. You can now judge whether or not I am a God of love.”
Yet God expelled Adam and Eve immediately from the garden of eden when actually eat the fruit. Why not forgiving them like Mathew 18:22 says 70×7
Mogire Shyrock, God’s ways are not our ways. Isaiah 55:8,
His timing is not our timing. Be patient. I have a couple of text for you,
Exodus 34:7,
Romans 16:20, 27.
The story is that the guilty this time He did not execute punishment/judgement right away, he gives time for repentance. Look at all of those that lived before the Biblical flood, before the whole earth flood God brought on the earth He gave them 120 years and warnings, and those who did not benefit from Noah’s preaching even though the Holy Spirit warned and nudged in the right direction, only 8 in the end did not resist the drawing of the Holy Spirit.
Archeology proves that there are bones dug up that are older than 4000 years old. Sometimes with all our knowledge we have to just get on our knees and tell God I believe you, I trust in you, I commit my will to you. 2nd, if we are going through difficulty believing we say like in last verse of the hymn Sitting At the Feet Of Jesus: “Give me Lord the mind of Jesus. Keep me holy as He is. May I prove I’ve been with Jesus, who is all my righteousness.” I hope this gives you some help.
God did forgive them immediately. But, forgiveness does not mean fix. For example, if you come into my orchard, and steal and eat my green apples, I would forgive you, but you would still have to put up with the stomach ache for eating unripe fruit.
Why did Adam and Eve attempt to hide from their Creator after they disobeyed Him?
Your friend says yes, I understand why I have the feeling of hiding my sin, conscience which tells me right and wrong makes me want to hid my sin. And yes, we learned last week that the Holy Spirit reminds us of the right that we have learned. and works with Christ to put us on the right tract(justification). 1 Corinthians 6:11, and 2 Corinthians 3:3. Ok my friend Herscher what do I do next(how can I be saved I know it is the Holy Spirit working in me to impress on me right and wrong)?
My friend I have to go but let me leave you with this. And we will discuss it next week.
https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p130.781&index=0
The Sabbath school quarterly asks the question” Why did Adam and Eve attempt to hide from their Creator after they disobeyed Him?”
I wrote,,Their conciences had been activated by the Holy Spirit and they became afraid.
What do you think?
Guilt and shame
Fear
Broken communion
Spiritual barrier
Heard his voice🙏
One reason that Adam and Eve hid themselves is that they knew they had disobeyed and they probably supposed that God was coming to execute them for their disobedience. Sin always brings torment.
Satan is a deceiver and a liar. He always entices people to sin with some supposed benefit that satisfies some desire within us. Unfortunately, sin appeals to our carnality and even brings some measure of temporary pleasure. If sin was like striking your hand with a hammer there would be no appeal. We need to see sin as striking our soul with a hammer. It affects our entire being, and almost always results in guilt, shame, remorse, and fear, after the pleasure has worn off. Think about a world devoid of the pain, suffering and fear that sin has caused. Well it would be heaven. A taste of heaven can be experienced here when we learn to love and obey God.
If and when we sin we just need to confess it and ask for forgiveness. (1 John 1:9) God doesn’t want us to live in fear or shame. He wants to set us free from the traps Satan has set for us. Don’t run and hide from God when you fall, run to God.
I think there’s more going on in the situation with Adam and Eve than just feeling guilt over what they had done. When I look at the story, I feel Eve sinned before she took the fruit. Her sin was doubting God and feeling He was holding back good things from them. Because she felt that way, she chose to go against Him in taking the fruit. The bigger begat the smaller sin, if that makes sense.
I think that’s why Adam and Eve hid – they no longer trusted God or that He had their best interests in mind. Now if they still trusted Him, they would have come to Him in their sin. Of course, they wouldn’t have eaten the fruit in that case either.
I think that’s why God couldn’t just forgive them, as one poster asked. The relationship was damaged and need healing and restoration. Jesus death ultimately provided that restoration and also showed them that God could be trusted and be on their side.
Shame that results from violating God’s law can be debilitating for me. I find myself becoming consumed with thoughts of my failure and feeling like such a disappointment. Sometimes, it takes me days to recover from that state.
During those times, I have to continually remind myself that God still loves me, that His grace is sufficient, and that His mercy covers all my sins. My failure does not cancel His love for me. I can confess, repent, receive His forgiveness, and get back up again, trusting in His grace rather than remaining trapped in shame.
It is said curiosity killed the cat. Curiosity also caused the death of our foreparents and it is still killing us today. Thank God His grace is sufficient for us as it was for our foreparents
I agree, “hiding from God” reveals a guilty conscience. I would not necessarily consider Adam and Eve’s experience as ‘shame’, though this feeling most likely came after considering that they had greatly disappointed their Creator, loving Provider, and Friend.
The lesson writer says: “They were no longer covered by that which God had provided for them”. What had our heavenly Father provided for them? I consider this to be the ‘innocence of a not-guilty mind’. Having their mind opened to being able to perceive ‘good and evil’, now required of them to judge ‘right and wrong’. Hiding from the One who loved them is evidence of a guilty conscience. God’s garment providing ‘Innocence of Mind’ – oneness with our Father -, had been stripped away when their ‘eyes were opened’.
With Innocence/Oneness gone, the trepidations associated with choosing the ‘right’ path opened before them and the necessary judgement of their conduct by our Creator Father followed their actions. How terribly devastating and sadening it must have been for them to experience a deep anguish as their first awareness of the terrible loss of their intimate relationship with their Creator, Father, Friend who had now become their Judge.
Because of His Grace, our Savior came to us who lost our way, offering the Way back home to the Way of Life – innocence – the state of being in Him which was lost in Eden. God’s “Garment of Light and Glory” – His divine “Image” – will be restored in us through His Son. We again become like the innocent child who does not hide from our heavenly Father but enjoys His Presence – Eph.4:23-24; Psalm 16:11; Phil.4:7; Isaiah 26:3; 2 Cor.3:18; Psalm 23:3; Isaiah 43:19; Rev.4:11.
True. “How did you know you were naked?” This question from God comes to mind.
I love the promise that John wrote in 1 John 1:9.
“If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us for our sins AND CLEANSE US from all unrighteousness.”
He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us!
Hiding from moral values is a reaction of those who realize they have done something wrong. But at least two people we cannot hide from: ourselves and God! Thus, hiding from God is a mistake! It is the same as hiding from oneself. May God be merciful to our conduct, and may we always be open to the Creator.
My experience with shame after sin has sometimes caused me to distance myself from God. Instead of immediately praying or seeking His forgiveness, I may feel guilty, unworthy, or afraid to face Him. Like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the natural response can be to hide rather than come into God’s presence.
However, I have learned that God does not want me to remain trapped in shame. When I acknowledge my mistakes, confess my sins, and seek His forgiveness, I can experience His grace and restoration. This reminds me that God already knows what I have done, yet He still invites me to come to Him. Rather than allowing shame to separate me from God, I should allow conviction to lead me back to Him.
My experience with shame & guilt: – John 8 = 9b 10a.
She got caught in her sin I got away with it, & had gotten away with it for 2000yrs.. Looking back on it. The ‘woman (EVE) was never called until John 8..
When I realized where she was standing. I broke-down. The woman had the privilege of standing before Emmanuel: I didn’t & that hurts all the more.
What Jesus said to her, is inline with the ‘basic theme of the Bible {a Marriage} “Will you Marry Me?”
Because that is how the Bible ends – Rev 19 = 9..
It reminds me of how a child will always run and hide when they have done something wrong. The Holy Spirit is always working to remind us of our wrongdoings. God is faithful and will forgive our sins.
I want to be reconciled with God daily! I desire to use my freedom to yield to what God instructs us to do. It’s difficult at times, and I pray to continually grow in His grace, to the point, that it’s easy as 123!!! After choosing wrong so many times, and experiencing the harsh consequences, I only desire to be obedient and be clothed with Gods Garments.