Tuesday: Hiding Before God
Read Genesis 3:7-13. Why did Adam and Eve feel the need to hide before God? Why did God ask the question “Where are you?” How did Adam and Eve seek to justify their behavior?
After they sinned, Adam and Eve felt naked because they lost their garments of glory, which reflected God’s presence (see Psalm 8:5, compare with Psalm 104:1-2). The image of God had been affected by sin. The verb “make” in the phrase they “made themselves coverings” (Genesis 3:7, NKJV) was so far applied only to God the Creator (Genesis 1:7, Genesis 1:16, Genesis 1:25, etc.). It is as if they replaced the Creator as they attempted to cover their sin, an act that Paul denounces as righteousness by works (Galatians 2:16).
Image © Krieg Barrie at Goodsalt.com
When God approaches, He asks them the rhetorical question “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9, NKJV), the same kind of question that God will ask Cain (Genesis 4:9). Of course, God knew the answers to the questions. His questions were asked for the benefit of the guilty, to help them realize what they have done and yet, at the same time, to lead them to repentance and salvation. From the moment humans sinned, the Lord was working for their salvation and redemption.
In fact, the whole scenario reflects the idea of the investigative judgment, which begins with the judge, who interrogates the culprit (Genesis 3:9) in order to prepare him for the sentence (Genesis 3:14-19). But He does it also to prompt repentance, which will ultimately lead to salvation (Genesis 3:15). This is a motif seen all through the Bible.
At first, as so common with sinners, Adam and Eve both try to evade the charge, seeking to blame others. To God’s question Adam responds that it was the woman whom God had given to him (Genesis 3:12) — she led him to do it. It was her fault (and, implied, it was God’s as well), not his.
Eve responds that it was the serpent who deceived her. The Hebrew verb nasha’, “deceive” (in Genesis 3:13, NKJV), means to give people false hopes and makes them believe that they are doing the right thing (2 Kings 19:10, Isaiah 37:10, Jeremiah 49:16).
Adam blames the woman, saying that she gave him the fruit (some truth to this), and Eve blames the serpent, saying he deceived her (some truth to this, too). But in the end, they both were guilty.
| Trying to blame someone else for what they have done? Why is it so easy for us to fall into the same trap? |
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Have you ever tried to hide from someone because you did not want to face them? Its hard work. They turn up in unexpected places, they ambush you, and now-a-days they want to be your friend on Facebook. I had a girlfriend like that once. I did not really want to continue the relationship but she did. The flight was on and only really stopped when I went to another country (for a quite different reason). Hiding from someone because you are ashamed it much worse that hiding from an old girlfriend. Ultimately you know that the person looking for you will eventually catch up with you and you are going to have that conversation that you do not really want to have.
There are a couple of important points about today's discussion of the fall. The most important is that God does not give up looking easily. He has written your name in the palm of his hand and no matter what you do, he still looks for you.
That does not sound like a God who wants to catch up with you to give you hell. It is a message of love and compassion.
Secondly, all our efforts to camouflage ourselves to make us hard to find are pretty puny. I see a lot of bird photographers wearing camouflage clothes. This is interesting because birds see a different spectrum than what we see. Just because other photographers cannot see you does not imply that birds do not know you are there. And they also use senses other than sight to be aware of your presence. God can see through our camouflage easily.
Thirdly, blaming others for our mistakes in the youngest trick in the book. My children were masters of blaming one another for things that they had done. It starts at an early age and unfortunately some of us think it works until we are old and senile.
And just a little corollary - we sometimes blame Adam and Eve for our sinful propensities, or we blame Satan because that sounds like it has a bit of good theological basis, but should we perhaps take a little more responsibility for our own sins.
The Psalmist sets an example.
No passing the buck here. No, "Satan made me do it!" Just simple acknowledgement of responsibility.
WOW! are you a Pastor or just a Biblical scholar? I really enjoyed your sermonette. I saw this lesson in so many different angles after reading your comment. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
God has promised, “When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the Lord” (Jer. 29:13,14). Contrast this promise to what happened in Eden. “They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, 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?’ ” (Gen.3:8,9). The Genesis narrative of Adam and Eve suggests that when guilty and fearful, we hide from God. But the good news is that He commits to helping us come out of our hiding place. God knows where we are in the garden but does not let us know He has found us until we are ready to be found.
Look at the story of the prodigal son. Abusing his father by demanding his inheritance too early, he ends up penniless, forced to care for pigs in a “far country.” Unable to physically hear his father’s voice calling to him, his memory sparks a longing that forces him to journey back home anyway. Embraced and restored by his father to full sonship, he realizes that even though he lost his father; the father never lost him.
Or consider the experience of Saul of Tarsus. Looking for God within a Judaism that encouraged him to treat Jewish believers in Jesus as enemies, Saul encounters Jesus Christ, who finds him on his way to Damascus and turns his life in an entirely new direction.
Finally, think of Job, a faithful believer in deep distress over undeserved suffering. He screams: “Why is this happening to me at the hands of a just God? Come out and face me!” (Job 24:1–7). He feels that God is hiding during his anguish.
Many, too, in the modern world feel that God is hiding from them. Look at some of the recent book titles: Finding Our Father, Is God Real? Rumors of Angels, The Hidden God, The Death of God, Where Was God in the Holocaust? The God Who Is Absent, The Elusive Presence. If believers want to help their neighbors experience God—the only route to a lasting faith—we must understand how we hide from God, how God tries to “find” us, and where the seemingly “hidden” God can be found.
So in certain situations, God does find us. But how do we find God? To begin with, we find God in preaching and human manifestations of divine love. What fascinates me most is that in Romans 10:20, Paul argues that the rejection of Yahweh led to the creation of the Christian community. He quotes Isaiah 65:1: "I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.”
What have I learned about the Character of the LORD and His relationship with humans from today's study guide?
Yesterday we discovered that He is the Supreme Authority of our lives, that He has our best interests at heart and that we are only small pieces of the big picture of the puzzle/mystery of the Plan of Redemption.
Today I found that because He is wise and He loves us, He requires everyone to live in harmony with His Principles for everlasting life. He ensures that it is clear to all what they are, the benefits of being transformed to be like Him and the consequences of rejecting His Principles.
What are the consequences of D.I.Y. thinking/acting? Because He loves us the LORD is personally involved in this event. First he investigates to make sure what He has been told is accurate, then He confronts the individual to give them a chance to state their case, then based on the evidence, He announces the previously advised consequences. Sometimes it is a suspended sentence, which includes hard time and probation while at other times the final consequence is carried out immediately by the LORD Himself or via another entity on His behalf.
But wait there is Good News, during this preliminary time prior to the conclusion of the great controversy, the LORD has provided a substitute to suffer the consequences the individual deserves, provided he acknowledges his error and promises to change his ways with the guidance/power of the Helper from the LORD.
Now Adam and Eve were NOW conscious of a guilty conscience before God, and the blame game continues !
Adam and Eve now lost their unity with God, their walk with God (Adam would walked with God in the cool of the day, but not now ) and mankind's purpose was now delayed until the redeeming immortal seed, that gives eternal life (Zoe life, 1 John 1:1-3) perfected man's purpose in flesh and to share his inherentence with mankind in Sonship ! Psalm 8, Hebrews 2
Adam and Eve, as a temple of God on earth, (representation of God on earth) was abandoned as God withdrew his Holy Spirit from their minds and hearts.
We ended up with mind and heart (motivations) problems, until messiah !
Jeremiah 31:33
I am disappointed in this part of today's lesson:
I believe it misrepresents the investigative judgment (but we won't go into that now), and it misrepresents what happened in Eden.
Think of the context: Was God calling Adam and Eve to judgment as a judge? Or was He calling them as a loving Father calls His children? What tone do you hear in your mind's voice? Do you hear a stern, angry voice? Or do you hear tears in that voice spilling over from love in His heart?
Who was the LORD who called Adam and Eve in Eden? Was He not the same Creator who took on flesh and walked this planet? How do you hear Jesus calling Adam and Eve?
Thank you Inge! I do hear the tearful voice, but only because of the loving guidance provided by some folks who have been there before me. My prayers is that I am able to help others hear it too!
Inge, thank you for focusing our thoughts on the loving aspect of the LORD's character.
Just like a diamond has many facets, I believe so does His character, and I believe one of them is as judge, so we need to examine the concept of a judge in the Word of the LORD.
I believe there are several aspects of the LORD as judge, to reveal the truth, to evaluate based on evidence, to ensure fairness, to protect the innocent, to promote peace and harmony.
I believe that this episode in Genesis 3 reveals the LORD's justice and mercy can co-exist.
Check the context of these verses to discover a few of the passages that have helped me understand this topic:
Gen 18:25, 1Cor 4:5; 2Cor 5:10; Luke 18:1-8; Acts 17:31
My comment regarding today's lesson was going to be that I find no evidence within careful consideration of the Bible text that God appeared and conducted an "investigative judgment". Instead, the text conveys something far more personal and compassionate. But now I don't need to raise that awareness because it has already been done.
“ Why did Adam and Eve feel the need to hide before God”?
“From the moment humans sinned, the Lord was working for their salvation and redemption.”
What causes/is the difference in the heart which wants to ‘hide before God’s presence and the heart which ‘rejoices in God’s presence?
The lesson does not go into the answer to these questions, but rather focuses on information about ‘judging the sinner’. To be totally honest, why would we at this point in our understanding of the need for a Savior still focus on the aspects of the separation from the Creator God instead of learning what reunits us with Him?
For the edification of the seeker of Truth, would it not be more effectual to use the Scripture passages to point out truths which strengthen our love for our Father, so strengthening our faith in His Word as we live it in our daily life by faith?
My answer to the first question:
I consider Adam and Eve to have experienced many new emotions. Emotions which were not present in the perfect relationship they had before the Fall - feeling ashamed, experiencing regret, becoming aware of their physical body, attaching a ‘moral’ value to what they see and experienced, etc.
Their Father who so lovingly provided all the means for their living as well as His unwavering commitment to love them as His children had become in their eyes a God who judges His children's ‘good and evil’ acts in their life.
My answer to the second question:
As I see it, the cause/reason that their state of 'receptiveness/openness' toward their Maker changed was that they now had their human-mind based on ‘self-awareness’; since this self-awareness was tied to the limited capacity of their human mind, they lost their innocence.
Having their ‘mind opened’ to know ‘good and evil’, was the gateway enabling their self-determination. No more living unquestioned the Truths as conveyed by the Father; human-based thought replaced unquestioned trust.
As humans we have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit. We are again able to have the Spirit of Jesus reside in us, to come into our heart and lead us into all truths. Now it is possible again to live the truths of the Father as taught by His Son, our Savior Christ Jesus, straight from the heart. We no not hide from the heavenly Father any longer, this Truths causes us to rejoice and be grateful, because we again have the capacity to worship the Father in spirit and Truth!