I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself (Genesis 3:1o)
In his sin and spiritual failure, Adam clung to his reverent fear of God. For the first time, Adam and Eve felt unworthy to have communion with God. We identify with Adam. When we get it wrong, we lose confidence being in God’s righteous presence. We can picture Adam and Eve crouched behind bushes attempting to hide themselves from the all-knowing God. Of course, this couple must have known that they would eventually have to come out of hiding and face the God who had created them.
But the wonderful thing is that God takes the initiative to connect with Adam and Eve. Genesis reads – “Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9). God is always disappointed when His children chose wrong over what He has set forth as the right thing to do. This explains Paul’s exhortation to the Ephesians: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 4:30). When we fail to get it right, and when we make a mess of things, God calls us back to Himself. So, there’s no need seeking to hide from the God who knows absolutely everything about us all the time. The author of Hebrews put it this way: “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” Let’s run to God, not away from Him. (Hebrew 4:16). VHH