Scripture:
Genesis 3:8-11 NKJV
[8] And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. [9] Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” [10] So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” [11] And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”
Observation:
I feel like a lot of answers are given to us right here in the first few chapters of the bible. The fall in the garden was devastating to all of man kind. As we read it, we can probably pick out all the areas where we see something different should have been done and tell ourselves…well, I would have done this, or I would have done that… but let me ask you this before we get started. Do you think that GOD did not see it coming and already has a plan in place. Let’s take a look at the scripture. The LORD came to the garden to walk with Adam in the cool of the day. It was a regular routine for HIM walking with Adam and his wife. Shows us that GOD wants to spend time with us. HE wants to fellowship with us to commune with us it’s HIS desire. Just to hang out and be the center of our lives. By this time in verse 8 of chapter 3 in the very first book of the bible, we had been left on our own too long already. Sin had entered the world, and with it came shame, fear, guilt, and death. Adam knew he had done something he was not supposed to do. He had fallen short of the mark. So he hid himself and his wife behind a tree the LORD had created. The guilt and shame had led to fear of the one who loved them so much. HE just wanted to walk with them in the cool of the day. To GOD, who stands outside of time, I’m sure it was no surprise. I’m sure HE saw all this happen before HE even started creating the world and had HIS som in place ready for the plan of redemption. In verse 9, we see the LORD calling out to Adam as if HE did not know where he was. I believe that this was an opportunity given by GOD to Adam to come forward. The LORD had made every tree and bush in the garden and knew Adam better than Adam knew himself. So the words Adam, where are you is not because HE didn’t know… it was to see if Adam would come forward, and he did… the confession began. I’m right here, LORD. I heard you walking and I was naked so I hid. The LORD has such a loving way of drawing our sins out of us. The very next question for a GOD who stands outside of time was something I’m sure HE already knew as well. Who told you you were naked…?did you eat from the tree? Of course, Adam was ashamed because he had dropped the ball as the spiritual leader. So he began to point fingers and shift the blame, trying to cover his sin by turning his decision back on GOD and the woman who was he was given. The LORD was looking for confession, and HE got it, but only with a half-hearted attempt to not take full responsibility for dropping the ball. Still hiding the fact that as the spiritual leader, knowing what GOD had said to him got lost in translation, somewhere to his wife. We can look back a little bit to how the fall started. The serpent was talking to Eve and asked a few questions. One of them was did GOD really say not to eat of this tree. Her response was just slightly off from the truth of what GOD had said to Adam. I encourage you to go back and read the whole encounter. I could write on it all day. But due to time restrictions. I need to move forward.
Application:
Right here in the beginning of the book, GOD exposes HIS heart to us. HE wants us to live naked in front of HIM… what I mean by that is HE made of naked HE know ever wort and mole you have every part of your life HE knew before HE placed you in the womb. Every fall and every failure. HE saw before you thought of how to justify them. HE knew it. Living naked in front of GOD is simple. Just don’t hide. When we sin, guilt and shame tend to take over, and our first reaction is to hide what we have done and hope no one finds out. That’s not GOD’S heart. I’m telling you HE has looked through time. HE knows you intimately every hair on your head he placed there and counted. Every mistake and every flaw HE was already aware of and HE made you that way. HE want you to choose to do right. But when you don’t… don’t hide… please don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying live however you want, and GOD will bless it. I don’t believe that’s what the bible teaches. GOD’S grace is sufficient, but not to be frustrated. In Romans, the question is posed… sgall we sin all the more so that grace shall abound…. the response is BY NO MEANS. GOD, know you HE is the beginning and tge end. HE saw your life from start to finish and made you, knowing that at some point you would choose to follow HIM. That you would choose to say here I am. I have sinned. Clothe me with your righteousness found in the blood of Jesus. The redemption plan is something no one can get around. Tge bible says every knee will bow, and every tongue confess. My point is this you can’t hide from the one who made you. Confess your sins one to another so that you may be healed. Sin makes you want to hide. It’s the natural reaction from guilt, shame, and fear. But GOD has chosen to send HIS one and only son. To live a life that we could not… to pay the debt for sin HE did not commit. So that you could live naked in front of the one who knows you better than you know yourself.
Prayer:
Father, help us. We don’t want to hide. Help us to live a life that brings you honor and glory. Help us to overcome the sin that is in our lives. You have given us a way to be free from the bounds of sin and death. Place the right people around us people we can trust. People who love us like you love us. We want to live our lives in full vew. Not openly sinning but openly repenting for our sins. So that guilt, sham, and fear play no part in our lives, we know the enemy is crafty. He will try to get us to hide our mistakes. You made us, knowing that we would make them we don’t want one mistake to lead to another. So our request this morning is that you fill us with your Holy Spirit… so IF wo do make a mistake. It gets corrected immediately. So that our connection with you stays as strong as possible. We do not want to hide. Help us to live in a manner that we don’t feel like we have to. You are a loving FATHER. With a plan of redemption. Restore to us the joy of your salvation and the honor of living naked in front of you. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus I pray amen.