Do we walk in darkness, or light?

TODAY’S SPECIAL: 1 John 1-2; Psalm 36

TO CHEW ON: “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:6,7


Our reading talks about two ways to live: “Walk in darkness” and “walk in light.” These are metaphors. What do they mean?

The Zondervan Study Bible notes define both (emphases added):

To “walk in darkness” denotes a life characterized by wickedness and ignorance and an unwillingness to be open toward God and his revelation in Christ—lest one’s sinful behaviour be exposed.”

John actually quotes Jesus Himself on what walking in darkness is about:

“‘For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed’” - John 3:19.

Here’s the old secrecy over disobedience cropping up again that began way back in the Genesis garden (Genesis 3:8-10).

To “walk in light” denotes a life characterized by truth and holiness and a willingness to be open to God and his revelation, resulting in fellowship with one another and with God.”

How do we, in our everyday lives, walk in light?

A start, I believe is to be open with God—to let Him search us through the Bible and in prayer and keep no secrets from Him. We can express our doubts, fears, issues, and questions to Him. When He shows us attitudes to change and exposes the times we’ve sinned, we acknowledge, confess, repent, make restitution (or whatever is required). We let Him shine light into the farthest, darkest recesses of our hearts to show us to ourselves so we can renounce all darkness and live in light. (I’m thinking this may take years as, in my experience, God deals with us in layers to get to core of our onion hearts.)

A wonderful side benefit of living in light is how it smooths our relationships with fellow-Christians: “… we have fellowship with one another…”


PRAYER: Dear Father, help me to walk in light by being completely open and honest with You. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 36

The Bible Project VIDEO: 1-3 John (Read Scripture Series)



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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Hiding Place

Jochebed makes a basket for

Moses - Exodus 2:1-8

(Illustrator of Lillie A. Faris's

'Standard Bible Story Readers,

Book 1-5', 1925-28)

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Leviticus 5-7; Psalm 31

TO CHEW ON: "You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues." Psalm 31:20

When I think about God and hiding, I recall Corrie Ten Boom's book, The Hiding Place. In it, not only did the Ten Boom family hide the Jews, but God was a hiding place for them. (Remember the story of how Corrie and Betsy got a Bible past the guards and into prison with them?)

Whether we're in trouble or just need a refuge from the wear and tear of life, the thought of a hiding place in God is mighty attractive. The definition of the word "hide" expands our view of what this can mean.

[hide: To put or keep oneself out of sight, conceal. To keep secret, withhold from knowledge. To block or obstruct the sight of, keep from view. To keep oneself out of sight, remain concealed. To remain concealed as a fugitive.]

With those definitions in mind, let's look at some of the mentions of hiding and God in the Bible.

• God conceals us:

David is asking God to conceal him from the "plots of man" and the "strife of tongues" in our focus verse today. He prays similarly in Psalm 27:5 for God to hide him in the time of trouble, and in Psalm 64:2 from "secret plots" and "rebellious workers of iniquity."

• We hide in God:

We are the ones who run to God for hiding. "You are my hiding place," says David in Psalm 32:7; "In You I take shelter" - Psalm 143:9.

• We're close to God:

When we're hiding this way we stay close to God: "under the shadow of your wings" - Psalm 17:8.

• He hides and protects:

God becomes to us both a hiding place and a protection (shield). How? Through His word - Psalm 119:114.

• Hidden lifestyle

Hiding in God is where we can actually live: "He who dwells in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty" - Psalm 91:1. I think of an iceberg and how it is nine tenths under water. That's how I envision this hidden life with God and ask myself, is the one tenth public part part of my life evidence that the nine tenths part is actually living and hidden in God?

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to hide in You in every sense of the word. May Your presence shield me from trials, enemies, tongue strife etc. But mostly, may the part of my life that people see be evidence that I am close to You, hidden in You. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 31

The Bible Project VIDEO: Atonement (Theme Series)



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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Darkness

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 John 1:1-2:2

TO CHEW ON: "If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth." 1 John 1:6

I live on a part of the planet in which, during this season, darkness is increasing daily. I'm talking about life in the northern hemisphere and physical darkness which, from June 21st to December 21st (this year), progressively takes over more of each day. Thus I am no stranger to darkness and can say without hesitation, I prefer light.

The Bible is full of talk about light and dark. Metaphorically light equals life with God and everything good. Today let's look briefly at what the Bible says about the dark.

First a definition: [Darkness - scotia - is gloom, evil, sin, obscurity, night, ignorance, moral depravity. The NT especially uses the word in a metaphorical sense of ignorance of divine truth, man's sinful nature, total absence of light and a lack of spiritual perception. Light equals happiness. Scotia as spiritual darkness basically equals everything earthly or demonic that is at enmity with God" - "Word Wealth" - New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1467.]

A brief stroll through the Bible illustrates some of the things darkness signifies.

• Losing one's way: "...they shall walk like blind men..." - Zephaniah 1:17; "In the darkness they shall be driven on and fall in them" - Jeremiah 23:12; "They are blind leaders of the blind...both will fall into a ditch" - Matthew 15:14; "But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him" John 11:10.

• Imprisonment: "Say to the prisoner, 'Go forth, to those who are in darkness, 'Show yourself' - Isaiah 49:9.

• Death: "...Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death..." - Psalm 107:10

• Natural human preference: "...men loved darkness rather than light" - John 3:19.

• Consequences: - "Therefore you shall have night without vision. And you shall have darkness without divination" - Micah 3:6; "There will be no light" - Zechariah 14:6; "If your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness" - Matthew 6:23.

• Competition: "And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it [put it out or absorbed it or appropriated it, and is unreceptive to it]" - John 1:5 AMP (See also Psalm 139: 11-12.)

• Choice: "...cast off the works of darkness" and "put on the armour of light" - Romans 13:12; "Walk as children of light" - Ephesians 5:8.

• Opposite (of all God stands for): "...God is light and in Him is no darkness at all" - 1 John 1:5

And it is here John brings us to a point of confrontation when he says, "If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth" 1 John 1:6.

Let's examine our lives today for such darkness. Then let's bring any and all of it into the light so we can live with integrity before God and people.

PRAYER: Dear God, please show me where I'm hiding a dark past, storing dark attitudes, and still doing dark actions. Help me to "cast off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light." Amen.

MORE: Feast of St. John
Today the church celebrates the Feast of St. John the Apostle. The day's liturgy begins with this prayer:

Shed upon your Church, O Lord, the brightness of your light, that we, being illumined by the teaching of your apostle and evangelist John, may so walk in the light of your truth, that at length we may attain to the fullness of eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Keeping the idols

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Genesis 35:1-21

TO CHEW ON: “So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands, and the earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree which was by Shechem.” Genesis 35:4



There is something that doesn’t feel quite wholesome about the way Jacob dealt with these foreign god idols. As the writer of my Bible’s notes points out;

“… yet the ‘foreign gods’ were hidden beneath a carefully identified ‘terebinth tree.’ Thus paganism remained deeply rooted in their hearts.” R. Russell Bixler New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 52.

Aren’t we sometimes guilty of the same thing, though? We trust God yet secretly hang onto things that fill some need or help us get by on our own: old letters, emails, or text messages that feed our outrage and keep us from forgiveness, those “how to” books, blog subscriptions, or articles that are full of advice on living life by our own wits, lists of contacts to call when we need outside help, lottery tickets, a glimpse at the day’s horoscope…

Or what about the more subtle “good” idols we serve. In her book Embracing Your Second Calling, Dale Hanson Bourke alerts us to them in a quote from a Tim Keller modern-day idolatry identification worksheet:

“Approval idolatry: ‘Life only has meaning / I only have worth if I am loved and respected by …’ 

Control idolatry: ‘Life only has meaning / I only have worth if I am able to get mastery over my life in the area of …’ 

Helping idolatry: ‘Life only has meaning / I only have worth if people are dependent on me.’ 

Work idolatry: ‘Life only has meaning / I only have worth if I am highly productive and get a lot done.’ 

Achievement idolatry” ‘Life only has meaning / I only have worth if I am being recognized for my accomplishments / excelling in my career’” - Tim Keller, quoted in Embracing Your Second Calling, p. 90,91.

I ask myself, what idols am I secretly keeping and serving? What about you?

And how foolish to think that God doesn’t know:

If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.- Psalm 139:11,12

Jesus: “ 'For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.’” Luke 12:2

PRAYER: Dear Father, please help me to recognize and destroy any and all idols in my life. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

You are hidden

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Psalm 91:1-16

TO CHEW ON: “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1

I love the beautiful picture of someone hidden by God “in the secret place” and under the “shadow of the Almighty” that begins this psalm. Many believe this psalm was written by Moses. He experienced the hiding ability of the cloud that overshadowed Israel by day and night, that “shadow of the Almighty” that had actually hidden the Israelites from the Egyptians the night they crossed of the Red Sea. He knew firsthand “the secret place” of the Tabernacle.

The thought of being hidden by God took me on a search for other places in the Bible that speak of God hiding us.

David asked God to hide him various times and for various reasons.

• When hassled by “those who rise up against” him, he prayed, “… hide me in the shadow of your wings” - Psalm 17:8.

Warren Wiersbe says of this image:

“The phrase 'under the shadow of thy wings' sometimes pictures the mother hen protecting her young (Matt. 23:37), but often it refers to the wings of the cherubim in the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle (Ex. 25:18-20). David asked the Lord to make his hiding place into a Holy of Holies, the place of God’s throne and God’s glory, protected by the angels of God (see Psalm 36:7, 8; 57:1; 61:4; 63:7; Ruth 2:12)” - Warren Wiersbe, BE Bible Study Series, commentary on Psalm 17 (accessed through Biblegateway.com).

• David asked God to hide him in His “pavilion” in the “day of trouble,” from the “plots of men” and “the strife of tongues,” - Psalm 27:5; 31:20.

[Pavilion—ohel—is a nomad’s tent, symbolic of wilderness life; also the sacred tent of Yahweh, the tabernacle.]

So it seems David was asking to be hidden in God’s very "holy of holies" presence, as Mr. Wiersbe refers to above, the same place Moses referred to—that tent where no one but the priests were allowed to enter.

• On another “day of trouble” David begged God to be his “hiding place” and surround him with “songs of deliverance” - Psalm 32:7.

• In Psalm 64:2 he prayed for God to hide him from the “secret plots of the wicked” and “… rebellion…”

• He asked God to shelter and hide him from his "enemies" in Psalm 143:9.

The author of Psalm 119 wrote of hiding behind the shield of God and His word - Psalm 119:114.

And when Jesus came to earth, God’s angel told His earthly father Joseph to go into hiding with Jesus literally; to flee to Egypt until Herod’s search for Him was over - Matthew 2:13,14.

As those who still experience days of trouble, the plots of men, the strife of tongues, rebellion, can we still hide in God? I think so. Here are some ways:

• By spending time with Him in the hidden place before our day gets loud and crazy.

• By entering the secret place of prayer, bringing our problems and needs to Him any time, all the time, even when we’re in the midst of trouble.

• By activating our faith to remember that no matter how it looks or feels, He’s got us. We’re sheltered under His wings, perhaps even “hidden” from the enemy in some miraculous way.

• By memorizing promises of God’s presence and help that we can bring to mind (our “shield”) when we need the assurance of being under His cloud, under His wings, and within His tent.

• By listening to intuition, common sense, the voice inside us that sometimes says, Leave. Go, Get out of here! (Like Joseph left Bethlehem with Jesus and Peter left Jerusalem after the angel sprung him from prison - Matthew 2:13,14; Acts 12:17).

PRAYER:  Dear Father, thank You for hiding me in You, under the cloud of Your presence, under Your wings, in Your tabernacle, behind the shield of Your word. Help me to take these images with me through this day. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Human nature on display

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL:  Genesis 3:1-15

TO CHEW ON: “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.” Genesis 3:8

As I read the account of Adam and Eve’s fall into sin, I see things that are surprisingly (or, maybe not surprisingly) familiar. Even before Eve yielded to the temptation to eat that fruit, some of these things were present:

• A tendency to exaggerate or embellish

Eve’s report to the serpent of what God had said about the tree: “‘You shall not eat of it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” wasn’t exactly what God had said. He really said, simply, “‘You shall not eat…’” Genesis 3:3, cf. Genesis 2:17 (emphasis added).

• Intellectually gullible

Eve never even questioned the serpent’s claims but took them at face value - Genesis 3:4-6.

• Easily swayed to disbelieve what God had said.

For Eve this included considering and believing the serpent’s suggestion that God didn’t have their best interests at heart but was really keeping the best back from them - Genesis 3:4-6.

• Undue trust in appearance.

Eve was easily taken in by the fruit’s appearance when she looked at it closely and saw that it looked delicious, was beautiful and, according to the serpent, had great benefits - Genesis 3:6.

• Secrecy

After they sinned, both Adam and Eve gave in the overwhelming compulsion to hide from God - Genesis 3:8.

• Blame-shifting

Both refused to take responsibility for their action. Adam blamed Eve. Eve blamed the serpent - Genesis 3:12,13.

Seeing the first four qualities in Eve even before the fall and the latter two in both Adam and Eve immediately after, leads me to believe these tendencies are part of our human nature. We all have them. They strut their stuff especially when we’re under the pressure of temptation. So let’s be on guard against ourselves and not taken in by the serpent's empty accusations against God, false claims, and half-truth promises.


PRAYER: Dear Father God, help me to know myself—to recognize my human tendencies and weaknesses that would draw me away from You. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Hidden

Photo © 2015 by V. Nesdoly

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Zephaniah 2:1-15

TO CHEW ON: "Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth,
Who have upheld His justice
Seek righteousness, seek humility
It may be that you will be hidden
In the day of the Lord's anger." Zephaniah 2:3

We hear too many stories lately of people needing to hide during angry attacks. Whether they're playing dead in the presence of a crazed terrorist or locking themselves in a bathroom or closet during a school shooting, the urge to hide is one of the first instincts that kicks in during such a time.

Zephaniah here, talks about the same reflex. Only this time it's hiding, not to escape from human anger but from the poured out anger of the Lord. Zephaniah has just described that anger in Zephaniah 1, where he detailed "The great day of the Lord" and "That day."

It's an anger sinful humans deserve to suffer the full effects of. But Zephaniah gives a ray of hope that there is an escape for the meek and repentant:

"It may be that you will be hidden
In the day of the Lord's anger."

The theme of hiding may have had special significance for Zephaniah, as his name means "The Lord has hidden." My Bible's introduction to the book points out how Zephaniah's words about hiding here are connected to the ministry of Jesus:

"The truth of the Passover in Egypt, where those hidden behind blood-marked doors were protected from the angel of death is repeated in the promise of Zephaniah 2:3, where the meek of the earth who have upheld God's justice will be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger" - Mary LaVonne Phillips, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1233.

Paul picks up this theme of hiding in Colossians, naming Jesus as the One in whom God has hidden His deepest secrets: "… the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations but now has been revealed to His saints … Christ in you, the hope of glory" - Colossians 1:26,27.
"… in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" - Colossians 2:3.

And, after we have accepted Him Paul points out, we are hidden in Him:
"For you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God" - Colossians 3:3.

Of course the death Paul refers to is not literal physical death but a death (unresponsiveness) to sin. We keep living in this trouble-worn word where we may still have very real reasons  to call for God to hide us—as Cory Ten Boom describes The Hiding Place—her book about her experiences during WWII.

An encouraging hiding verse to memorize:

"You are my hiding place
You shall preserve me from trouble
You shall surround me with songs of deliverance" - Psalm 32:7

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for sending Jesus in whom I hide from Your righteous and justified anger against my sin and Your judgment. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Do our lives cast a shadow on God's name?

"You are the man" - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 2 Samuel 12:1-15a

TO CHEW ON: " … by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme…" 2 Samuel 12:14

David's outrage at the unfairness of the rich man stealing the poor man's sheep in Nathan's story, and his moralistic prescription, show how callous and blind to his own sin his heart had become.

Nathan's response to him: "You are the man!" must have felt like a plunge into cold water for David - Oh, oh! Busted!

It was during the time that David was cleaning this up and getting back into a good relationship with God that he wrote Psalm 51. It shows the depth of his regret and the extent of his repentance.

However, life events can't be undone no matter how sincere the "sorry" is. There are consequences. For David they were serious:

• Killing and death would characterize his family (2 Samuel 12:10).

• He would be humiliated by someone ("from your own house… your neighbour") having his way with David's own harem (2 Samuel 12:11,12.

•  Because his actions brought disgrace on all God's followers and gave reason "to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme," the child Bathsheba had conceived with him would die (2 Samuel 12:14).

Thinking especially of the last one, these many years later it's not unusual for the sin of prominent Christians to cause God's enemies to continue that blasphemy. Just a few weeks ago another example of such a case came to light in Canada when a senator—a married family man and pastor of a church—was outed as having had an affair with a 16-year-old girl. All of Christendom gets a black eye from these cases.

However, before we get too self-righteous about this, we do well to examine our own lives for habits, reactions, and incidents that have contributed to bringing disgrace on God and His people. Things like lashing out in anger, spreading gossip, telling questionable jokes, small cheats in business or relationships are just a few examples of things that can be just as damaging to God's holy name as outright adultery (Romans 2:21-24).

If we have such things hiding in our lives, instead of waiting for a Nathan to come along and expose us, let's ask God to show us where we're kidding ourselves that everything is just fine. And then let's make it right—apologize, repay what isn't rightfully ours, clean up our mouths, end the questionable relationship—do all we can to thwart the enemy's opportunities to blaspheme because of us.

PRAYER: Dear God, please open my eyes to the sins in my own life that could cause Christians and non-Christians to disrespect You. Help me to deal with my own sins instead of judging others. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Shame and hiding

Eve and Adam - painting by Phillip Ratner

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Genesis 3:1-15

TO CHEW ON: "And they heard the sound of the Lord 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." Genesis 3:8

 Yesterday's reading with its idyllic scene of Adam and Eve in sweet companionship with each other and God is ripped apart by the entrance of sin. Adam and Eve's eating the fruit of the Knowledge-of-Good-and-Evil tree did a lot more than set them in the direction of death. One thing that happened was an immediate urge to hide.

This urge grew out of guilt and shame.

[guilt: The fact or condition of having committed an offense, especially a willful violation of a legal or moral code,

shame: a painful sense of guilt or degradation caused by consciousness of guilt or of anything degrading, unworthy or immodest...a state or condition of regret, dishonour or disgrace."]

So they went from "naked and unashamed" (Genesis 2:25) to hiding their bodies from each other and hiding themselves from God.

Throughout the Bible we discover a similar urge to hide in the presence of guilt over having committed sin. It was often accompanied by drastic results which impacted more people than just the ones who sinned:

• Achan took spoil from Jericho, hid it in his tent and as a result 36 men were killed in the battle with Ai before he was discovered. Then he and his family paid the price (Joshua 7).

• Gehazi, Elisha's servant, tried to hide the fact that he had taken Naaman's gift, offered earlier to his boss. He ended up with leprosy (2 Kings 5:20-27).

• We smile at the irony of the Israelites secretly building "high places" for idol worship. "High places"! And they thought God couldn't see? (2 Kings 17:9).

David, whose hiding episode included adultery and murder, got it right when he asked, rhetorically in Psalm 139, "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?" and answered, in effect, nowhere (Psalm 139:7-12).

I ask myself, am I keeping secrets from God? One sign that I may be is a reluctance to meet with Him (just like Adam and Eve). For I have found that when such is the case and we do get together, He invariably puts His finger on my supposed secret.

If we're not sure, we can pray the prayer David prayed at the end of Psalm 139:

"Search me, O God, and know my heart;

         Try me, and know my anxieties;

 And see if there is any wicked way in me,

         And lead me in the way everlasting."

If God exposes concealed sins, Psalm 32:5 is the perfect way to deal with them:

"I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin.  Selah  

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to realize the futility of trying to hide things from You. Help me to recognize "secret sins," to acknowledge and confess them, and to deal with any interpersonal fallout. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Shame and hiding

Eve and Adam - painting by Phillip Ratner

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Genesis 3:1-15

TO CHEW ON: "And they heard the sound of the Lord 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." Genesis 3:8

Adam and Eve in sweet companionship with each other and God  (Genesis 2:23-25) is ripped apart by sin. Adam and Eve's eating the fruit of the Knowledge-of-Good-and-Evil tree did a lot more than set them in the direction of death. One thing that happened was an immediate urge to hide.

This urge grew out of guilt and shame.

[guilt: The fact or condition of having committed an offense, especially a willful violation of a legal or moral code,

shame: a painful sense of guilt or degradation caused by consciousness of guilt or of anything degrading, unworthy or immodest...a state or condition of regret, dishonour or disgrace."]

So they went from "naked and unashamed" (Genesis 2:25) to hiding their bodies from each other and hiding themselves from God.

Throughout the Bible we discover a similar urge to hide in the presence of guilt over having committed sin. It was often accompanied by drastic results which impacted more people than just the ones who sinned:

• Achan took spoil from Jericho, hid it in his tent and as a result 36 men were killed in the battle with Ai before he was discovered. Then he and his family paid the price (Joshua 7).

• Gehazi, Elisha's servant, tried to hide the fact that he had taken Naaman's gift, offered earlier to his boss. He ended up with leprosy (2 Kings 5:20-27).

• We smile at the irony of the Israelites secretly building "high places" for idol worship. "High places"! And they thought God couldn't see? (2 Kings 17:9).

David, whose hiding episode included adultery and murder, got it right when he asked, rhetorically in Psalm 139, "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?" and answered, in effect, nowhere (Psalm 139:7-12).

I ask myself, am I keeping secrets from God? One sign that I am may be is a reluctance to meet with Him (just like Adam and Eve). For I have found that when such is the case and we do get together, He invariably puts His finger on my supposed secret.

If we're not sure, we can pray the prayer David prayed at the end of Psalm 139:

"Search me, O God, and know my heart;

         Try me, and know my anxieties;

 And see if there is any wicked way in me,

         And lead me in the way everlasting."

If God exposes concealed sins, Psalm 32:5 is the perfect way to deal with them:

"I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin.  Selah  

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to realize the futility of trying to hide things from You. Help me to recognize "secret sins," to acknowledge and confess them, and to deal with any interpersonal fallout. Amen.

MORE: Shame versus guilt
Mark Yarhouse in his book Homosexuality and the Christian, makes a distinction between guilt and shame:

"Guilt is about feeling bad for something you've done. Shame is about feeling bad for who you are" - p. 158.

Keeping that in mind, shame would be the appropriate response to humanity's (and thus our own) reluctance to appear before God caused by Adam and Eve's sin. But through belief in Jesus and His death on the cross, the shame of our inherent sinfulness is no longer necessary (see Revelation 3:18-20).

(From the archives)