You Can Trust Him
Anticipation Series
“Our guilt can be crushing and it can lead us out of God's light and into darkness…”
“6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.””
Explanation:
Adam and Eve were told by God that they may eat of any tree in the garden except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They complied with this commandment, living in harmony with God and all things. That is, until the serpent appears on the scene. The serpent had special significance for the early Hebrews and ancients in general. The serpent was often the object of worship and thought to be cunning and mischievous and possessed significant spiritual powers.¹ When the serpent approached, he cunningly convinced Eve to eat of the tree, and Adam soon followed.
Once they had sinned, their eyes were opened. Whereas before they were unashamed because they were unaware of their nakedness, their newfound self-awareness has opened up an entire new world of guilt and shame.² The price of knowing good from evil also led to the curse of death entering the human race. Once sin entered into creation, Adam and Eve were suddenly insecure with themselves and with each other. Aware of their nakedness, they attempt to cover themselves, that they may not be exposed as sinners. Thus, instead of embracing God's loving presence, the guilt of their sin cause Adam and Eve flee from God. God's loving presence is now too much for them to bear, and they hide.
Connection:
How often we follow in the footsteps of our first parents. Our guilt can be crushing and it can lead us out of God's light and into darkness. Our attempts to run and hide can destroy our relationship with God and one another. Like Peter, we may weep bitterly at our sin and condemn ourselves harshly (Luke 22:62). However, our loving God does not let us hide in the shadows. He pursues us, in and through our guilt. By our guilt we are convicted of our sin and driven to the cross. For Adam and Eve, God covered them with the death of animals, pointing forward to the ultimate death of Jesus which would cover us all. As the first Adam covered himself, Jesus the second Adam is stripped of his garments. Where Adam hid, Jesus was lifted up. He was naked and exposed in order that all may see their sin on full display. Therefore let us lift our eyes upon the crucified Jesus, knowing our guilt and our shame was on display in his own body, that he may take it all to the grave with him where it remains buried forever.
Action:
Don’t Hide -
When Adam and Eve sinned, they became aware of their own nakedness and their estrangement from God. They were exposed and insecure, and they ran and hid from God's face. This is the way sin manifests in our flesh. We do not want to be exposed, and we hide out of fear. However, this compounds the problem. Through Jesus, we have an advocate with the Father (1 Jn 2:1-2). We no longer need to hide in our sin, but can approach God's throne with confidence that our sins are forgiven and we have peace with God.
Reach Out -
Our guilt can sometimes manifest in avoidance. We seek to be alone, cutting ourselves off from the rest of the world. However, God has provided relationships in our lives for our benefit. Reach out to others when you are struggling with guilt. Confess your sins to God and one another, so that your conscience might be at peace (James 5:16).
Press Forward -
God has forgiven all our sins for the sake of his son. Under the cover of his righteousness, we are no longer slaves to our sin but free to pursue the good, in whatever form that may take. Therefore press forward in your life, confident that the blood of Jesus has washed away your guilt.
¹ John Walton, Genesis (Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 2001), 306.
² Ibid, 313.