HIDE AND SEEK

In the midst of preparing the chicken and rice and chopping the salad, I suddenly realize the house had grown eerily quiet. The running footstep had stilled and the babbling voice attempting to read ABC books had ceased. Caleb, where was Caleb, what was he into now? CALEB, where are you? He had been in the dining room just seconds ago; there were all his books, stacked perfectly in his 2 year old obsessive method. I stepped over cars and “little people” as I made my way to the staircase. CALEB, I called as I looked up to the second level, but there was no smiling little face peering through the banisters. Walking down the hallway toward the family room, I heard a faint sound of breathing. There behind the table lamp stood a sheepishly smiling Caleb holding a chocolate bar from Grandma’s “secret” stash. His little 2-year old mind knew he was holding the forbidden and assumed that a table lamp would provide adequate covering.

Caleb’s behavior isn’t unique; it began with Adam and Eve. Genesis 3:6-9 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.8And 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.9Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”

Adam and Eve could not resist the forbidden and man’s formula was set; sin, cover and hide. All through the Bible we find Mankind following this formula. A few years later, Adam’s son, Cain would try the formula and experience the same outcome. Cain became angry with his brother Abel and killed him. He must have tried to cover it up because God told Cain that Abel’s blood called to him from the ground. Then Cain tried to hide behind his arrogance; “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Again, God saw through the inadequate covering provided by Cain. King David, a man after God’s own heart, was not immune from the curse of sin and the solution set forth by Adam and Eve.

It was the “War Season” and David remained in Jerusalem. Boredom became his undoing. He desired Bathsheba and she became pregnant. To cover his sin he sent her home and called her husband, Uriah, home from war to lie with her. Now everyone would assume the baby was premature. Uriah, a dutiful man, stayed at the palace to guard the king. David panicked and tried to hide his sin by sending Uriah to the front line to be killed. 2 Samuel 11:7 tells us, “But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.” David’s covering was inadequate and God sent the prophet, Nathan.

I am so thankful that “hiding” is not the end of the story. In every example, soon after man’s sin, God came seeking. God pronounced judgment for the sin and then provided a “God Covering” way of redemption. David had to experience the death of a child but God provided him with another son, Solomon. Solomon became the wisest, richest king that ever ruled. Cain was sentenced to roam the earth as a vagabond for the rest of his life. God also set his own mark upon Cain as a covering and declared that if anyone killed Cain, that person would experience vengeance seven-fold. Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden to fend for themselves and God began the Process of Redemption.

Genesis 4:21 “Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.” Genesis provides us the portrait of redemption. Man’s attempt to cover himself with fig leaves was inadequate, so blood was shed by God to provide a warm covering of skins. In today’s world we have become more savvy in our attempt to cover our sins. We sew “fig leaves” of good works, service to our country, charitable contributions, being a good neighbor, kindness to animals, protecting the environment and many other futile methods. Mankind’s formula remains the same, “Sin, Cover, and Hide.” God’s formula for redemption also remains the same, “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission,” Hebrews 9:22.

Hide and Seek is a fun game when you are a child. After finding Caleb with the chocolate, I took the candy, gathered him in my lap and had a fun time sharing; my stash has a new hiding place. Hide and Seek can be a lonely endeavor for the adult and the attempt to cover our sin is exhausting. Luke 19:20 tells us “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Jesus Christ came to provide the sin covering for all of mankind. His shed blood reached back to cover Adam and Eve, Cain and David and it reaches forward to cover our sin today. If you are hiding, God is seeking!