When I saw the above cartoon this past Sunday, I could not help but chuckle. I love cartoons and Speed Bump is one of my favorites. (that’s why you will see numerous posts here containing them) However, as I thought about this particular cartoon, a more serious thought entered my mind. This cartoon is not that far off from real life. How many times throughout your life have you sinned and thought you could hide your sin from God? Be honest with yourself no one else is watching you right now. Have you ever done something and then thought “maybe, He won’t notice.” Adam and Eve had these same thoughts of hiding their sin from God thousands of years ago.
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. Genesis 3:8
When we look back at our situation and even that of Adam and Eve, we realize that we are foolish to think that we can hide our sins from God. We know that the Creator of the Heavens and earth, knows all and sees all. But in the midst of our sins, we don’t always think straight. We sometimes believe that we are the only ones who will know about our mistakes.
24 Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?” declares the LORD. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the LORD. Jeremiah 23:24
But there is another point that strikes me as even more important when looking at this cartoon. Notice the hand of God in the drawing. Since this cartoon is a depiction of Adam and Eve after they ate of the forbidden fruit, God is pointing them away from Him. He is running them out of the garden. Thankfully, today, we do not live under the Old Testament covenant but rather we live under the New Testament covenant. A covenant in which God has washed our sins away with the blood of His Son.
15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. Hebrews 9:15
If this cartoon were picturing us today, living under the New Covenant in Christ, then it would paint a very different picture. In this new picture, the hand of God would be beckoning us to return to Him. What a wonderful picture that is for us. We know that we can not hide from God. But unlike Adam and Eve, we no longer have a reason to hide from Him. He welcomes us with open arms, even after we make a mistake. Even after we have abandoned Him, He embraces us, forgives us, and welcomes us back in His arms.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. Luke 15:20-24
What a beautiful picture this is. It really wouldn’t make for a very funny cartoon but it does make for a wonderful relationship with Him. Because of the blood shed by Jesus Christ, our sins are washed clean. We are never again to be chased from the garden, but rather welcomed back with open arms.
However, it is still up to us to get the apple from our teeth.
Have you ever tried to hide your sins from God?
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I think we all have. I think we know we really can’t, but decide to try anyway.
Exactly, we know deep down that it is useless but we go ahead and try anyway.
I tend to ask myself "If I love God so much, then why am I trying to hide from Him, when He is right there beside me?"
I think we should all think this way. He is always there I don’t know why it surprises us sometimes but it does.