Freedom from captivity
Chapter 11 – Are you trying to Hide or Run?
We read in 2 Corinthians 5:18, “All this is done by God, who through Christ changed us from enemies into his friends and gave us the task of making others his friends also.” (GNT)
Have we considered all the marvelous things God has done for us through Jesus Christ, and His work on the cross? While we were in sin, living in opposition and enmity with God, Jesus changed our status to become friends with God. God accomplished this by taking the first step in seeking after fallen man, and redeeming us through the precious blood of His only begotten Son, Jesus. All this was completed by God Himself, only because of His immense love for each one of us.
We might have noticed that when two people are at enmity with each other, there will always be a contention between them, as to who will take the first step to give up their ego and make peace with the other. This is something very common in families too, especially between spouses. Even when there is a small misunderstanding between husband and wife, each one waits for the other to take the first step to set things right. Sometimes when both wait for too long the distance and animosity grows, and a simple disagreement which could have been easily sorted out and settled, sometimes becomes the cause for a permanent separation.
So also when man sinned, he became an enemy of God. When we readGenesis 3:9 which goes like this, “But the LORD God called out to the man, “Where are you?” (GNB), we will realize that it was God who came searching after man, when man sinned against Him. It was God who took the first step towards reconciliation and peace, because He is a God of love and grace.
How did this enmity begin?
In Genesis 2:15-17, we read, “Then the LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and guard it. He told him, "You may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden, except the tree that gives knowledge of what is good and what is bad. You must not eat the fruit of that tree; if you do, you will die the same day." (GNB)
God gave man the freedom to eat from every fruit that was there in the spectacular Garden of Eden. It must have been a really vast and delightful garden that Adam and Eve were placed in, because the nature of God is such that He is always bountiful and abounding in all He does. The only prohibition God set for them, was not to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Isn’t it a sad thought that when Adam and Eve had a really huge garden full of fruits to enjoy, that they chose to desire the only fruit that was forbidden them in the entire garden.
Many have this thought that God could have chosen not to place the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden, and thereby denied Adam and Eve the access and choice of eating the fruit of that tree.
Here’s the reason why God kept the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden, and gave man the instruction not to eat from it. Of all the things God created, man was the crown of God’s creation because He was made in the image and likeness of God. God has a free will, and he bequeathed this gift of a free will to man, since man was made in His image. If God told man he could eat all that was there in the Garden of Eden, and left him with no other option, man would not have had a chance to exercise the free will that God had bestowed on him. By forbidding man to eat fruit from the one tree in the garden, God placed into man’s hands the freedom to analyze and choose what was good and right for him. That is what makes man different man from all other animals. Animals function entirely on the basis of their instinct, but man has the capacity to think, reason and then make an appropriate choice. For this to materialize, God had to give man the freedom to choose to eat or not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Have you noticed how human beings are delighted when given an option to choose something? Children like it when they have multiple choice questions, men and women go through great lengths in choosing their life partners, and huge malls are preferred over smaller ones only because there is a wider variety of brands to choose from.
We read in Genesis 3:6, “The woman saw how beautiful the tree was and how good its fruit would be to eat, and she thought how wonderful it would be to become wise. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, and he also ate it.” (GNB)
Eve saw things that God did not intend or plan for her so see, and the result was that she ate the forbidden fruit and also gave it to her husband. Often we get ourselves into problems when we disobey God, and desire those things that he has prohibited us to have, which are for our own good. The most sorrowful event in the history of mankind, was that man instead of enjoying all that was freely given to him, chose to go after the one thing that was forbidden him.
God has given us so much good to choose from, and the somber fact is that man’s nature is such that he goes after what is detrimental to him, rather than what is helpful to him.
What happened as a result of their disobedience?
In Genesis 3:8 we read, “That evening they heard the LORD God walking in the garden, and they hid from Him among the trees.” (GNB)
Adam and Eve did two things when they disobeyed God. Firstly, they avoided the presence of God because of guilt, and the secondly they hid themselves from the presence of God.
Who taught Adam and Eve to hide?
When God created man, he also placed in him a conscience that distinguished man from all other created beings. The conscience of man speaks to him when he sins against God. We say our conscience was pricked, when we feel that sense of guilt because God has placed it within each one of us. Even without being taught, a person is able to discern good and bad only because of the conscience that God has placed within us. It was Adam and Eve’s guilty conscience that prompted them to hide from God and His presence.
Many people are unable to come and enjoy the presence of God because they have sinned and are living with a guilty conscience.
God cannot tolerate sin, and so the sin that Adam and Eve committed created an enmity between the holy God and sinful man. When the only available option for them was to hide, but in Genesis 3:9, we read, “But the LORD God called out to the man, “Where are you?” (GNB). As Adam and Eve hid from God, it was God who came searching after them. When God asked them, ‘Where are you?’ it was not that He did not know where they were hiding, but God was asking them, ‘Where are you in your relationship with Me?’ because when Adam and Eve sinned, they fell out of friendship and the intimate relationship that they enjoyed with God.
When all that man could do was hide because of sin, God in his love, mercy and grace came searching after man. We can never play hide and seek with God. God will always win, so all we need to get back to Him and seek to have our friendship and fellowship restored with God. Many of us may have had a close and deep relationship with God, but over time we may have fallen out on this relationship and now our lamps are burning dimly. God is still calling out to us and waiting with open arms, and if we come back to Him, He will surely trim our lamps and make them burn brighter than before.
When Elijah hid from God
In 1 Kings 19:9, we read, “There he went into a cave to spend the night. Suddenly the LORD spoke to him, "Elijah, what are you doing here?" (GNB)
Elijah was in a place that God did not intend for him to be and that is when God asked him, ‘What are you doing here?’
Let’s do a quick study on the background to this incident. Israel was filled with Idolatry. Jezebel who was the Queen, had raised up many prophets for the god Baal and the land was completely defiled. Elijah, the prophet of God, challenged the 450 prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel to offer a sacrifice which their god Baal was to attest by fire. The whole day they cried out to Baal, and nothing happened. At the end of the day Elijah the only representative for the Lord, placed his sacrifice before the Lord, which the Lord God consumed the sacrifice entirely by raining down fire from heaven. When God gave Elijah the great victory, Elijah put to death all the prophets of Baal. When the news of the slaughter of the prophets of Baal reached Jezebel, she was enraged and decided to put Elijah to death. When Elijah heard this threat, he was so terrified that he ran and decided to hide from Jezebel.
In 1 Kings 19:5-8, we read, “Then he lay down and slept under the broom plant. An angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat." When he looked, he saw near his head some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water. So he ate, drank, and went to sleep again. The angel of the LORD came back and woke him up again. The angel said, "Get up and eat, or your journey will be too much for you." He got up, ate, and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled for 40 days and nights until he came to Horeb, the mountain of God.” (GW)
The first place of rest for Elijah was under a broom tree. God sent an angel who woke him up and placed some bread and water to refresh Elijah. The prophet was so discouraged, he didn’t even recognize the angel. He went back to sleep and the second time the Angel of God woke him up again and encouraged him to eat and told him that he had a long journey ahead of him. Elijah ate the food and traveled for forty days before he reached Horeb, the Mountain of God. God was so loving and gracious, that instead of stopping the prophet from running, he strengthened him with food so he could continue to run.
Some of us may also be running away from God, but God is still gracious and ready to meet us right where we are, and provide for all our needs. The question is ‘are we running with faith or running in despair?’ When faced with a challenge, let us decide to run towards God and not away from Him. The comforting thought for all of us is that, in whatever circumstance we are in, God is an amazing God who is ready to intervene, strengthen us and win us over to His side.
It was at Horeb that the Lord encounters the prophet Elijah who was hiding in a cave and asked him, ‘What are you doing here?’ He was encouraging the prophet to get out of his hiding place and to get to the place that God has planned for him to be in.
We can never hide or run from God
The Psalmist says in Psalms 139:7, “Where could I go to escape from you? Where could I get away from your presence?” (GNB)
In Psalms 139: 8-10, “If I go up to heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in hell, you are there. If I climb upward on the rays of the morning sun or land on the most distant shore of the sea where the sun sets, even there your hand would guide me and your right hand would hold on to me.” (GW)
We can never outrun God or hide from His presence. No matter where we go be it to the highest heavens, or the depths of hell or as far away as we can imagine, the Psalmist declared that His hand is able to hold and guide us. God knows everything about us; He knows when we lie down, wake up, every word, thought, all the difficult situations we face.
We may have made wrong decisions and chosen to walk away from being in fellowship with God. However, if we are willing to come back, He is able to change and transform everything. God yearns for us to return to Him and make Him our first love. We must make a decision to come back and be reconciled to God. It is only when we are at peace with God, can we be at peace with others and this will permeate into all other relationships. That’s why Jesus said blessed are the peace makers. Even if you have gone astray, you can decide to get back and be reconciled to the Lord, for He alone has broken the wall of enmity and can renew our friendship and fellowship with God. May we never try to hide or run away from the Lord, but instead always run into His presence, which is the only place of perfect peace and safety.
Pastor F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by : Ms. Esther Collins
