Poor Adam, he went into hiding, planning to remain in obscurity for the rest of his miserable life. And no doubt, many believers find themselves in obscurity even as the ‘bad guys’ remain popular. But today, we shall see how to come out of obscurity by considering why Adam went into hiding. By learning from his mistake, we should be able to avoid living in the corner of life like him.
He had disobeyed God. Many times, we focus on a particular sin but really, disobedience is disobedience. If God asks you to stand up and you sit down because everybody else is sitting down, that is disobedience. So is murder when God clearly states you should not kill. And James says if you have sinned (disobeyed) in one area, you have sinned in all. So, we must focus on the fact that we, like Adam, aided by the devil, often disobey God.
God knew that definite disobedience had occurred but He decided to give man the benefit of the doubt. He also wanted Adam to have a chance to confess. So, God posed the question. “Where are you?” This question to Adam in Genesis 3:9 is one of my favorites, and for at least two reasons.
Are We In Christ?
First, it shows that God teaches us great lessons about ourselves through questioning. Secondly, that this is the first question God posed to man is very instructive, in my view. “Where are you?” I wonder how many of us can truthfully answer that question by saying we are in Christ. And yet, the Bible makes it clear that that is where we are supposed to be.
The bible says we are to put Jesus Christ on as we would put on a garment; He is our cover, our dwelling place. In fact, God says He has been our dwelling place in all generations. So, when God poses the question to us about where we are, He wants us to examine our lives. Are we dwelling in Christ?
You see, God is a gracious God, willing to forgive us if we confess our disobedience. And that is what makes God’s questions so wonderful; they give us a chance to confess with our own mouths. God wanted to give Adam a chance to come out of obscurity was why He asked him that question.
God Wants You To Come Out Of Obscurity
How about you? Do you feel when God asks you a question? Do you take it as a query from your boss? Well, from today, stop regarding God’s questions as a query or an entrapment. That is not the way of God even if your boss behaves that way. God is simply trying to get us to face our lives squarely and confess our disobedience. Because that is the only way He can forgive us. And as soon as He forgives us, we are able to come out of obscurity into the light.
However, if we refuse to confess that we are in obedience, God cannot forgive us. Think about the time your friend or child offended you. He or she started trying to get into your favor without saying sorry. How easy was it for you to allow them to return to favor with you? Hard, even impossible is probably your answer. That is how it is with God. When He asked Adam that question, it was a chance for Adam to say sorry and return to God’s favor. It was Adam’s singular opportunity to come out of obscurity. Will you start embracing God’s questions and giving honest answers? It is your chance to come out of obscurity into the limelight of life
Maranatha!
