Scripture:
“When 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. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
(Genesis 3:8-11)
Devotion:
The immediate consequence of their disobedience was the severing of their intimacy with God and between themselves.
Adam and Eve are no longer as God created them, living in the purity of their intimacy, fully knowing each other without limitation, hindrance, or shame.
Adam and Eve became alienated not only from each other, but from God as well. When the Lord God desired to have His usual fellowship with them in the Garden in the cool of the day, they hid themselves. What were they “hiding?” For the first time, man is afraid and insecure. They felt ashamed of what they just did.
Man must cover himself. He must hide. And we have been hiding ourselves ever since. And this nakedness is not merely about morality and clothes. It is about who we were in our innocence and acceptance and then how we would struggle with shame and alienation.
But thanks to God that through Christ Jesus there is now forgiveness of sins. 1 John 1:7 says, “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.” We need not and must not hide, from God or from one another in God’s covenant family and community. In humility, we confess our sins before one another in the Presence of our Heavenly Father which brings restoration, healing and reconciliation of relationships.
Reflection:
(1) In what ways is your “intimacy” with the Lord not as what it should or could be? Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal areas that need to come under the blood of Jesus, so that there is no alienation whatsoever between you and God.
(2) In what ways are your relationships still strained and tense in your family and church? Seek for the Lord’s help to bring restoration and reconciliation.
Prayer:
Lord God, I ask for grace to be humble, to make right things that went wrong in my relationships. May Your healing flow, bringing reconciliation and unity in Your family again. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.