Hiding Behind Fig Leaves

Genesis 3:7,8b – At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. … So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. (NLT)

Young children can hide in the craziest places.

"Levi, do you want to play hide-and-seek with Pop?"

"Okay."

"You hide, and Pop will find you."

I sat in my recliner. He scampered off for the kitchen.

"Ready or not, here I come," I called as I headed to where I knew he was.

I found him standing in the middle of the kitchen floor with only his hands over his eyes. In his young mind, he thought that that action would keep me from seeing him.

Seems silly, but we adults don't do much of a better job trying to hide from God. God placed Adam and Eve in a pristine environment with everything that they could ever want at their fingertips. But they weren't satisfied. Fruit from the one tree that God said was off-limits lured them. A slithering serpent (Satan) provided the enticement, but they still had the power to say "No."

After they had done the deed, they experienced an emotion that they'd never felt before: shame. They had violated God's express command, and they attempted to cover the guilt by sewing together fig leaves. But they soon discovered that leaves couldn't keep God from seeing them any more than my grandson's hands could keep me from observing him.

Fast forward a few thousand years, and we find religious leaders attempting to cover their guilt, too … but with different things. They tried to hide behind a façade of good works. Jesus told them that they were just white-washed tombs full of dead bones. He could see beneath their outside.

I've sewn a few sets of fig leaves myself. They may have consisted of good works, community organizations, beneficial relationships, or positions in my local church.

Yet, none of these — or anything else — can erase feelings of guilt. There are just not enough fig leaves. True guilt comes when we violate or ignore God's commands — or Him. Christ paid for whatever we've done, and confession — not fig leaves — will alleviate the guilt. We can't work to repay what we couldn't buy in the first place, nor can we ever be good enough to place God under obligation to us. All that He requires is heartfelt sorrow.

Take the only true plan of action for dealing with guilt: "But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness." (1 John 1:9 NLT)

Prayer: Father, I give my guilt to you. I realize that only the blood of Christ can cover it. Amen.

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About the author:

Martin Wiles <mandmwiles@gmail.com>
Greenwood, South Carolina, USA
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