No Place to Hide

God asked, “Where art thou?” (Genesis 3:9) but knew exactly where Adam and Eve were. They were hiding, and He knew where. He gave them only one command concerning food in the garden: Eat freely of every tree except one (2:15–17). But they disobeyed and hid. When God confronted them, they each blamed someone else for their sin, which implied their failure was His fault.

Offering reasons to validate wrong actions and poor choices is an ancient practice. Excuses and blame will continue until God makes all things new. Making excuses and blaming others for our life choices implies that the outcome would have been more favorable had God acted differently on our behalf. No, it would not. God created humankind with the ability to choose right over wrong, but we choose wrongly sometimes. Our disobedience is not His fault.

Where are you? If you convinced yourself that your excuses are valid, they are not, and you can’t hide from God; He knows where you are. King David grievously sinned and tried to cover his actions. When Nathan confronted him, rather than offer excuses or blame others for his behavior, he confessed his sin was against God and asked Him for forgiveness (2 Samuel 12:13; Psalm 51). God forgave him. When we take responsibility for our failures, the same opportunity for cleansing is ours. (1 John 1:8–10).