Why do I try to hide from God and others?
Genesis 3:10-11He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.” “Who told you that you were naked?” the Lord God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?”
Joshua 7:13, 19-21“Command the people to purify themselves in preparation for tomorrow. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Hidden among you, O Israel, are things set apart for the Lord. You will never defeat your enemies until you remove these things from among you. . . . Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, by telling the truth. Make your confession and tell me what you have done. Don’t hide it from me.” Achan replied, “It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. Among the plunder I saw a beautiful robe from Babylon, 200 silver coins, and a bar of gold weighing more than a pound. I wanted them so much that I took them. They are hidden in the ground beneath my tent, with the silver buried deeper than the rest.”
Job 31:33“Have I tried to hide my sins like other people do, concealing my guilt in my heart?”
Ephesians 5:12It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret.
Our sins make us want to hide from God and others. But when we try to hide our sins, we are also hiding from forgiveness, which is the only way to be free from sin.
Matthew 5:15-16“No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”
Sometimes, we try to hide our faith from those who might ridicule us for it. We may think that fitting in is part of our evangelism; but if we begin to compromise God’s commands to do this, we have fallen into a trap. Not only is this dangerous to our own spiritual health, but by covering the light of Christ, we hide Jesus from those who need him most.
Exodus 3:10-12“Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.” But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?” God answered, “I will be with you.”
Jonah 1:1-3The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.” But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord.
Fear makes us want to hide from God’s call on our lives. Jesus never said following him would be safe and easy—in fact, he promised the opposite. But he also promised that he would be beside us every step of the way (Matthew 28:20; John 16:33).
1 Samuel 10:22So they asked the Lord, “Where is he [Saul]?” And the Lord replied, “He is hiding among the baggage.”
Matthew 25:25“‘I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’”
Sometimes, we become intimidated by our God-given responsibilities and try to hide from them.
1 Samuel 13:6The men of Israel saw what a tight spot they were in; and because they were hard pressed by the enemy, they tried to hide in caves, thickets, rocks, holes, and cisterns.
Psalm 55:12It is not an enemy who taunts me—I could bear that. It is not my foes who so arrogantly insult me—I could have hidden from them.
The strength of our enemies may make us want to hide from them. With God leading us, though, we need not fear (Psalm 46:1–3; Mark 4:40; 1 John 4:18).
Job 24:4The poor are pushed off the path; the needy must hide together for safety.
Proverbs 28:12When the godly succeed, everyone is glad. When the wicked take charge, people go into hiding.
Oppression from others makes us want to hide. We fear for our own safety and the safety of those we love.
Isaiah 58:7Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.
Matthew 25:41-45“Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’ Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’ And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’”
Sometimes, we hide from those in need because we don’t want to spend the time, money, or effort to help them. Rather than be reminded of other’s needs, we try to avoid them, hoping to escape the guilt. When we do this, we miss the heart of what Jesus taught—and miss our opportunity to serve Jesus himself.
Genesis 43:30Then Joseph hurried from the room because he was overcome with emotion for his brother. He went into his private room, where he broke down and wept.
Proverbs 14:13Laughter can conceal a heavy heart, but when the laughter ends, the grief remains.
We want to hide our feelings and emotions from others because we don’t want them to see us vulnerable.
