1) Humanity’s
first action after
the fall was to
cover and keep
from being seen.
"You will not surely die," the serpent said
to the woman. "For God knows that when
you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and
you will be like God, knowing good and
evil." When the woman saw that the fruit
of the tree was good for food and pleasing
to the eye, and also desirable for gaining
wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also
gave some to her husband, who was with
her, and he ate it....
Genesis 3:4-10 (NIV)
...Then the eyes of both of them were opened,
and they realized they were naked; so they
sewed fig leaves together and made coverings
for themselves. Then 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."
Genesis 3:4-10 (NIV)
2) Jesus removes the
need for hiding
when he introduces
God as the unseen
viewer from whom
there are no secrets.
"Be careful not to do your 'acts of
righteousness' before men, to be seen
by them. If you do, you will have no
reward from your Father in
heaven. "So when you give to the
needy, do not announce it with
trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the
synagogues and on the streets, to be
honored by men....
Matthew 6:1-4 (NIV)
...I tell you the truth, they have
received their reward in full. But
when you give to the needy, do
not let your left hand know what
your right hand is doing, so that
your giving may be in secret.
Then your Father, who sees what
is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6:1-4 (NIV)
Unlimited Vision
...He sees!
The angel of the LORD also said to her: "You
are now with child and you will have a son.
You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD
has heard of your misery. He will be a wild
donkey of a man; his hand will be against
everyone and everyone's hand against him,
and he will live in hostility toward all his
brothers." She gave this name to the LORD
who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees
me," for she said, "I have now seen the One
who sees me."
Genesis 16:11-13 (NIV)
Unparalleled
Awareness
...He knows!
The Lord says: "These people come near to me
with their mouth and honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me. Their worship
of me is made up only of rules taught by men.
Therefore once more I will astound these people
with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the
wise will perish, the intelligence of the
intelligent will vanish." Woe to those who go
to great depths to hide their plans from the
LORD, who do their work in darkness and
think, "Who sees us? Who will know?"
Isaiah 29:13-15 (NIV)
Dear children, let us not love with
words or tongue but with actions
and in truth. This then is how we
know that we belong to the truth,
and how we set our hearts at rest in
his presence whenever our hearts
condemn us. For God is greater than
our hearts, and he knows everything.
I John 3:18-20 (NIV)
Uncompromised
Understanding
...He gets it!
If we had forgotten the name
of our God or spread out our
hands to a foreign god,
would not God have
discovered it, since he knows
the secrets of the heart?
Psalm 44:20-21 (NIV)
I am the good shepherd; I
know my sheep and my
sheep know me—just as
the Father knows me and I
know the Father—and I lay
down my life for the sheep.
John 10:14-15 (NIV)
No secrets.
No shame.
No surprise.